James Baquet The latter days of Napoleon’s career can be summarized neatly as: defeat and exile; escape and the “Hundred Days”; then defeat, exile and death. At the end of the “War of the Sixth Coalition” (which names his opponents from 1813-1814) he was taken prisoner and exiled to the island of Elba, off the coast of Italy. From there he escaped on a ship belonging to the small navy he was allowed to maintain (why did his captors do that?) and resumed his military efforts from March 20 to July 8, 1815 — actually 111 days. This period was called the War of the Seventh Coalition, and ended with his famous defeat at Waterloo. From there he was exiled to St. Helena, around 1,950 kilometers off the coast of Africa. No escaping this time — presumably he now had no navy — and he died there in May 1821. During the “Hundred Days” something called the Neapolitan War (March 15 - May 20) occurred; the decisive moment was the Battle of Tolentino (May 2-3). “Neapolitan” is an adjective form for Naples, and it is around the King of Naples this story centers. The French had taken Naples in 1806; Napoleon’s brother Joseph Bonaparte was its first Napoleonic king, and his brother-in-law Joachim Murat succeeded him. On March 15, 1815, Naples declared war on the Austrian Empire; this war was formally concluded at the Treaty of Casalanza on May 20, after the Austrian victory at Tolentino. The Bonaparte family was removed from the throne, and the Bourbon king Ferdinand IV, who had ruled Naples before them, was restored as King of Naples and Sicily. At the end of the first day of battle the Neapolitans had the upper hand, and the second day also began fairly well for them. But then they formed up in a square, expecting a cavalry assault from the Austrians. Instead, the Austrians fired from a distance; their formation made them sitting ducks. The Neapolitans fell back, hearing that the Austrians were being reinforced and (falsely) that the British were coming to assist. Murat disguised himself as a Danish sailor and, abandoning his city, and escaped to Corsica. Less than two months later Napoleon, too, fell from power. Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. leaving, giving up on 2. came after 3. put into a few words 4. was in the lead 5. put back in place 6. brother by marriage 7. sending away 8. made stronger 9. formal agreement 10. easy targets | 