Napoleon crowned himself Emperor on 2 December 1804.

By 1805, Britain was reluctantly drawn into a Third Coalition against Napoleon, after he made it clear that he wouldnt stop his wars of expansion on the continent. In addition to military endeavors against Britain, Napoleon waged economic war, attempting to enforce a Europe-wide commercial boycott of Britain called the Continental System. Napoleon also tried to conquer Russia but did not succeed. On April 11, 1814, representatives of the allied nations of Austria, Russia, Prussia and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Fontainebleau. The treaty stipulated that Napoleon Bonaparte, emperor of France, would abdicate and live in exile as the sovereign of Elba

Napoleon Bonaparte was exiled by the Allied governments to Elba following his abdication at Fontainebleau and landed on the island on 4 May 1814. He was allowed a personal escort of some 1000 men, a household staff and was even given the title Emperor of Elba and rule over its 110,000 people. Bonaparte began his exile with a reform of the governmental system on the island, which is Italy's third biggest and lies just off the coast of Tuscany. Soon, however, the former French emperor's thoughts turned towards Paris - now under the restored rule of the Bourbons - and he began to plan his return. The time came faster than he imagined and only nine months later, on 26 February 1815, he escaped with his miniature army and landed in France. The 100 Days Campaign had begun.

The Isle of Elba

During these months, partly to pass the time and partly out of a genuine concern for the wellbeing of the people, Napoleon carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life on Elba. Napoleon stayed on Elba for 300 days. He returned to France on February 26 for the Hundred Days. After his defeat at Waterloo he was subsequently exiled again, this time to the barren and isolated South Atlantic island of Saint Helena. Napoleon's stay on Elba is the basis for the famous English language palindrome: "Able was I ere I saw Elba. It is for the connection with Napoleon that Elba is best known internationally.

Napoleons Defeat at Waterloo