St. Helena Island Exile:
Once the ruler of nearly all of Europe, Napoleon found himself confined to an island ten miles long and six miles wide. On Elba, he had at least been an Emperor. On St. Helena he was a prisoner, guarded by 2000 soldiers and two ships that circled the island 24 hours a day. His final palace would be a wooden bungalow that had once been a row of cattle stalls.
He was forty-six years-old, with nothing to do for the rest of his life but eat, sleep, and search for a way to occupy his mind.
"To die is nothing," he said, "but to live defeated and without glory is to die every day."
Stripped of every vestige of power, on this stifling, windswept island lost in the Atlantic, Napoleon fought the endless boredom of his days. He gardened, read any book or newspaper he could get his hands on, tried re-writing a tragedy of Voltaire's, imposed an exacting imperial etiquette on his retinue, and sparred with the island’s English governor, who insisted on calling Napoleon General Bonaparte.
Only one weapon was left him — words. With words, he would launch his last campaign. Day after day, he dictated his memoirs, forging the story of his life into the stuff of legend.
"History is a set of lies that people have agreed upon," Napoleon said. "Even when I am gone, I shall remain in people's minds the star of their rights, my name will be the war cry of their efforts, the motto of their hopes."
15 August 1769-5 May 1821
Ajaccio, Corsica, France (birthplace)
Les Invalides-Paris,France (ultimate resting place)
Related Links:
Les Invalides Museum
Napoleon Bonaparte Wikipedia
The Man & The Myth-PBS
Europe Up Close-Ajaccio
Maxted Travels
Walsh and Waddell Family Blog
Maison Bonaparte-Ajaccio
I have been in this place and I know myself how wonderful it is!!!
ReplyDeleteHow excellent...thanks for commenting, I definitely want to visit the day I go to Paris!!!
ReplyDelete