Why was Napoleon exiled instead of being executed? (Short Animated Documentary)

Napoleon was famously exiled by the coalition that defeated him which allowed him to come back and fight once more. So why was it that they decided to exile him a second time instead of making sure he couldn't come back permanently. To find out watch this short and simple animated history documentary.
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[@hornet370]

james bisonette convinced the allies to let him live

[@mrnoobgh3647]

Agreed

[@TransKidsMafia]

my toddler came out as trans. I will support their truth

[@jamesbissonette8002]

Don’t think so

[@nobleman9393]

*Bribed

[@pabcu2507]

@@jamesbissonette8002 I love you

[@smalltime0]

Big thing to note about his exile to St. Helena - he was guarded by 3,000 men and 4 ships.

[@shoredude2]

plus St. Helena is literally one of the most remote places on earth. It's over 1,200 miles to any continent while Elba is 6 miles from the Italian mainland.

[@fenyx2558]

Who paid for those men and ships? And What about food and water?

[@aliali-ce3yf]

and 1 magician

[@kel000001]

@@nedsteven4622let’s not forget James Bisonette

[@Edge50199]

@@fenyx2558 If you are from UK, probably your great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandma.

[@ahmetkarl1229]

Man, we sure did saw a lot of great depictions of Napoleon's death. Decapitation and head on a stake, crushed by a huge stone, sent to heaven, fed to sharks, dead and buried...

[@douglasboyle6544]

"Free trip to the afterlife"

[@makarabaduk1754]

That was a wild brainstorming session. A shame Britain's "torn apart by wild tortoises" didn't make the final shortlist.

[@gerwaltspodnovigradu5508]

​@@makarabaduk1754too little time in the video for it

[@j.p.ijsblok5304]

"They killed Napoleon! You Bastard!"

[@Iason29]

It never even crossed my mind that they would kill him, it would be stupid if they did. They would simply martyr him for no reason and they had enough problems as it is. And the Brits were right, it must have come as a real shock when the French people marched to war so willingly in 1815 after Napoleon escaped Elba, when just a few months before France was in ruins, its people where crying for peace and Napoleon was the most hated man alive. It must have freaked them out to the point they realised if any harm comes to Napoleon it can happen again.

[@lukegauci1159]

“Somehow, Napoleon returned” - Poe Damarin

[@L.P.1987]

LoL

[@ripper021_py]

High tier comment

[@bangscutter]

Interesting note. When Napoleon came back from Elba and started another war, this time, the coalition declared war not on France, but on Napoleon himself. It was the first time war was declared on a person instead of a state.

[@RidleyScottOwnsFailedDictators]

Yet it was France who got punished for Napoleon in 1815, more severely than in 1814. France was forced to give up territory gained after 1790, pay massive reparations, pay for forts to be built against France, and be militarily occupied for five years, something the coalition did not impose in 1814. So again, France was forced to pay for Napoleon's mistakes, like France paid in for blood, life and lmbs for over a decade.

[@a2falcone]

@@RidleyScottOwnsFailedDictators that's not accurate. When Napoleon returned the Congress of Vienna was still sessioning, so a final decision on how to punish France hadn't been taken yet. What the Coalition imposed on France in 1914 were just temporary measures while France's final fate was still being decided. Moreover, Napoleon's return was mostly irrelevant for the Congress' outcome: the Coalition was already fully mobilized against France and had several armies stationed in and around France, France's resources and manpower were already exhausted and Napoleon's new army was inexperienced, so Napoleon's second defeat was taken for granted by his enemies and his return didn't affect negotiations. Historia Civilis has two great videos about the Congress of Vienna that explain this.

[@ddc2957]

Napoléon did not “return & start another war.” He offered peace upon his return. The Coalition initiated the war. As was almost entirely the case for the previous 20 years.

[@generalterrarian1672]

Octavian declared war on cleopatra personally though, which well over 10 minutes before

[@RidleyScottOwnsFailedDictators]

@@generalterrarian1672 Did Napoleon win, or are you all just losers who are pretending that you won when you lost?

[@Sermentian1867]

The biggest thing I took away from this was learning the word “perfidious” but I did also wonder why they didn’t simply execute Napoleon

[@YoussefDaanBenAmor]

Good suggestions!

[@K0sm]

Fun fact : the nickname of Great Britain in french in the "perfide Albion" (perfidious Albion)

[@greatsageequaltoheaven8115]

You need to work on your elementary school vocabulary 😂.

[@torquemadatheapostate8768]

Killing monarchs is a bad precedent. . . if you start killing kings and emperors,people allegedly divinely picked by god, puts every other monarch at risk. This would make all the other monarchs very nervous if this were acceptable behaviour.

[@mariedioa]

@@K0sm I came here just to say this x)

[@dragonsword2253]

Napoleon with a snorkel is an image that will now live forever in my mind

[@Vtarngpb]

Yaaas!!!😂

[@shevek2954]

Is there such a thing historical head canon? Now that I think of it, I think authoritarian governments have beaten me to the punch.

[@dtheundertale3799]

At that time snorkels were already invented, weren't they

[@puernatura8998]

I think you're glossing over Napoleon's exile to Elba quite a lot. That exile was not a unanimous decision by the allies, but rather a dictat from Russia. Russia and Tsar Alexander were the first to enter Paris, and it was Alexander who accepted Napoleon's surrender. Alexander alone offered Napoleon rule over Elba, and this made Britain exactly as happy as you'd imagine.

[@emberfist8347]

Well he and Alex were buddies so it makes sense he got a slap on the wrist.

[@wheneggsdrop1701]

@@emberfist8347 Alex was to say the least bipolar and likely suffered from multiple personality disorder.

[@martiabellan696]

He has a KZbin short just about that

[@gameer0037]

@@wheneggsdrop1701 a fellow historia civilis fan perhaps?

[@marioluigi4176]

I think so too hehe

[@plasmacannon1198]

Napoleons return is such a story in itself. Man just showed up, got some followers, was threatened by French state who sent army, napoleon converted army to his cause, job done. OG Targaryen

[@skie6282]

Id like to think the french gov at the time did the stupid thing of not telling the soldiers who tmir where they were going to. So when they got to napolean, and a majority loved him, they probably just said fck it

[@Scattaman-Priest]

In his first exile he did have his own personal guards and garrison. He got bored because he couldn’t invade anything.

[@kennethnwebb]

Targaryen? really?

[@arandombard1197]

That's always the coolest part. They sent the army to stop him, he just walked up to them and said "You know who I am right? Well if any man wants to arrest me, then go ahead. Or I can lead our country to greatness again". Such a gigachad.

[@edmerc92]

@@Scattaman-Priest He wasn't just bored. He was supposed to get a subsidy from the king of France, but the king refused to pay and it left him almost broke.

[@cieproject2888]

This three minute video honestly conveyed more information about the interests and objectives of the coalition powers than Ridley Scott managed in nearly three hours

[@ExplosiveLandmine]

It was more of a shitpost than a movie.

[@McKeeNJackson]

That movie sucked n portrayed him as a cuck

[@aliali-ce3yf]

it wasn't a documentary though

[@EmptyKing23]

That’s what they get for making a movie mostly about josefine and trying to redeem her...🤮

[@cieproject2888]

@@aliali-ce3yf No, it wasn't ... but it's important to understand the stakes and motivation of the characters in order to be invested in the outcome of a story. And the film didn't do that especially successfully

[@alfredoperozo5789]

Napoleon being eaten alive by a fresh water shark as Alexander and Francis look on is still more historically accurate than the entire Ridley Scott film

[@jon-michaelharris5840]

i love how often British diplomacy comes down to, “what frees us from dealing with issues on the continent?”

[@r.a.acosta6528]

I always figured it was more to do with the fact that Napoleon's rise could be traced back to the execution of a monarch/head of state (French Revolution) and the last thing the Reactionaries/Monarchs of Europe wanted was to make that seem like it was no big deal. Also, there was probably the concern that killing him would make him a martyr, but exile would make him fade from memory slowly. Little did they know, his legacy would grow to the stuff of legends anyways.

[@j2dragon109]

Eh I very much doubt any of them would be all too supirsed to learn his name and legacy remain very promiment today. They weren't idoits after all.

[@dawoifee]

@@j2dragon109 Also Napoleon made sure that his adveseries are remembered as well. Kaiser Franz 2/1 and Tsar Aleksander may have been only remembered as some rulers of their respectiv countries. Napoleon made sure they are major characters in history as well.

[@emberfist8347]

@@dawoifeeOr the Duke of Wellington. He made the books for Waterloo.

[@jbb4105]

@@emberfist8347I love how no one ever calls him by his name but we all know the Duke of Wellington

[@ddc2957]

It’s common for that era. Schwarzenberg wasn’t actually his name, but a title ala Wellington. Seems odd by today’s standards, of course. Imagine we had wars today & some guy named Jim was better known by his title, The Store Manager of KMart.

[@staffan-]

Considering that pretty much all the monarchs of Europe had used the abhorrence over the execution of the French king as a reason for declearing war upon the First French Republic, it would have been a bit awkard to then promptly execute the next French monarch.

[@recoil53]

Yes, politicians couldn't find themselves around that issue, ever.

[@EEEEEEEE]

E‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎‎

[@boobah5643]

Without the Pope's coronation they could've argued Napoleon was just some usurper and offed him, presumably.

[@derrickthewhite1]

@@boobah5643 only Austria really cared about the Pope. I think more importantly Napoleon had presented himself as a monarch and called himself a monarch. Tsar Alexander certainly viewed him as such. He was never elected, and his style of rule was authoritarian enough to not be an ideological threat .

[@greywolf7577]

Did England forget what it did to Charles I?

[@Geertt]

Fun fact: There is a tortoise living on Sint Helena still alive who just missed meeting Napoleon by 10 years. The tortoise's name is Jonathan and he's currently the oldest known living land animal (190 years).

[@mattevans4377]

Maybe it's Napoleon reincarnated

[@amn9433]

he's also potentially older too, it's said that he was at least 50 in 1882, but could've been born even before 1832

[@Not_From_Holland]

He hatched in 1832 in the Seychelles since it's a Seychelles giant tortoise and was brought to St Helena in 1882 according to Wikipedia

[@AustroHungarianEmpire1867]

Welcome back, Emperor.

[@131alexa]

🐢

[@Edit-nk6nb]

My man started years of war, only to go "You know what Englishmen, I'll surrender and gladly go be a free man in London". Absolute nutty behaviour like that is how he got millions to follow him!

[@maddog526]

I think the coalition also believed that killing Napoleon would make him a martyr for the French people and probably for generations the French would hate them for killing him and politicians would be hostile towards the coalition for killing Napoleon

[@CAProductions051]

I was thinking that too

[@Sacto1654]

That was why many political leaders were never executed because of the potential of turning into a political martyr.

[@ASChambers]

I seem to recall being told as a kid that in his last days Napoleon claimed that there was some sort of supernatural presence in his quarters in St Helena and it turned out that the chemicals in the wallpaper or paint in his rooms were toxic and were slowly poisoning him and turning him mad.

[@LordSluggo]

Arsenic. They've done analysis on hair samples and there wasn't any more than normal for a person of the time period.

[@connorhilchie2779]

I had always wondered why they didn't kill Napoleon given how much war and suffering they had endured during his regime, especially Austra and Russia. Cool to see that the people who hated him the most were also the ones who gave the order to let him go into exile

[@Breakfast_of_Champions]

Actually, Napoleon was on the defense all the time. Germans love him for all the progress he enabled.

[@Fixnown]

@@Breakfast_of_Champions i thought he was generally loved for the progress he made in Europe, not only in Germany

[@underclas]

​@@FixnownHe was especially by a certain mustached gentleman

[@lordbruno47]

​@@underclasWhich is quite funny when you think abt it seeing as they were polar opposites in many ways

[@julianshepherd2038]

War was glorious pre WW1

[@paultapner2769]

In 2015 I went on a tour of a place called Smedmore House. In Dorset, Britain. In one room there is a chair that belonged to Napoleon when he was on St. Helena. A member of the family who have always owned the house was one of the guards there. When Napoleon died they were allowed to take what they wanted as souvenirs. He took the chair. Which is purple. The same colour as Napoleon's imperial livery. One of the few things he was allowed to keep. The tour guide said he knows someone who has been to St. Helena, and this person said it's the most miserable and depressing place you can imagine. The moment you get off the boat there, you feel like you're in a prison. If memory serves, the British occupied one nearby island to St. Helena, just so no french forces could ever use it a staging place to mount a rescue.

[@chinnyvision]

" the most miserable and depressing place you can imagine. The moment you get off the boat there, you feel like you're in a prison. " - Like arriving on a ferry into Hull.

[@R0bbi3d]

Having lived there for two years, that's a very unfair characterisation. It's certainly very beautiful, the weather is great and everyone knows everyone. The attitude is very relaxed and the pace of life is slow. The biggest problem is the isolation and the fact it lags behind the UK in terms of development. When I was there there was no airport, no mobile phones, and so on, but even this is now in place. I wouldn't go back, but I know far far worse places in the UK to live.

[@recoil53]

I've seen pictures of the Russian Far East and pictures of St Helena. You can argue wild beauty and all that, but I'll take St Helena and risk the pictures being wrong.

[@SimonAyling]

​@R0bbi3d are you referring to St Helena or Hull? 😂

[@PodSpongey]

​@@R0bbi3dAgreed. I've been there post-airport and it's beautiful. It's the ultimate small town (with all the positives and negatives of that) and has less infrastructure (it's the middle of the South Atlantic folks) but it's a stunning place rich with history, and has many lovely people.

[@shogun2215]

I love the continuously more creative ways of executing Napoleon, but I was _kind_ of hoping he'd do this channel's textbook "fall over backwards with a thud" at the end.

[@ddc2957]

You can get that in Ridley Scott’s movie.

[@rennor3498]

This 3 minute video gives greater historical insight into why Napoleon was exiled to Saint Helena better than Ridley Scott's film where Napoleon has a conversation with Wellington about where he is heading after Waterloo. Hope I didn't give any unwanted spoilers to those who haven't watched it.

[@a2falcone]

And to think Napoleon and Wellington didn't even meet in real life.

[@napoleonbuonaparte8975]

The fact that Napoleon managed to assemble an army after escaping from Elba shows us how loved he was.

[@bwhog]

He was actually welcomed by many of his former troops.

[@rarepepe1413]

Yeah, he maxed out charisma.

[@PhilMasters]

Marshall Ney was sent to arrest him, and switched sides instead. The government who’d sent him were understandably peeved by that, and ordered Ney executed for mutiny. A *lot* of people thought that was a bit low - killing a man for sticking with his old commander. Still, Ney was shot. Supposedly. There’s even a fringe theory that so many people were on Ney’s side that the execution was faked and he was allowed to slip off to America.

[@patrickkirby6580]

I’m pretty sure if the Austrian Painter ever came back he’d be able to organize an army and fight a huge war in no time, and there will be so many people who will support and love him too.

[@napoleonbuonaparte8975]

@@patrickkirby6580 I don't think so, other than the SS even the army was tired of Hitler. They already tried to kill him in 1944 after all.

[@rickpgriffin]

I find it kinda funny that at the start of Napoleon's reign he was considered unilaterally illegitimate but by the end he'd become too infamous to pretend that was still the case

[@valmid5069]

The Coalition: (Looks over their options) Can't we just kill him? Britain: *There's Nothing We Can Do*

[@familygash7500]

It's pretty ironic that The British were the most lenient towards Napoleon following his defeat, despite the fact that they were the most determined to get rid of him throughout the entire course of his rule over France. *ALSO, VIDEO SUGGESTION:* Why wasn't Greece's monarchy restored after the deposition of their military regime in 1974?

[@piotrzbies8683]

Long story short: There was a referendum about that in 1974. 69% of Greeks voted against monarchy restoration.

[@angusyang5917]

Greece's monarch Constantine II had been the one to swear in the military junta back in 1967, and all the monarchs had regularly intervened in politics, combined with anti-monarchist propaganda from both the military junta and democrats.

[@LeeGee]

Why wasn't Spain's monarchy etc? Pad out the video with others.

[@victorrenevaldiviasoto9728]

@@LeeGee don't you dare go against King Juan Carlos I and his corruption, you foreign commoner :|

[@stanleyrogouski]

The British also had the memory of James II trying to lead a Catholic counterrevolution after he had been deposed.

[@Gage_The_Comrade_or_Something]

James Bisonette came down from the heavens to convince the Coalition leaders to exile Napoleon to St. Helene, that’s why he wasn’t executed

[@jj591]

I love how basically every power at that time wanted to only exile or imprison him, but Prussia was like " GIVE ME BLOOD!!" Lol🤣🤣

[@samarkand1585]

Not the King

[@ArthurCSchaper]

Please do a video on the following questions. Your videos are great, and I think these topics would be great videos! 1. Why did the Revolutions of 1848 fail in the German States and Spain? 2. Why do people drive on different sides of the road in different countries?

[@Septimus_ii]

I think you need a whole book to answer the first one

[@bananenmusli2769]

Two questions that have been answered already and to which the answer can be easily found with one Google search

[@marioshobbyhq]

It failed in Italy and Poland, and in Austria and Hungary too. Actually, it failed everywhere.

[@drbolle5992]

1 is kinda boring tbh. At least for the German one. Point 1: Wilhelm I. wasnt much obliged with the idea of being "voted" into office while he had been put into power by divine grace. So he later revoked all concessions. Point 2: The revolutionary gov wasnt able to consent for matters easily and the general populus was not a big fan of the parliament because basically it was mostly seated with academicals - so called Professorenparlament - and craftsmen, artisans, laborers, etc didnt trust them with decision making. Enter Point 1. So it failed. But a better topic would be how things cumulated into the 1848 revolutions. Because this is a huge thing. Worthy a 10 minute one tbh.

[@7Tacit]

Please stop.

[@HyperVegitoDBZ]

1:36 in 2023 this would pass without anyone really noticing. How times have changed.

[@JanKosmas]

I love the new changes and styles for not only Napoleon (who also gets a coat and hat) and the characters, but the visuals and design shows how much you improved on quality and art. 👏👏

[@patrickt601]

Love how your animations improve so good

[@arandombard1197]

I can't help but think that there was also an element of respect for the guy. They were terrified of him because of what he was capable of but in the same sense, it would just be wrong to execute such a dominant figure.

[@Croz89]

I can imagine the British discussing this over tea and biscuits: "Well, we've agreed we don't want to kill him, but clearly he's a bit of a slippery chap so some island off the Italian coast isn't going to cut it this time. Jenkins, would you bring out that map of the empire in the drawer?" "Thankyou. Now, where's the remotest island we own, somewhere he can't just get a little rowboat and paddle back to the mainland? Ah, St. Helena, that'll do!"

[@magnipoptude7319]

That little floaty hat at 1:45 killed me! Awesome video as always 😄

[@boldjawad]

0:46 man! You made Napoleon look like a character from a comedy skit

[@Yungcumlord]

Your videos no matter what im going through vring a smile to my face. Please keep it up

[@askinperson2839]

How is this more informative than an almost 3-hour movie?

[@DaBritishBird]

This has been my question for so long. Thank you History Matters!

[@jimschofield8734]

Imagine the critical praise if they'd had History Matters do the whole Napoleon movie instead of Ridley Scott.

[@no.6660]

I’ve noticed a few style changes in this video, the colours feel more saturated, the background are more komplex, the outfits are more detailed and the hairs are a bit fuzzy. And I’m trying to decide if I like it or not

[@Paintchk218]

If I remember correctly Tzar Alexandar I got to Paris first and was mostly in charge how things were going to go for France. Another thing that wasn't mentioned is Alex and Napoleon, though enemy's still like one another he didn't which too see his old friend get killed and pushed for exile instead of execution.

[@adonyazigi966]

I was literally thinking of that today. thanks for explaining!

[@muhammadhabibieamiro3639]

Another amazing video and finally some more video about Napoleon

[@joelwright4317]

Napoleon was also related by marriage to the Austrian emperor Francis. Through his second wife, Napoleon was the son in law to the Francis, and also the father of the Francis’ grandson.

[@CidVeldoril]

Which is why Napoleon's son got treated exceedingly well in Vienna. Being the Emperor's grandkid gets you a duchy and a bunch of other cool stuff. Also potentially the undying love of the mother of future Emperor Franz Joseph.

[@walterfielding9079]

Can you please do a video on why the Missouri Bootheel exists?

[@jamesminor1945]

The snorkel was a nice touch👌

[@awesomesmiley24]

Never thought I'd see this channel cashing in on a trending topic!

[@thomasmccaghrey9888]

Apparently to make sure he stayed in exile this time, the British placed 2,000 troops and 2 warships circling the island 24/7 on st helana, just to be sure

[@AGamerthatregretsalot]

The fact i just thought of this question and asked my history teacher about it a few minutes ago just proves how good this channel times everything, lol.

[@DanielAusMV-op9mi]

Hey dude i absolutely love your videos and i would really appreciate long a** videos ❤❤❤

[@MyuuMuad]

I MISSED YOUR VIDEOS SOOOO MUCH!!!!!

[@harveya1a952]

Because James Bisonette offered to deal with Napoleon

[@pabcu2507]

To the coalition actually!

[@be.athiest.always]

Kelly Money Maker takes Napoleon to the Saint Helena

[@jamesbissonette8002]

Maybe

[@be.athiest.always]

@@jamesbissonette8002 why not?

[@antusgabor]

There are theories that Napoleon was actually poisoned, so I believe that the Coalition just didn't want to kill him...openly.

[@Sorcerers_Apprentice]

The high levels of arsenic in his body was more likely due to the bright green wallpaper in his St. Helena house. Green dyes at the time used arsenic compounds for their color.

[@raphaellapointe9143]

Well, it is a proven fact that he WAS poisoned...by HIMSELF! He tried to commit suicide when he learned of the terms of his first surrender in 1814, but the poison he drank had gone out of date and it didn't kill him

[@enderreaper1482]

Napoleon actually tried to poison himself but failed.

[@jerm70]

I mean if they wanted Napoleon dead they could just throw him overboard into the sea chained up.

[@VinnyUnion]

​@@enderreaper1482why would he do such a thing? did he had several babymommas waiting for him in his harem?

[@cortexradio]

I like the new details for the characters, especially the hair

[@Hunty3]

The new animation style looks so swell!

[@robertthomson1587]

I visited St Helena a few months ago. Very interesting place. Just a tip - it's pronounced St Hel-EEN-a by the locals (the "Saints").

[@kissmy_butt1302]

After the execution of the French king, not only does it reinforce the precedent a monarch can be executed but whose to say France doesn't go looking for revenge eventually. Maybe another capable Marshal arises and now Prussia or Austria, the most likely, fall into the hands of the French and the favor is returned. I honestly believe they were more afraid of that then Napoleon returning from St. Helena. They did fear him because of the guard they put on him. The other request they turned down was letting him settle in New Orleans in the the US.

[@jspihlman]

When you animated Napoleon crawling up onto the beach with the snorkel, I laughed so hard! Well done!

[@whothatJoe]

Great video as always

[@user-hb7py7xy7b]

Most likely other monarchs don't want to set a precedent. Generally when monarchy lose a war royal family being spared. Napoleon himself had a several chances to execute Prussia and Spain royalty but he didn't do it.

[@SdoubleA]

Napoleon didn't even want to start the wars, he was on the defensive the entire time. 6 coalition attempts of everlasting war simply because he was part of the revolution and monarchies in Europe didn't like that.

[@sydhenderson6753]

@@SdoubleA The invasion of Russia was defensive?

[@camm8642]

napoleon was certainly guilty of that one and a few others but I don't know that he is the super aggressor that some ppl make him out to be moreso then some other contempories of the time@@sydhenderson6753

[@2Links]

The Emperor of Elba fiasco was a certified Tsar Alexander moment.

[@everardogarcia8084]

I love Napoleon, he is one of my favorite historical figures. Thank you for the video History Matters!

[@meowingtonz9108]

Great topic! I have always wondered this question

[@TheNinjaDC]

As i recall a big reason was after all the French revolution shenanigans Europe's monarchs didn't want to bring back the king killing precedent. Essentially, Napoleon wasn't killed because he was an emperor, and you don't kill kings/emperors.

[@jhonywalker002]

its interesting how the french press described him as tyrant when he left elba but as he was coming closer to paris they changed their headlines gradually and by the time he arrived they were praising him

[@do0myk]

same media legitimacy as today, and he was the one who started it himself afaik

[@darkgrass653]

I enjoyed the video. Good job.

[@hhappyduck]

Another episode I've been waiting for

[@isingwer]

Also, after taking Berlin, Napoleon looted several items from the tomb of Fredrich the Great, including his sword, not wanting to surrender them, he had them melted down instead, so there's a little extra reason for the Prussians to hate him

[@CidVeldoril]

Yes, he may have looted the Great King's tomb, but that does not matter. It only shows carmic justice in humiliating the then-current king after Friedrich was denied the burial he wanted. I'm sure Old Fritz would've liked Napoleon.

[@ShandoGuardian]

I do like to imagine Napoleon living out the rest of his life in London. Like imagine you're doing whatever victorian people did and there's Napolean, former emperor of Europe living his life.

[@Vinemaple]

What really stands out for me is the way St. Helena is still barely on the map when it's located. It's the subtle jokes that are HM's best.

[@nik65stgt60]

Great content!

[@TheLoneSniperPro]

Napoleon: “Who should I hand myself over to? Everyone is pissed at me but some are pissed at me and want to kill me. So I’ll go surrender to the those who are pissed at me but don’t want to kill me.” 😂

[@capoislamort100]

The brits did worse than killing him, with the way they treated him on that island. He would’ve been better off being executed!

[@CHOCSPERKS]

Napoleon should thank James Bissonette for being such a good negociator at the vienna convention

[@stulog]

The background gags with Napoleon are just plain awesome!

[@rkc62]

This one is like a "Best Of..." compilation of History Matters memes - all the best in one video - Yay

[@aliali-ce3yf]

If you make someone a martyr , that can be more galvanizing than simply letting that person live.

[@Colon-D...]

True, one can imagine how different history would be, if Rome imprisoned Jesus forever, instead of executing him in the most gruesome way possible.

[@VinnyUnion]

​@@Colon-D... likely a lack of Islam and Christianity, evangelists with millions of sub sects. seems like a great world overall. but russia and other regions specifically utilized the church fundamentally. perhaps it would be quite a civilized chaos or the opposite.

[@aliali-ce3yf]

@@VinnyUnionoh please, the world would still be full of evil and hateful people. the root problem isn't religion. it's people.

[@VinnyUnion]

@@aliali-ce3yf Religion amplifies it though.

[@Colon-D...]

@@VinnyUnion I believe without Christianity, it'd only be a matter of time before a similar religion would take it's place. Especially the Roman empire would likely just invent some religion to maintain control.

[@WaybackHistoryChannel]

Fascinating topic! We recently covered Napoleon’s “Empire in Exile” on Elba, so be sure to come on over after you finish watching this - huge thank you to History Matters for giving some attention to this often overlooked piece of Napoleonic history!

[@secuervo]

I recommend the reading of Robert Asprey's work on Napoleon. There is a good bit of context that is worth the curious person's time. It was quite common during the period for monarch's to be held on "arrest" in a victor's care, such as wandering in a city like London under guard. Napoleon's charisma made such a practice impracticable. You can also read The Corsican, or Gronin's work, Napoleon Bonaparte. Or Bainville.

[@djdbajron1]

This is amazing video and pretty amazing animation

[@drswag0076]

the basic reason was the one where he would made a martyr to his allies and would support his son, Napoleon II.

[@NIDELLANEUM]

I think we should be thankful that his animation style is so simplistic, otherwise the ways he showed Napoleon being dead could have been horrifying

[@trygvekvalvik]

Very well-timed video with the release of the Napoleon movie

[@pop5678eye]

Even into the 21st century St. Helena is one of the most remote and inaccessible inhabited islands in the world. It only recently got an airport. Before that the nearest inhabited place to take a ship from to there was another isolated island 700 miles away! Back in 1815 being exiled to St. Helena was almost the same as being buried alive as far as prison security goes.

[@mlc4495]

I always assumed, sorta rightly I suppose, that it was because of the 18th century belief in different rules for rulers versus the ordinary man. Captured generals tended to be given lavish privileges, even by their enemies. The conduct of gentlemen and all that. Killing each others leaders might have also started a custom that could come back to bite them on the arse.

[@HeisenbergFam]

Imagine what would happen to Napoleon if his trial happened in 1945

[@Limedea]

Same thing as in 1815.

[@Vaydore]

U are NOT from braking bad

[@orktv4673]

Why the fuck would they wait until 1945?

[@thunderbird7020]

He didn’t commit mass war crimes and crimes against humanity like Germany or Japan. So he’d either get the same result or maybe even more lenient. He certainly wouldn’t have been executed.

[@incoherentturd]

@@thunderbird7020oof woosh

[@AnimeFan-dl4qd]

2:05 want a puppet sounds not too bad:D

[@user-xd2eu3py2h]

Oh boy oh boy do i love learning questions i have never asked myself and probably would have never asked myself if it wasn't for there being video answering them

[@cgt3704]

I swear if i see one more Napoleon-themed video i will literaly go insane

[@sethgaston8347]

You gotta rock that SEO, since Ridley Scott made that awful Fucking excuse for a film. I call it “Le Film de Merde” as opposed to “Le Fluers de Mal” which is a great work! Never let the British cover French history 🤣

[@oliversherman2414]

This 3 minute video was better than the entire Napoleon film

[@TheEnergizer94]

First question that this channel addresses that I've ever actually really asked myself

[@Typical.Anomaly]

I just recently re-watched the TV show LOST. In the season six episode Dr. Linus, during a flash sideways Benjamin Linus (the history teacher) speaks of Napoleon being exiled to Elba, and it being far worse than death for him to not have power, which is a parallel reference to Linus's previous role on the island and how disposable he felt once he wasn't in charge anymore. TO THOSE WHO HAVEN'T SEEN THE SHOW, YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WATCH IT. DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE ENDING. NAMASTE.

[@EpicgamerwinXD6669]

Apparently many US southerners wanted to host an exiled Napoleon in the Southern US. So yes, there is a basis for an alternative history scenario where Napoleon fought for the south in the Civil War. Just let that sink in...

[@masterplokoon8803]

He died 40 years before the civil war even broke out. He would have been in his 90s at the time of the civil war if he had lived that long. There is literally no basis for that scenario whatsoever.

[@Galahad_Du_Lac]

There were a group of people trying to get him to Louisiana but that was about it.

[@MatheusLB2009]

Just imagine a Napoleon buffed South. Holy shit thats a sick story for a movie/tv series

[@willevensen7130]

What? He’d be at least 80 by the time the Civil War even began.

[@Galahad_Du_Lac]

@@MatheusLB2009 He would’ve dead for around 40 years.

[@SilverFang2789]

So they basically said "Napoleon isn't my Emperor," yet refused to execute him because his status as Emperor was given to him by the Pope (unwillingly I'm guessing)? Ugh these monarchs are walking contradictions.

[@westrim]

It really comes down to simple self preservation. Monarchs wanted to quash the idea that it was acceptable to kill monarchs.

[@brandonlyon730]

King Charles I wished that applied to him.

[@RoulicisThe]

It wasn't unwillingly : After the French revolution, the relations between the people of France and the church were... Hostile, to remain polite. The french really didn't like the church, which they saw back then as corrupt, money hungry and the faction that supported the people's oppression from the noblemen the most, so the pope was really not liked. Napoleon asking the pope to bestow the title of Emperor upon him was his way of trying to appease the tensions and reconcile France with the catholic church, which the pope gladly accepted.

[@erwannthietart3602]

​@@RoulicisThe"gladly accepted" not that he had much of a choice either because the french army is never far from its leader haha

[@Oera-B]

​@@RoulicisThe Why the hell are you conflanting the revolutionary class with the people of France?

[@ekaj_]

This channel has the all time most iconic patron read

[@mailfergal]

Love the snorkel!!!

[@fedos]

Somehow, Napoleon returned.

[@Gungho73]

I always felt that even if it was never explicitly stated, that the potential rise of the Prussian/German empire as a potential threat meant that the British or other force may have wanted him alive as an advisor if not a general in their own right. For all of the trouble he caused, his track record as a leader was undeniable and his ability to handle more then simple armed forces matters made him increasingly valuable. For someone who caused a shift in the balance of power in Europe by seemingly his own resolve simply killing him would've been a waste and could be perceived as an acknowledgement of the changing of roles for each major european power, of any one single power.

[@MotDoiAnLac258]

Thank you again

[@ZiyadDyingtricycle]

Ngl Russia threading to release Napoleon as if he’s a weapon of mass destruction is incredibly badass