Palace of the Tuileries

Napoleon enters the Tuileries

On March 20 Napoleon entered the Palace of the Tuileries, and was once more in control of the apparatus of government, though he never regained his old absolute power.  Revolutionary figures from the dim past -- Carnot and Constant -- were persuaded to serve in his government, but the Chamber remained aloof and cautious.  Napoleon and the State were never again synonymous, and the Emperor could no longer repeat the proud claim of Louis XIV: "L'etat, c'est moi."  Vast efforts were made to rally the Parisians behind the new regime, culminating in June 1 in a huge celebration entitled Le champ de mai.  The civic part of the ceremony proved a ludicrous fiasco, but the military parade that followed was as impressive as ever.

~D. Chandler, The Campaigns of Napoleon, Page 1012.