15th October 1815: Napoleon Bonaparte arrives at his exile on the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic

Scott Allsop (0:00)

On the 15th of October 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte arrived at the island of St Helena in the South Atlantic where he lived in exile for the rest of his life. Welcome to HistoryPod.

Napoleon's exile followed his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo on the 18th of June 1815

He had returned to France earlier that year after escaping from his first exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba. Known as the Hundred Days, his return led to renewed war with the European powers, but after the French defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon returned to Paris and abdicated on the 22nd of June.

He initially hoped to leave Europe for the United States, but the British government refused to allow him to escape. He eventually surrendered to Captain Frederick Maitland aboard HMS Belrathorn on the 15th of July and was taken to Britain where the government decided that he should be removed to a location from which he could not easily return. St Helena, an island situated roughly halfway between Africa and South America, was selected for this purpose. Napoleon was transported to the island on board HMS Northumberland, commanded by Rear Admiral Sir George Cockburn. A number of members of Napoleon's household accompanied him, including Generals Henri Bertrand and Charles de Monthalon. The journey took 10 weeks, and the ship eventually reached St Helena on the 15th of October. Napoleon did not immediately move to his accommodation at Longwood House as it was still being made ready. Consequently, he spent his first weeks on the island at the Briars, the home of William Balcombe. He eventually moved to Longwood in December where he remained under British supervision until his death on the 5th of May 1821 when he was 51 years old. His six years on the island were spent largely writing memoirs and dictating accounts of his career.