Napoleon's (Unanswered) Plea To The British Prince Regent After Waterloo

    Few defeats in history have left as indelible a mark as Napoleon's fall at the Battle of Waterloo. It is a defeat so profound that the very word "Waterloo" has transcended its historical roots, becoming a verb synonymous with one's ultimate undoing. After the grim conclusion on the battlefield, Napoleon, never one to remain in the field with his vanquished army, made a retreat to Paris. There, amidst the ruins of his once-mighty empire, he recognised that the game was up.

    Napoleon's position had grown increasingly untenable. Both the legislature and the people had turned against him. On the 22nd of June 1815, he found himself abdicating for the second time, though by now, legally speaking, he had little left to abdicate from. Instead, he passed the mantle of power to his three-year-old son by Marie Louise, upon whom he had bestowed the title of King of Rome. 

    Shortly after this abdication, Napoleon departed Paris, seeking solace at Malmaison, the former residence of his first wife, Joséphine, situated alongside the tranquil Seine. However, this refuge was short-lived. A week later, as the coalition forces closed in, he fled once again, this time to Rochefort, a coastal town on the Atlantic, harbouring dreams of escape to America. To his dismay, he discovered that British ships had effectively blockaded all Atlantic ports, dashing his hopes of a new life across the ocean.

    In the early morning hours of the 15th of July 1815, facing the reality of his circumstances, Napoleon made a momentous decision. He surrendered himself to Captain Fredrick Maitland of HMS Bellerophone, a British warship. Along with his surrender, he entrusted Captain Maitland with a letter destined for the Prince Regent, who, at that time, was the de facto ruler of Britain due to the incapacitation of King George III.

    The letter was a plea, a poignant testament to Napoleon's fall from power and grace:

    "Altesse Royale, En butte aux factions qui divisent mon pays, et à l'inimitié des plus grandes puissances de l'Europe, j'ai consommé ma carrière politique. Je viens, comme Thémistocle, m'asseoir sur le foyer du peuple britannique; je me mets sous la protection de ses lois, que je réclame de Votre Altesse Royale, comme celle du plus puissant, du plus constant, du plus généreux de mes ennemis. Napoléon."

    Translated as; "Royal Highness, Facing the factions that divide my country, and the enmity of the greatest powers in Europe, I have completed my political career. I come, like Themistocles*, to settle on the hearth of the British people; I place myself under the protection of its laws, which I claim from Your Royal Highness, as that of the most powerful, the most constant, the most generous of my enemies. Napoleon."

    The letter possesses a profound magnificence, characterised by its pride, courtesy, and tragedy, all wrapped in brevity. It bears a note of genuine poetry and a resonance that lingers long after its reading. Yet, in a poignant twist of history, the Prince Regent, chose not to dignify this plea with a response.

    The HMS Bellerophone transported Napoleon to England, but he was not permitted to set foot on British soil. Instead, he was transferred to HMS Northumberland, which would ultimately carry him to St. Helena. It was on this remote and unforgiving island that Napoleon would spend the next five years in considerable discomfort. St. Helena was a place of perpetual rain, relentless winds, and suffocating dampness, which likely contributed to his deteriorating health. It is believed that he succumbed to stomach cancer on the 5th of May 1821, marking the final chapter in the life of one of history's most complex and influential figures.

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*Themistocles, (524-459 BC), was archon- technically head of state- in Athens, but was later ostracised, and entered the service of the enemy; Persia.

Suggested Reading: A History Of France by John Julius Norwich

Cambridge Illustrated History: France Colin Jones