This first in a series of 12 volumes by Longwood House curator Michel Dancoisne-Martineau, reveals the surprising links that already existed between the young Napoleon Bonaparte and the little-known island of Saint Helena where he would be forced to spend his final years writing the story of his fallen Empire. We discover, for example, that First Consul Bonaparte must have had a special interest in the place when, in 1801, he requested one particular map to keep for himself among those presented to him by Bory de S-Vincent, a naturalist who had been part of the expedition initiated by Nicolas Baudin in 1800. According to Bory, Napoleon had said “he had reasons for keeping this map”. These reasons remain however as enigmatic and yet intriguing as the rest of this book. This first chapter sets the tone for the rest of Part One of the book, which lays out the complex web of connections between the most powerful man in Europe and his future place of exile.
Michel Dancoinse has set out to untangle these threads in this first volume, of the Series which he has called “the Reef of an Empire”.
The second part of this volume examines the lead-up to Napoleon’s exile from the moment of his surrender to the Prince Regent (written from Rochefort, France, 13 July 1815), including his time spent on board Bellerophon, followed by the two-month-long journey aboard Northumberland to St Helena. (Rebecca Young)
Table of Contents : Volume 1
- The author’s foreword for the series of this guide
Part One: Saint Helena Napoleonic Stories before 1814
- The Map of Saint Helena
Wellington in Saint Helena
Saint Helena, passage for freedom
Marquess Wellesley and Captain Cockburn in Saint Helena
Attempted blockade of Saint Helena by the French navy
Part Two: A one-way to Saint Helena (July 26th to October 15th 1815)
- Napoleon’s letter of Surrender to the Prince Regent
HMS Northumberland
Sir George Cockburn (April 22nd 1772 – August 19th 1853)
Napoleon becomes General Bonaparte again
The passengers at departure
The departure
The journey
Change of hemisphere
Chronology
THis book is part of the collector Series of twelve volumes Napoleon and Saint Helena, the reef of an Empire
- Volume 1 – Napoleon and Saint Helena (1800 to 15 October 1815)
- Volume 2 – Saint Helena, an island under siege (15 to 17 October 1815)
- Volume 3 – “The Briars” – Napoleon at the Balcombes’ Home (18 October to 10 December 1815)
- Volume 4 – Exile at Longwood House under the guard of Sir Hudson Lowe (10 December 1815 – 14 April 1816)
- Volume 5 – Exile at Longwood House under the guard of Sir Hudson Lowe (15 April 1816 to 21 November 1818)
- Volume 6 – Exile at Longwood House under the guard of Sir Hudson Lowe (22 November 1818 to 5 May 1821)
- Volume 7 – Napoleon’s tomb on Saint Helena
- Volume 8 – On the margins of the exile; Ascension Island, Tristan da Cunha and Longwood New House
- Volume 9 – The main actors of the exile
- Volume 10 – Between Cape Town and Brazil, the mysteries and secrets of Saint Helena
- Volume 11 – Sir Hudson Lowe, the dishonoured of Saint Helena
- Volume 12 – A visit to Longwood House
HOW TO ORDER
Extensively illustrated with rare engravings, maps, paintings and photographs, and including detailed footnotes, this bilingual (English/French) limited edition of 1000 copies is available at Longwood House on St Helena or online here https://www.napoleon-souvenirs.com/en
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