In the early 1800s, Europe was reshaping itself after years of war, and May 5 carried one of those turning points. In 1818, Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on the island of Saint Helena. His rise had helped spread new ideas about law and government, while his wars redrew borders and left deep scars across the continent and beyond. At the time, his death closed a chapter that many Europeans had lived through as a constant crisis. Over the long t…
Napoleon Bonaparte dies in exile on the island of St. Helena of the South Atlantic, British territory. Almost six years spent the French Emperor on this isolated island.