A Ruler Enters His New Realm ...


After his forced abdication as Emperor of the French, the victorious allies appointed the former Napoleon I sovereign prince of the island of Elba in the Mediterranean ...:



It was even granted his own flag ...:



On the back you can see the Napoleonic bees ...:



On May 4, 1814, the ex-emperor entered his new realm in the port of the island's capital Portoferraio ...:



There he is greeted by the dignitaries of Elba.



On horseback ...



... then it goes to the mayor's house ...



... where Napoleon has to stay for a few days because his new residence, the Villa dei Mulini ...





... which is on the highest elevation above Portoferraio ...:





... has not yet been set up.

Actually quite cozy ...:







The house is - what else one might ask - today a Napoleon Museum.

The English have - of course! - a completely different view of things ...:





A little later - Napoleon is still assuming that his wife Marie-Louise with their son...



... will soon come with their son - he buys a more befitting residence, the Villa San Martino - today a luxury hotel ...:







But Marie-Louise is not coming ...

Another good edition. Thanks.

We had a walking holiday on Elba a few years ago, based in Marciana Marina and had the opportunity to visit both the Napoleonic museum and the Villa San Martino. It is a nice, quiet island and quite rugged, with a lot of Roman history there too. Much preferable to St Helena I would have thought.

Phil