Self-Made Myth

Napoleon's brilliant career ended on June 22, 1815 — four days after the Battle of Waterloo, when he abdicated his throne for the second time. 

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."

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. 

Tyrant or Hero???

On December 18, 1793, cannons of the Revolutionary army under the command of twenty-four year-old Major Napoleon Bonaparte destroyed ten English ships anchored in Toulon's harbor. He bravely led his men in the assault on the fort guarding the city, suffering a wound in the thigh from an enemy bayonet. Bonaparte's first victory made him the hero of the day throughout France.

Hungry for greater advancement, Brigadier General Bonaparte headed for Paris. Political turmoil in the city's street soon gave him his chance. On October 5, 1795, mobs of Parisians joined national guardsmen bent on toppling the Republic, and the government called on Bonaparte to repel the attack.

As Emperor, those who personified the ideals expressed by Bonaparte were generously rewarded. He created a special mark of esteem, the Legion of Honor. He believed in equality: a man should have the chance to rise on the basis of his ability — just as he had done.

"My motto has always been," he said, "a career open to all talents, without distinctions of birth."

But those who deified him were crushed under his iron hand