When Napoleon I decided in 1806 to have a triumphal arch built on the Place de l’Etoile in Paris, his idea was to pay tribute to his armies, which were triumphing all over Europe. However, when the Empire fell, the Arc de Triomphe was far from being completed. Changes in architects and political regimes slowed down the work even further. In 1835, a year before its inauguration, it was decided to engrave on the pillars and the vault of the monument the names of the 158 successful battles that took place between 1792 and 1815, as well as the names of the 660 generals who took part.