Napoleon Bonaparte: England's Prisoner

(Paperback)

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On 13 July 1815, after Waterloo, Napoleon dictated his famous letter to the Prince Regent. Avoiding any hint of surrender, still less responsibility for defeat, he said he came "like Themistocles to throw myself upon the hospitality of the British people - I put myself under the protection of their laws, which I claim from Your Royal Highness, as the most powerful, the most constant and the most generous of my enemies". But his idea of living peacefully in the English countryside was a pipedream: the island of St Helena to which the Royal Navy conveyed him was desolate and unappealing. The respect accorded to him by the officers and men of the navy revealed, however, his sure touch with fighting men, and the magnetism he exerted even in defeat. This is a study of Napoleon's exile on St Helena. It presents an insight into British attitudes towards Napoleon in defeat, and his treatment by the British Government of the day and in the writings of later literary figures. The Governor, Sir Hudson Lowe, has been reviled by historians, but looking afresh at the evidence Frank Giles offers another perspective on Lowe, as on other aspects of the Emperor's exile.

Reviews

'Will spark controversy about Napoleon's life and death on St Helena.' -History Today; 'Judicious and well-researched.' - Sunday Telegraph; 'A thought-provoking insight into British attitudes towards Napoleon in defeat, his treatment by the British Government of the day and in the writings of later literary figures.' - What's On; 'Excellent book.' - Spectator

Author Bio

Frank Giles is a former Editor of The Sunday Times and the author of The Locust Years the story of the Fourth French Republic 1946-1958. Frank Giles is a former editor of the Sunday Times and the author of The Locust Years, the story of the Fourth French Republic.