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During Napoleon’s stayed on Elba in 1814, he was not content. His thoughts kept wandering back to his ambitions of a grand empire.
After awhile, Napoleon couldn’t stand it any longer. He planned an escape with some of his most trusted advisors.
In February 1815, Napoleon sailed from the island with 1,000 or so followers. He landed near Cannes on March 1 and marched toward Paris. Napoleon gathered supporters along the way.
Louis XVIII sent Marshal Michel with an army to stop Napoleon. But the army joined Napoleon instead of fighting him.
The Bourbons fled as Napoleon entered Paris on March 20, beginning the Hundred Days. The people welcomed back their hero, but not his dictatorship.
Napoleon proclaimed a new constitution that limited his power. Napoleon was determined to change that constitution later as he prepared to engage the allies.
On
June 16, Napoleon defeated the Prussian army under Blücher at Ligny,
near Fleurus. On June 18, Napoleon engaged the British army under the
Duke of Wellington at Waterloo.
The battle raged on and Napoleon seemed on the verge of winning. However,
Blücher arrived with reinforcements and outnumbered the French. As
a result, the French suffered a devastating defeat.
Napoleon fled to Paris and abdicated again on June 22, ending the Hundred Days.
Napoleon attempted to flee to the United States, but failed. He surrendered at Rochefort to Frederick Maitland, captain of the British battleship Bellerophon.
This time, the allies weren’t so generous toward him. In August, they imprisoned Napoleon on the island of St. Helena, off the southern coast of Africa.
On
the island, there was nothing for Napoleon to do but write his memoirs.
Napoleon died on May 5, 1821.
In 1840, the British and French brought his remains to Paris. The French laid his body to rest at Église du Dôme (Church of the Dome), part of the Hôtel des Invalides (Home for the Disabled Soldiers.)