Yes, it’s not only the first day of spring, but it’s International Happiness Day. Not sure when that day came into effect, but it works for this date when Jack Aubrey’s nemesis decided to make a return visit.
Emperor Napoleon on his Imperial Throne
The last time we saw our intrepid Emperor of France it was 1814. The Treaty of Fontainebleau had been signed, and Napoleon Bonaparte was shipped off to the island of Elba, which is near the coast of Italy and roughly 50 kilometers (approximately 30 miles) from Corsica, the island of his birth. And hey, he was even given sovereignty over Elba. Think of it: 86.49 square miles. That’s 18 miles in length and 11 miles in width. What more can you ask for when you’ve been an Emperor and conqueror, right?
WRONG!
About a year later, Napoleon escaped to the French mainland with about 1000 followers. On today’s date in 1815, he made his triumphant return to Paris, greeted by screaming crowds, and with the knowledge that the unpopular Louis XVIII had gotten the hell out of the proverbial Dodge.
Napoleon’s Hundred Days reign began.
So did Napoleon live happily ever after, his restoration complete?
Well, remember:
Napoleon. Meets. His. Waterloo.
It’s ain’t just a song by ABBA!
But that’s another story for another day, isn’t it?
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