Principality of Elba
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The Principality of Elba ( it, Principato d'Elba) was a non-hereditary monarchy established by the Treaty of Fontainebleau on 11 April 1814. It lasted less than a year, and its only head was
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...
, who would return to rule in France before his ultimate defeat and the dissolution of the Principality.


Formation

Sovereignty over the island, which until then had been part of the French ''département'' of
Méditerranée Méditerranée was a Departments of France, department of the First French Empire in present-day Italy. It was named after the Mediterranean Sea. It was formed in 1808, when the Kingdom of Etruria (formerly the Grand Duchy of Tuscany) was annexed ...
, was given to Napoleon I of France after his abdication following the
War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...
. Article 3 of the treaty stipulated that Elba was to be "an independent principality possessed by him in complete sovereignty and as personal property". His rule was to persist until his death, at which point control of the Principality would pass to
Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
. The former Emperor of the French was also granted a stipend of two million francs per year to be paid by France.


Military

As allowed by the Treaty of Fontainebleau, Napoleon brought 870 men to the island with him from France. The army was made up of 566 from the elite ''Garde Impériale'' (both infantry and cavalry) and the remaining 300 were from a small battalion of
grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word '' grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited fr ...
s. The army was under the supervision of General Drouot and commanded by General Cambronne and the staff headquarters. The navy consisted of 66 men and one ship: the double-masted, 18-gunned brig, . A small flotilla of two other
sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...
s also accompanied ''Inconstant''. The fleet was first commanded by Lieutenant Taillade; however, after nearly losing ''Inconstant'' in a storm, Taillade was replaced by lieutenant J. Chautard, who would later ferry Napoleon back from Elba in 1815. Paoli Filidoro was appointed Captain of the ''
Gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...
'' and operated under Giuseppe Balbiani as Intendant General. The combined armed forces by 1815 on Elba numbered about 1,000 men, costing over half of the island's treasury to pay, equip, and feed.


Residence

The Villa Napoleonica (or Villa San Martino) is one of the two residences occupied in Portoferraio by Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on the Island of Elba, where it was his summer residence. The second, the Palazzina dei Mulini, is located in the historic center of the town of Portoferraio, 3.5 km northeast of San Martino. In 1839,
Anatole Demidoff Count Anatoly Nikolaievich Demidov, 1st Prince of Villa San Donato, San Donato (russian: link=no, Анатолий Николаевич Демидов; 5 April OS: 24 March 1813 – 29 April 1870) was a Russian industrialist, diplomat and ...
, a Russian industrialist and patron, a great admirer of Napoleon I and husband of a niece of the emperor, Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, had the Florentine architect
Niccolò Matas Niccolò "Nicola" Matas (6 December 1798 – 11 March 1872) was an Italian architect and professor. He is best known for being the architect of the 19th century Gothic Revival façade of the Basilica of Santa Croce in Florence, Italy. Matas was a ...
build the Demidoff Gallery at the foot of the original building. Island of Elba 1814.png, Map of Elba, 1814 Elba VillaSanMartino.jpg, Villa San Martino Maison napoleon portoferraio.jpg, Palazzina dei Mulini


Dissolution

On 26 February 1815, after ruling Elba for nearly 10 months, Napoleon escaped from the island and landed in southern France to retake power, beginning the War of the Seventh Coalition. After his defeat at the
Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armie ...
, Napoleon was transported by Britain to the island of
Saint Helena Saint Helena () is a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is a remote volcanic tropical island west of the coast of south-western Africa, and east of Rio de Janeiro in South America. It is one of three constitu ...
where he remained a prisoner until his death in 1821. At the Congress of Vienna, sovereignty of the island was transferred to the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany The Grand Duchy of Tuscany ( it, Granducato di Toscana; la, Magnus Ducatus Etruriae) was an Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Republic of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence. In th ...
.


In film

The 2006 comedy film ''
Napoleon and Me ''Napoleon and Me'' ( it, N (Io e Napoleone), french: Napoléon (et moi), es, N. Napeleón y yo) is a 2006 Italian-French-Spanish historical comedy-drama directed by Paolo Virzì. It is loosely based on the novel ''N.'' by Ernesto Ferrero. Plot ...
'' is set during the Napoleon's rule on Elba.


Notes


References

* * * * * {{Former monarchies Italian peninsula Elba Palaces and residences of Napoleon States and territories established in 1814 States and territories disestablished in 1815 1814 in Europe 1815 in Europe History of Tuscany Former monarchies of Europe