Special Exhibition on Emperor Napoleon’s Last Years

2021 is considered the ‘Year of Napoleon’, the 200th anniversary of the death of the legendary Emperor of France.

The legendary helmet of Emperor Napoleon. In Belgium, an exhibition with the theme “From Waterloo to Saint-Hélène, the birth of a legend” is taking place at the 1815 Battle of Waterloo Memorial, depicting the six years of captivity of the Napoleon after his bitter defeat at Waterloo. On May 5, 1821, ailing Napoleon died after being imprisoned on the island of Saint-Hélène (Longwood), a British overseas territory, for six years. He was only 51 years old then. According to the Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Brussels, the 1815 Battle of Waterloo Memorial has chosen to commemorate this milestone with a special exhibition in which hundreds of objects have been collected recalling Napoleon’s years in captivity. moments of memory. Cared for by 20 men from his bodyguard, Napoleon took advantage of these years to write memoirs and record his legend in notebooks filled with historical facts. To evoke this period from 1815 to 1821, about 50 objects, original pieces, maps, manuscripts… were brought from Sainte-Hélène by organizations, where the French preserved them immeasurably. treasured, like preserving places once occupied by the defeated Emperor. The remaining half of the objects come from private collections, especially Belgian collections. Antoine Charpagne, curator of the exhibition, said: “Introducing Napoleon’s daily life in Longwood was not as easy as imagined, we have assembled objects such as the bathtub in which Napoleon spent at least an hour and a half. every day, clothes, personal belongings, or one of the Emperor’s three helmets, are all original objects.” The bronze bath that Emperor Napoleon used while imprisoned on the island of Saint-Hélène. According to him, “it must be understood that Napoleon was imprisoned on an island 2,500 km off the coast of Africa – the nearest place, 2,500 km and constantly followed by 600 guns, because the British feared someone would come to take him. Let’s go. The climate here is very humid and windy. The house is destroyed by rats…”. Mr. Charpagne emphasized: “The exhibition allows the public to understand why Napoleon is important, even in the midst of the debates that still stir European society. It embodies a moment of change in the midst of the old regime that has never been so important. we know the past and the contemporary world”. The first part of the exhibition takes visitors from the battlefields of Waterloo to the road of exile with various items belonging to Napoleon, such as the bivalves with a collar worn by Napoleon in 1815, or belts, ornaments, manuscript signed by the Emperor. These objects have a special quality that enhances the value of the exhibit. Lion’s Hill, mark of Napoleon’s last battle at Waterloo, Belgium. The exhibition also introduces the public to the daily life of a captive on the island in the middle of the vast ocean. To escape his melancholy, Napoleon devoted all his energy to gardening and allowed himself to go for a few walks each day. Even far from the golden palaces, the defeated Emperor still managed to maintain a certain court ritual. Visitors see some everyday items of the Emperor such as a costume, a pot, a coffee machine. The exhibition evokes memories of Napoleon and the mark he left on history, even to this day. Napoleon was the creator of the Civil Code. “We also have to thank this Emperor for applying units of measurement, such as liters, kilograms, driving on the right, even and odd numbering of houses. Familiar elements in their daily lives. us now,” said Charpagne. When Napoleon died, this martyred Emperor immediately ignited the romantic spirit of the politicians and artists of the time. In 1840, his ashes were brought back to France on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, where more than 2 million people attended the procession. The exhibition is expected to be open until October 17 this year.