Napoleon Bonaparte stands as perhaps the most recognizable figure in all of French history. Yet remarkably, nearly two decades passed before the nation gave him a proper funeral. The reason? Following his final military defeat, Napoleon was banished to the Island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea — this time permanently. In 1821, he died from a ruptured ulcer and was laid to rest on the island where he'd been confined. It wasn't until nineteen years later that France concluded his exile had lasted long enough. A French delegation traveled to Saint Helena Island, exhumed Napoleon's remains, and brought them back to Paris for an official state funeral.
Finding The Right Political Climate
Napoleon was forced to relinquish his claim to the emperor of France after the British defeated the French at the Battle of Waterloo in 1814. From there, he was dispatched to spend the rest of his days on a different island known as Saint Helena. Back on the mainland, the recently restored King Louis XVIII felt that French Politics needed time to calm down before any funeral for Napoleon could take place. It would take nineteen years before conditions in the country were considered politically stable enough to hold the state funeral.
Return Of the Ashes
The French gave Napoleon's state burial the poetic title "Retour des cendres," or return of the ashes — a symbolic gesture representing a leader's homecoming for burial. By 1840, French leaders had finally determined the time was right to bring Napoleon back to France. Those in power saw the burial as an opportunity for political theater, a way to bolster the spirit of revolutionary France while underscoring the diminished authority of the French King. After extensive negotiations, a team set out for the island. Getting Napoleon's bones back to France turned out to be a 93-day voyage — longer than expected, largely because the team opted to make stops at a few tourist destinations along the return journey. At last, on December 15, 1840, Napoleon received his State Funeral.