Why was the Arc de Triomphe Built?
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Napoleon Bonparte was a very successful soldier-Emperor who conquered most of Europe during the early nineteenth century. He considered how he could construct a monument which would help people to remember not only him, but the conquests his armies had achieved and their bravery in the battles that they had fought. |
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Napoleon had seen the triumphal arches built by the Romans eighteen hundred years before. These Roman Triumphal arches were constructed so that victorious Roman Emperors could hold parades. |
The Emperor and his soldiers paraded through the arch with all their captives and spoils of war. Napoleon liked this idea. He ordered the Arch to be built in 1806. However, its construction was not completed until 1836, many years after Napoleon's death. |
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Page last updated 18 February 2005. |
