Napoleon's death in exile on 5 May 1821 and Chateaubriand's response

5 May 1821, 203 years ago, Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile. He himself used to say that “Death is nothing, but to live defeated and without glory is to die every day.”

Many rejoiced, many mourned, and almost all agreed that one of the makers of history had departed.

Chateaubriand wrote of Napoleon's death as follows:

“After the despotism of his person, we have still to endure the despotism of his memory. This latter despotism is far stronger than the first, for while alive he could not embrace the world, and having died, he took possession of it.”

Napoleon was only 51, he ruled France for some 15 years, but his influence on French and world history is beyond description.

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Napoleon's death in exile on 5 May 1821 and Chateaubriand's response

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September digest: archaeological finds, exhibitions, museums, theatre and the Church

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