Napoleon achieved a lot, militarily and politically, and declared himself Emperor in just a few years. Many know how he governed, and the dominance he had. So, how did he go from declaring himself Emperor of France to being exiled twice, finally dying on the island of St. Helena?
Jardin Ainé provides some insight into that. Responsible for Napoleon's horse, he had firsthand experience of the events that brought Napoleon's career to an end. In a report he provided, Ainé said that Napoleon appeared exhausted and pale after General Corbineau stated that it was the utter ruin of France. Napoleon's reaction and overall appearance showed that he had started to realize that it was over, or at the very least, beginning to be. There was no coming back from the loss at Waterloo.
John Gibson Lockhart wrote that public opinion turned against Napoleon, especially because they felt like Napoleon had violated their rights. Lockhart also said the people didn't support Napoleon even as the Allied powers marched into France.
All this goes to show that because the public opinion of Napoleon starkly declined, Napoleon's authority was quickly destroyed. He had nothing to fall back on to even try to rebuild his once powerful empire.