In his will, Napoleon Bonaparte wrote: "I wish my ashes to rest on the banks of the Seine, in the midst of that French people which I have loved so much... I die before my time, killed by the English oligarchy and its hired assassins."

On May 5, 1821, at the age of 51, Napoleon Bonaparte died. He was buried on St. Helena. Until recently it was thought that he died of cancer of the stomach, as had two of his sisters and his father. But there is now another theory.

Some years ago a Swedish dentist named Sten Forshufvud became intrigued by a description of Napoleon's last days on St. Helen. He began to suspect that the former emperor had died of arsenic poison. A chemical analysis of Napoleon Bonaparte's hair confirmed his notion.

After long study and a careful reading of the diaries of everyone close to Napoleon, Forshufvud and another Napoleon expert, Ben Weider, concluded that Napoleon was slowly murdered by Count Charles Tristan de Montholon. He was probably hired by the count of Artois, a bourbon prince who became King Charles X in 1824.

The Bourbons were terrified that Napoleon might escape from St. Helena as he had from Elba and try to overthrow them. If they had him assassinated the French people might find out and rise up against them. Slow arsenic poisoning was almost foolproof. Though it might take years, Napoleon would be too ill to cause trouble.

Once the poison had damaged his body, the murderers could count on the doctors giving him the final blow. At that time arsenic poisoning was often mistaken for other illnesses. The recommended treatment for these illnesses was a massive dose of calomel. Calomel did two things for victims of arsenic poisoning. First it killed them, and then it cleared the system of all traces of arsenic.

Napoleon was not embalmed before his burial. In 1840 his body was returned to France according to his wishes and given a final resting place of honor in Paris. When the coffin was opened, everyone expected to see nothing but a skeleton. Instead the body was perfectly preserved after 20 years! This is another side effect of arsenic, which acts as a preservative. It is often used for museum and laboratory specimens. Napoleon was thus able to testify to his murder from the grave.

The story of Napoleon is the story of the meteoric rise and fall of one man born on a small island with few advantages other than his brains, his will power, and his imagination. It is also the story of revolution of the change from the old order to the modern world. Scholars are still debating Napoleon's qualities as a leader and his impact on his enormous energy and industry; others emphasize his arrogance, egotism, and contempt for human life. Some consider him the enlightened bearer of revolutionary ideals; others regard him as a for-runner of 20th century dictators.

It is hard to assess his role. He re-drew the map of Europe several times. He brought lasting reforms to the legal, administrative, judicial, and educational systems of an entire continent. He revolutionized warfare. But the political and social upheavals, such as the French Revolution, that shook France and the rest of Europe would not have happened without him.

Many of his actions brought unintended results. He paved the way for the unification of Italy and Germany. He helped make the United States a world power by selling the Louisiana Territory. His war with Spain gave the countries of Latin America and opportunity to fight for their independence. He strengthned the Pope and the Catholic church despite all his attempts to do the opposite.

Napoleon left behind a powerful legend that grew to enormous proportions after his death. His son Napoleon II, never ruled France. But in 1852 his nephew, Louis Napoleon, traded on the popularity of his name to proclaim the Second Empire, and took the title Napoleon III. Bonapartism, the belief in a strong authoritarian ruler appointed by the will of the people, continued to cast its spell over French politics for years and remains a tangible force even today.

Whatever his precise historical role, he was an enormously forceful personality, a figure larger than life. Whether we admire him or hate him, praise him or damn him, it is hard to disagree with his own remark about himself: "What a novel my life has been!
- Essay on Leadership
Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Power tends to corrupt;
absolute power corrupts absolutely.