Terrible Exile

Terrible Exile PDF Author: Brian Unwin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857717332
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272

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Book Description
At its height, the Napoleonic Empire spanned much of mainland Europe. Feted and feared by millions of citizens, Napoleon was the most powerful and famous man of his age. But following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo the future of the one-time Emperor of France seemed irredeemably bleak. How did the brilliant tactician cope with being at the mercy of his captors? How did he react to a life in exile on St Helena - and how did the other inhabitants of that isolated and impregnable island respond to his presence there? And what tactics did he develop to preserve his legacy in such drastically reduced circumstances? Tracing events from the dramatic defeat at Waterloo to his death six years later, this is the first modern comprehensive account of the last phase of Napoleon's life. Drawing on many previously overlooked journals and letters, Brian Unwin has pieced together a remarkably vivid account of Napoleon's final years which also offers fresh insights into the character of this giant of European history. Through his initial flight from the battlefield and his journey into exile on St Helena, Napoleon refused to accept that he would not be allowed to return to somewhere in Europe or even America. He railed against every aspect of his imprisonment and conspired to make life as difficult as possible for his unfortunate jailer, Hudson Lowe, whose impossible situation is sympathetically described here. Confined with him in the damp and confined Longwood House, life was also uncomfortable for those loyal companions who chose to journey with him into exile. Unsurprisingly for such a man of action, Napoleon bitterly resented being under constant supervision when he ventured outside his house and suffered acutely from boredom as much as from his physical ailments. Contrary to the strict wishes of the English he refused to accept any diminution in his status: 'Je ne suis pas le General Bonaparte, je suis L'Empereur Napoleon.' But gradually Napoleon came to think less about escape and more about how he would be remembered by future generations, spending hour after hour dictating the story of his campaigns to Count Las Cases, the companion who had travelled with him chiefly to act as his amanuensis. Terrible Exile brilliantly evokes the claustrophobic atmosphere of life on St Helena, offering a colourful and original history of the period as well as a persuasive psychological portrait of a great man in reduced circumstances. It will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in Napoleonic history and is an important addition to our understanding of the subject.

Terrible Exile

Terrible Exile PDF Author: Brian Unwin
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN: 0857717332
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 272

Get Book Here

Book Description
At its height, the Napoleonic Empire spanned much of mainland Europe. Feted and feared by millions of citizens, Napoleon was the most powerful and famous man of his age. But following his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo the future of the one-time Emperor of France seemed irredeemably bleak. How did the brilliant tactician cope with being at the mercy of his captors? How did he react to a life in exile on St Helena - and how did the other inhabitants of that isolated and impregnable island respond to his presence there? And what tactics did he develop to preserve his legacy in such drastically reduced circumstances? Tracing events from the dramatic defeat at Waterloo to his death six years later, this is the first modern comprehensive account of the last phase of Napoleon's life. Drawing on many previously overlooked journals and letters, Brian Unwin has pieced together a remarkably vivid account of Napoleon's final years which also offers fresh insights into the character of this giant of European history. Through his initial flight from the battlefield and his journey into exile on St Helena, Napoleon refused to accept that he would not be allowed to return to somewhere in Europe or even America. He railed against every aspect of his imprisonment and conspired to make life as difficult as possible for his unfortunate jailer, Hudson Lowe, whose impossible situation is sympathetically described here. Confined with him in the damp and confined Longwood House, life was also uncomfortable for those loyal companions who chose to journey with him into exile. Unsurprisingly for such a man of action, Napoleon bitterly resented being under constant supervision when he ventured outside his house and suffered acutely from boredom as much as from his physical ailments. Contrary to the strict wishes of the English he refused to accept any diminution in his status: 'Je ne suis pas le General Bonaparte, je suis L'Empereur Napoleon.' But gradually Napoleon came to think less about escape and more about how he would be remembered by future generations, spending hour after hour dictating the story of his campaigns to Count Las Cases, the companion who had travelled with him chiefly to act as his amanuensis. Terrible Exile brilliantly evokes the claustrophobic atmosphere of life on St Helena, offering a colourful and original history of the period as well as a persuasive psychological portrait of a great man in reduced circumstances. It will be essential reading for anyone with an interest in Napoleonic history and is an important addition to our understanding of the subject.

The Last Days of Napoleon

The Last Days of Napoleon PDF Author: François Antonmarchi
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 436

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Book Description


Napoleon In Exile; Or, A Voice from St. Helena. The Opinions And Reflections Of Napoleon On The Most Important Events Of His Life And Government, In His Own Words ; By Barry E. O'Meara, Esq. His Late Surgeon ; In Two Volumes

Napoleon In Exile; Or, A Voice from St. Helena. The Opinions And Reflections Of Napoleon On The Most Important Events Of His Life And Government, In His Own Words ; By Barry E. O'Meara, Esq. His Late Surgeon ; In Two Volumes PDF Author: Barry Edward O'Meara
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 560

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Book Description


Napoleon on St Helena

Napoleon on St Helena PDF Author: Mabel Brookes
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781781551714
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 256

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Book Description
Napoleon surrendered to the British in July 1815, and wished to be allowed free passage to America. This was denied, and he was incarcerated on the rocky island of St Helena. Here the fallen Emperor was humiliated by an over-bearing Governor, until released by death from stomach cancer in 1821. This human study is a sympathetic account of his imprisonment.

Napoleon and St Helena

Napoleon and St Helena PDF Author: Johannes Willms
Publisher: Haus Pub.
ISBN: 9781906598877
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
This fascinating travelogue of the little known, though infamous island was praised by the NYBR on hardback publication.

Betsy and the Emperor

Betsy and the Emperor PDF Author: Anne Whitehead
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
ISBN: 1760112933
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 482

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Book Description
After Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, he was sent into exile on Saint Helena. He became an 'eagle in a cage', reduced from the most powerful figure in Europe to a prisoner on a rock in the South Atlantic. But the fallen emperor was charmed by the pretty teenage daughter of a local merchant, Betsy Balcombe. Anne Whitehead brings to life Napoleon's last years on Saint Helena, revealing the central role of the Balcombe family. She also lays to rest two centuries of speculation about Betsy's relationship with Napoleon. After Napoleon's death, Betsy travelled to Australia in 1823 with her father, who was appointed the first Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales. When the family lost their fortune, she returned to London and published a memoir that made her a celebrity. With her extraordinary connections to royalty and high society, Betsy Balcombe led a life worthy of a Regency romance, but she was always fighting for her independence. This new account reveals Napoleon at his most vulnerable, human and reflective, and a woman caught in some of the most dramatic events of her time. 'Anne Whitehead deftly weaves a lively, poignant tale of Napoleon's last years on St Helena and the precocious teenager whose impudent charm briefly enlivened his exile. Her indefatigable pursuit of a tantalising archival trail takes her readers from St Helena to England, Scotland, France and New South Wales, uncovering a life curiously shadowed by its early brush with fame.' - Professor Penny Russell, University of Sydney

The Road to St Helena

The Road to St Helena PDF Author: J. David Markham
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 240

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Book Description
Examines the life of Napoleon after the Battle of Waterloo, his fall from power, and the politics surrounding his surrender.

Finding Napoleon

Finding Napoleon PDF Author: Margaret Rodenberg
Publisher: She Writes Press
ISBN: 9781647420161
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
“Rodenberg inventively uses Bonaparte’s own unfinished novel to tell the story of the despot’s rise to power, which she juxtaposes against the story of his last love affair. Told creatively and with excellent research!” —Stephanie Dray, New York Times and USA Today best-selling author of America's First Daughter and The Women of Chateau Lafayette “Beautiful and poignant.” —Allison Pataki, New York Times best-selling author of The Queen’s Fortune With its delightful adaptation of Napoleon Bonaparte’s real attempt to write romantic fiction, Finding Napoleon: A Novel offers a fresh take on Europe’s most powerful man after he’s lost everything—except his last love. A forgotten woman of history—the audacious Countess Albine—helps narrate their tale of intrigue, desire, and betrayal. After the defeated Emperor Napoleon goes into exile on tiny St. Helena Island in the remote South Atlantic, he and his lover, Albine de Montholon, plot to escape and rescue his young son. Banding together enslaved Africans, British sympathizers, a Jewish merchant, a Corsican rogue, and French followers, they confront British opposition—as well as treachery within their own ranks—with sometimes subtle, sometimes bold, but always desperate action. Amid his passions and intrigues, Napoleon finishes his real novel Clisson that he started writing as a young man. Now it's a father's message to the young son whom his enemies took from him, but how can they get it to the boy? When Napoleon and Albine break faith with one another, ambition and Albine’s husband threaten their reconciliation. To succeed, Napoleon must learn whom to trust. To survive, Albine must decide whom to betray. This elegant, richly researched novel reveals the Napoleon history conceals and the Countess Albine history has forgotten.

Napoleon and Betsy

Napoleon and Betsy PDF Author: Lucia Elizabeth Balcombe Abell
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781781550342
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
This is the fascinating tale of a fallen Emperor, who became the best friend of this thirteen-year-old English girl. It is the first modern edition of this classic text. Napoleon and Betsy, a major Hollywood film, is currently in production starring Al Pacino as Napoleon and Emma Watson as Betsy.

Napoleon's Memoirs

Napoleon's Memoirs PDF Author: Napoleon I (Emperor of the French)
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 644

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Book Description