[Napoleon III's urogenital disease (1808-1873)]

We tried through this paper to reconstitute the evolution of the urologic illness of Napoleon III, last emperor of France, the first symptoms of which appeared many years before the fatal war of 1870, which led to the dismembering of France. In this connection, we present Napoleon III's physicians and his cures, along with the diagnostic and therapeutic errors. The case of Napoleon III is a typical example of the influence the bad health of a sovereign can exercise on the destiny of his country.