Margaret’s Blog

Theoretically, Napoleon’s toddler son, known as the King of Rome and called François, became Napoleon II on June 22, 1815, when Napoleon abdicated in his favor after the battle of Waterloo.  In reality, the boy never ruled. With the help of France’s enemies, Louis XVIII claimed the throne, reestablishing the Bourbon dynasty. Meanwhile, young Napoleon […]

In 1796, Napoleon married Josephine Beauharnais, the widow of an aristocrat who had been guillotined.  On their wedding day, Napoleon was twenty-six and Josephine thirty-two.  His future looked promising; she was bankrupt.  He married for love, she for convenience.  They had a tumultuous life together until 1809 when it became clear she could never provide […]

At the far end of Longwood’s reception hall, the room in which Napoleon died, a door opens into the dining room. Here his companions-in-exile and his occasional guests gathered in the evening to eat a brief supper—for meals with Napoleon were only twenty-minute affairs. Afterward, they dissected battles or the emperor read aloud from Corneille, […]

In 1819, the French general and grand marshal, Henri-Gratien Bertrand, who had accompanied Napoleon into exile, designed a large birdcage for Longwood House’s gardens.  Chinese carpenters, who otherwise spent their time repairing the poorly-constructed house, built the cage and stocked it with doves and pheasants. At first, Napoleon admired it, but he was known to […]

When Napoleon arrived on St Helena in October, 1815, there was only one building worthy of a sovereign:  Plantation House, the governor’s country residence.  Situated in a sheltered, charmingly bucolic setting, it provided a perfect location for Napoleon and his retinue.  The military could easily defend its boundaries from invasion or escape. The governor’s family […]

At their annual benefit last weekend in Richmond, Virginia, James River Writers recognized my novel LITTLE SONG as one of three finalists in their Best Unpublished Novel Contest.  Founded in 2002, the Richmond, Virginia, non-profit organization “serves aspiring and professional writers and passionate readers in all genres through a variety of programs, services, and events,” including their […]

There was a serious suggestion in yesterday’s Washington Post to exile Gaddafi to St Helena: A St Helena Home for Gaddafi by William C. Goodfellow of the Center for International Policy. While that may be a fine solution to the Libyan crisis, some of the writer’s statements about Napoleon are wrong. For example, Napoleon’s young […]

Beyond the Billiard Room lies the Reception Room.  Here, Napoleon, standing by the fireplace, one arm resting on the black stone mantel, greeted his visitors.  Here, he argued with the British governor, Hudson Lowe, whom both Napoleon and Lowe himself, viewed as his jailer. Here, on May 5, 1821, Napoleon died.  This is Longwood’s hallowed […]

We arrived in Cape Town, South Africa, this afternoon.  The seas were rough and the mood somber during the five-day return voyage on the RMS St Helena.  Even with stabilizers dampening the ship’s roll, she bucked high waves and heaved continuously.  Gray skies and occasional rain added to the gloom.  The first two days, we […]

As visitors did during Napoleon’s time, I entered Longwood House up the stone steps through the green latticed portico, and stepped into the Billiard Room. The French volunteers-in-exile who had accompanied Napoleon crossed that same threshold with heavy hearts for a man without a future.  Back then, sympathizers and enemies alike must have felt awe […]