"The final part of Napoleon's life is teeming with intrigue and unexpected turns, marked by international issues, internal power struggles, and the war of communication he waged through anonymous pamphlets and the reception of visitors, ultimately leading him, paradoxically, to become a liberal figure for opponents of the regimes in power in Europe: 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'" Lecture by Pierre Branda, historian and head of the Heritage Department at the Fondation Napoléon, given on September 14, 2021, at the Fondation Napoléon, Paris 5th arrondissement, as part of the Study Circle lecture series: https://fondationnapoleon.org/activit...

Recommended reading: "Napoleon at Saint Helena" by Pierre Branda, Perrin, 2021
https://www.napoleon.org/magazine/liv...

Work mentioned: “The "Memorial of Saint Helena. The Original Manuscript Rediscovered," by Count Emmanuel de Las Cases, with commentary by P. Hicks, Fr. Houdecek, Th. Lentz, and Ch. Prévot, Perrin, 2021
https://www.napoleon.org/magazine/liv...

Illustrations:

Cover of the book "Napoleon at Saint Helena" by Pierre Branda © Perrin.
"The Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815" by James Jenkins, published September 1, 1815 © Royal Collections Trust
"Napoleon on board Bellerophon" by Sir William Quiller Orchardson, Tate Gallery, Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND 3.0 Unported
"Robert Banks Jenkinson, 1770-1828, 2nd Earl of Liverpool" c. 1820, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Royal Collections Trust
Cover of “The Memorial of Saint Helena. The Original Manuscript Rediscovered,” by Count Emmanuel de Las Cases, with commentary by P. Hicks, Fr. Houdecek, Th. Lentz, and Ch. Prévot © Perrin
“Descriptive sketch of Saint Helena / to accompany Lieutenant Read's geographical plan of the island,” 1815, © Fondation Napoléon ► https://www.napoleon.org/histoire-des...
“View of Longwood House from the Flower Garden” © BnF-Gallica
“Las Cases will present his atlas to the passengers of the Newcastle on June 21 1816", illustration by Charlet for "Le Mémorial", 1842 edition, photo © Fondation Napoléon / Rebecca Young
"Portrait of Lady Webster", [later Lady Holland] by Louis Gauffier, 1794, Musée Fabre Collection, photo © Fondation Napoléon / Rebecca Young
"Satirical piece, The New Robinson Crusoe Taming Rats on the Island of Saint Helena" © BnF-Gallica
"Napoleon at Saint Helena", engraved by Walther © BnF-Gallica
"Sir Hudson Lowe", engraving in "History of the Captivity of Napoleon at St Helena" by William Forsyth, London 1853, photo © Fondation Napoléon / Rebecca Young
"Portrait of Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst", by William Salter © National Portrait Gallery
"St Helena, 1816 Napoleon dictating to Count de Las Cases the account of his Campaigns" [Las Cases: The Account of His Campaigns], by William Quiller Orchardson, Lady Lever Art Gallery, artuk.org
Title Page, “Letters from the Cape of Good Hope, in reply to Mr. Warden” © Fondation Napoléon, Martial Lapeyre Library
Title Page, “Letters from the Island of St. Helena,” 1818, © Fondation Napoléon, Martial Lapeyre Library

Title Page, “Manuscript of the Island of Elba” © Fondation Napoléon, Martial Lapeyre Library
“A Swarm of English Bees Hiving in the Imperial Carriage!!” [Swarm of English bees in a hive in the imperial carriage!] by George Cruikshank © The Trustees of the British Museum
"Scene in Plymouth Sound in August 1815" by John James Chalon © National Maritime Museum
"Albine de Montholon" (1779-1848), by William Adolf Bourguereau, Murauchi Art Museum, Wikipedia
"Barry Edward O’Meara", by Charlotte Bonaparte, 1832
"View of Geranium Vallée drawn from nature, May 8, 1821, at the time of Napoleon's burial" (detail), after the drawing by Marchand, First Valet de Chambre to the Emperor, by Micheli © BnF-Gallica