Napoleon attracts and repels, fascinates and causes rejection, but leaves no one indifferent. 2019 marked the 250th anniversary of the birth of Napoleon Bonaparte, and his name, which had already become a legend during his lifetime, became not just a myth, but a national, or more precisely, an international brand, a trademark. At one time, the famous writer and poet Victor Hugo, whose father was a Napoleonic general, wrote that the French continue to show and hide Napoleon, unable to come to a final opinion, and these words have not lost their relevance today. He himself began to create his own legend, he is the main architect of this structure; he can be said to be the first PR manager in history. And the legend is the basis of his cult, veneration and memory. How was this cult formed? How did the development of myth and anti-myth occur? What was the role of veterans of the Grand Army and writers of the Romantic era in the formation of the Napoleonic cult? How did the French authorities at different stages treat the name and legacy of Napoleon? What is the position of the modern French authorities? How did the French celebrate the 200th anniversary of the First Empire and the 250th anniversary of the birth of Napoleon Bonaparte? What do modern historians think about this and how do they assess the reasons for Napoleon’s popularity throughout the world? All these questions are raised in the pages of this book.