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Why did Napoleon III join the Crimean War?

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Portrait of Napoleon III in a dark military uniform with gold epaulettes, a red sash, and medals, set against a deep red background. Painted by Hippolyte Flandrin. — Napoleon III Napoleon III, detail of a portrait by Hippolyte Flandrin, 1862; in the Versailles Museum.

Napoleon III joined the Crimean War primarily to restore France’s status as a great power and to break the European system established by the Congress of Vienna in 1815, which he viewed as a source of national humiliation.1

By participating in the conflict, he sought to realize his goal of forming a strategic alliance with Great Britain. This partnership was intended to effectively check Russian expansion toward the Mediterranean. Beyond these geopolitical objectives, the war provided a platform for Napoleon III to act as a central figure in European diplomacy, eventually leading to his role as the continent's arbitrator following the peace conference in Paris.1