N & E
Napoleon & Empire

March 1815: The Flight of the Eagle

The Flight of the Eagle : [Elba] [Var] [Basses-Alpes (in 1815)] [Hautes-Alpes] [Isère]
The Flight of the Eagle from Golfe-Juan to Grenoble
The Flight of the Eagle
from Golfe-Juan to Grenoble
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The final months of the French Empire, known as the Hundred Days, began with the shocking "invasion of the country by a single man" as it was described by François-René de Chateaubriand with the brevity and wit for which he is famous. The phrase "The Flight of the Eagle", a favourite of historians and poets, was taken directly from the Emperor's speech when he landed at Golfe-Juan.

We will trace the Emperor's route to Grenoble noting the iconic landmarks along the way: the photos below show some of the places through which the Eagle standard passed. The place names used are those of 1815 (Basses-Alpes, Porto-Ferrajo, Digne etc.) as are the departments (though the Alpes-Maritimes, for example, had been created only a year earlier).

Island of Elba

Coat of arms of the island of Elba

Department of Var

Coat of arms of the Department of Var

Department of the Basses-Alpes

Coat of arms of the Department of the Basses-Alpes

Department of the Hautes-Alpes

Coat of arms of the Department of the Hautes-Alpes

Department of Isère

Coat of Arms of the Department of Isère