Napoleon

Napoleon: The Emperor's Final Mystery

Skygaze explores the brilliant rise and suspicious death of history's most iconic general

From Corsican Outcast to Emperor

Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the island of Corsica just after it was annexed by France. Rising quickly through the ranks of the military during the French Revolution, he seized power in a 1799 coup and declared himself Emperor five years later. His campaigns reshaped Europe, and his legacy includes both military brilliance and authoritarian rule.

Defeat and Isolation

Napoleon's empire unraveled after a disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812. Following his final defeat at Waterloo in 1815, he was exiled to the remote island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic. There, under British supervision, he lived in declining health and fading relevance.

Arsenic or Illness?

Official reports cite stomach cancer as the cause of Napoleon's death. Yet a forensic analysis of hair samples showed abnormally high levels of arsenic. Some believe he was murdered-by the British, by a rival, or even accidentally through environmental exposure such as toxic wallpaper pigments containing arsenic-based dyes.

Whose Body Was Returned?

In 1840, nearly 20 years after his death, Napoleon's body was exhumed and returned to France for burial in Paris. Witnesses claimed it was remarkably well-preserved, fueling speculation that it wasn't his body at all. To this day, some believe Napoleon's real remains may still lie hidden on Saint Helena.