Opinions have been divided about the world-famous warlord Napoleon for centuries. Laypeople and also people with a history of history argue to this day whether Napoleon was more of a genius warlord or just a simple war criminal. Regardless of his military endeavors, however, the warlord made sure that Napoleon and Elba are forever associated with one another.
The life path of Napoleon
In 1769 the future war leader was born as Napoleone Buonaparte in Ajaccio, the capital of Corsica. Napoleon's family originally came from Italy and belonged to the lower nobility. In total, Napoleon's parents raised 8 siblings with great privation. At the age of almost 9, Napoleon received a scholarship to enter the Brienne Military School and to be trained there according to royal standards. This scholarship was primarily made available to members of the impoverished nobility in order to promote this social class and to give them a perspective. However, since Napoleon had a strong Corsican accent purely linguistically, it is said that he was excluded from the other students in Brienne. As a result, he quickly learned that he needed military skills in order to receive recognition and to be accepted into the community, which he also achieved as an exemplary student.
The rise of the warlord
In the course of the French Revolution, Napoleon achieved a rapid rise. In 1796 he led the so-called Italian campaign and paved his personal path to power. At the same time, he married the respected Joséphine de Beauharnais in the same year and thus secured his personal position. In 1799 he also supported the overthrow of the revolutionary government and was then appointed as the highest consul.
With this move, Napoleon effectively secured sole power.
In the further course of his work he created a post-revolutionary state structure and drafted the so-called Code Civil. Due to the numerous armed conflicts and military successes, it was possible for him to reorganize the state coffers. In 1802 his personal scandal followed in the Cathedral of Notre Dame, in which he made his own coronation by tearing the crown from the hands of the Pope.
The exile on the island of Elba
After Emperor Napoleon lost the favor of the military in 1814 when the Allied troops took Paris, Napoleon's life's work was destroyed as a result. In the course of this, in retrospect, in 1814 the "exile" to the Elba-Island. Napoleon was assigned an annual payment and permanent residence in Elba in the Treaty of Fontainebleau. The residents of Elba were excited and delighted to welcome such a high-ranking new resident to their island and welcomed him with joy.
Napoleon on Elba
Life on Elba was easy and calm. Napoleon did not see the end of his life, which he wanted to spend on Elba and so it is not surprising that when he reached the idyllic Iceland, he secretly planned to leave. He worked tirelessly to return to Paris and, with many adversities, unexpectedly invaded Paris again in 1815 and levered 125.000 soldiers who were well equipped and experienced. In the next step he created a provisional government and rebelled against the so-called alliance. In June 1815, however, he lost the battle of Waterloo, so Napoleon was finally defeated. Napoleon resigned for good and spent the evening of his life in exile on the small but distant island of St. Helena.
How long was Napoleon on the island of Elba?
To this day, the island of Elba is primarily associated with Napoleon. The Elbans housed it from May 03.05.1814rd, 26.02.1815 to February XNUMXth, XNUMX. At first there was great joy and excitement on site to be able to give the famous guest a home from now on. The joy of Napoleon was restrained at first, despite which, according to tradition, he designed a new flag on the boat trip to Elba, which the new principality of Napoleon should carry. Incidentally, the flag that has just been created was already waving when he arrived in the port of Portoferraio.
Napoleon on Elba: staying on the island
When he arrived in Portoferraio, he spent the first night in the local town hall. Then he moved into the Villa dei Mulini and Villa San Martino for the rest of his stay, and again and again into a city apartment that he had in Portoferraio. Napoleon used the time he had on site and completely reorganized Elba as an island state. This led to the fact that he had roads and bridges built, as well as digging channels and draining swamps. In the course of his work, he pushed reforestation and ore mining, and viticulture was also promoted. In order to reforest the forests, he imported oak seedlings and chestnuts.
To this day, Elba has benefited from Napoleon's efforts. It has been said that the first tourists visited Elba and discovered Elba during his stay. At that time, visitors wanted to visit the little new empire of the great Napoleon and see what exactly he made of his predicament. Since Napoleon continued to observe international events, despite the fact that he was far from the key to power, he feared that assassinations would be carried out on him. His fears paved the way for his renewed aspirations to take hold of power. Because of this, Napoleon left the island with a small retinue of around 1.000 loyal soldiers to fight his way back to power in France for 100 days.
Tourist attractions and a visit to Elba
Elba, as a Tuscan archipelago, is particularly popular in German-speaking countries. On site, visitors quickly notice that the clocks tick completely differently, as is typical for the island. The rich nature and the idyllic island feeling invite you to dream and discover. So it is not surprising that long hiking trails and beautiful bays surround the island. The island's once most prominent inhabitant of the island has shaped the island in a very special way. To this day, as a tourist, you can see impressive memories of Napoleon scattered around the island.
Last updated: 06.02.2024
