When Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804, many people were shocked. They had seen him as a military hero and a revolutionary leader, but now he seemed to be embracing the same aristocratic traditions that had been overthrown during the French Revolution.
Napoleon's coronation was seen by some as a violation of the revolutionary principles of equality and popular sovereignty. These principles stated that all citizens were equal and that the government derived its power from the people. By making himself Emperor, Napoleon seemed to be setting himself above the rest of the French people and claiming that he had the right to rule by divine right.
Others argued that Napoleon's coronation was justified because he had brought stability and prosperity to France after the chaos of the Revolution. They said that he was the best person to lead the country and that he deserved to be recognized as Emperor.
The controversy over Napoleon's coronation highlights the tensions that existed between the revolutionary ideals of the French Revolution and the traditional social and political structures of pre-revolutionary France.