Napoleon Bonaparte Killed by Assassins Murdered slowly by arsenic
poison by hired assassins. Buried on St. Helena
In his will, Napoleon Bonaparte wrote:
"I wish my ashes to rest on the banks of the Seine,
in the midst of that French people which I have
loved so much... I die before my time, killed by
the English oligarchy and its hired assassins."
On May 5, 1821, at the age of 51, Napoleon Bonaparte died.
He was buried on St. Helena. Until recently it was
thought that he died of cancer of the stomach, as
had two of his sisters and his father. But there
is now another theory.
Some years ago a Swedish dentist named
Sten Forshufvud became intrigued by a description
of Napoleon's last days on St. Helen. He began to
suspect that the former emperor had died of
arsenic poison. A chemical analysis of Napoleon
Bonaparte's hair confirmed his notion.
After long study and a careful reading of the diaries
of everyone close to Napoleon, Forshufvud and another
Napoleon expert, Ben Weider, concluded that Napoleon
was slowly murdered by Count Charles Tristan de Montholon.
He was probably hired by the count of Artois, A bourbon
prince who became King Charles X in 1824.
The Bourbons were terrified that Napoleon might escape
from St. Helena as he had from Elba and try to overthrow
them. If they had him assassinated the French people
might find out and rise up against them. Slow arsenic
poisoning was almost foolproof. Though it might take
years, Napoleon would be too ill to cause trouble.
Once the poison had damaged his body, the murderers could
count on the doctors giving him the final blow. At that
time arsenic poisoning was often mistaken for other
illnesses. The recommended treatment for these illnesses
was a massive dose of calomel. Calomel did two things
for victims of arsenic poisoning. First it killed them,
and then it cleared the system of all traces of arsenic.
Napoleon was not embalmed before his burial. In 1840
his body was returned to France according to his wishes
and given a final resting place of honor in Paris.
When the coffin was opened, everyone expected to see
nothing but a skeleton. Instead the body was perfectly
preserved after 20 years! This is another side effect
of arsenic, which acts as a preservative. It is often
used for museum and laboratory specimens. Napoleon was
thus able to testify to his murder from the grave.
The story of Napoleon is the story of the meteoric rise
and fall of one man born on a small island with few
advantages other than his brains, his will power, and
his imagination. It is also the story of revolution of
the change from the old order to the modern world.
Scholars are still debating Napoleon's qualities as a
leader and his impact on his enormous energy and
industry; others emphasize his arrogance, egotism, and
contempt for human life. Some consider him the
enlightened bearer of revolutionary ideals; others
regard him as a for-runner of 20th century dictators.
It is hard to assess his role. He re-drew the map of
Europe several times. He brought lasting reforms to the
legal, administrative, judicial, and educational systems
of an entire continent. He revolutionized warfare.
But the political and social upheavals, such as the
French Revolution, that shook France and the rest of
Europe would not have happened without him.
Many of his actions brought unintended results. He
paved the way for the unification of Italy and Germany.
He helped make the United States a world power by
selling the Louisiana Territory. His war with Spain
gave the countries of Latin America and opportunity to
fight for their independence. he strengthned the pope
and the Catholic church despite all his attempts to do
the opposite.
Naoleon left behind a powerful legend that grew to
enormous proportions after his death. His son
Napoleon II, never ruled France. But in 1852 his
nephew, Louis Napoleon, traded on the popularity of his
name to proclaim the Second Empire, and took the title
Napoleon III. Bonapartism, the belief in a strong
authoritarian ruler appointed by the will of the
people, continued to cast its spell over French politics
for years and remains a tangible force even today.
Whatever his precise historical role, he was an
enormously forceful personality, a figure larger than life.
Whether we admire him or hate him, praise him or damn him,
it is hard to disagree with his own remark about himself:
"What a novel my life has been!
Essay on Leadership
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.
Power tends to corrupt;
absolute power corrupts absolutely.
The first step towards corruption
is the power to deny us
our Freedom of Speech.
When you start to lose
this freedom, by unforseen powers,
then beware, for ABSOLUTE POWER
is just around the corner!
Savanah ~Laverne
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