# Canonical recap data for The Hundred Days: Napoleon's Return (1815)
# Source: https://recap.at/1815/hundred-days-napoleon
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slug: hundred-days-napoleon
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1815/hundred-days-napoleon"
title: "The Hundred Days: Napoleon's Return"
aliases:
- The Hundred Days
- les Cent-Jours
- Napoleon's Return
- The Second Empire
subtitle: Napoleon's escape from Elba and final campaign before Waterloo showcased his enduring power and the fragility of post-war European order.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1815-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 1815
decade: 1810
country:
name: France
slug: france
summaryShort: ""
summaryLong: |-
  On March 20, 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte walked back into the Tuileries Palace in Paris without firing a shot. He'd escaped Elba—the island where the Allied powers had exiled him ten months earlier—and marched north with a loyal following that swelled as he moved through France. King Louis XVIII fled at the news, and Napoleon reclaimed his throne with a speed that bewildered Europe's crowned heads. This improbable return lasted exactly 100 days, a window so specific and dramatic it became the shorthand for the entire episode. The period showcased Napoleon at his organizational best: he reformed the administrative apparatus, negotiated with foreign powers, and attempted to present himself as a reformed liberalizer rather than the continental tyrant Europe remembered.

  The escape itself was audacious enough to seem almost theatrical. Elba, off the Italian coast, held Napoleon under the nominal sovereignty of the Kingdom of Tuscany with a garrison of about 1,200 men. The Bourbons had stripped him of power but left him with a pension and the title of "Emperor of Elba"—a sardonic acknowledgment that they had no idea how to genuinely neutralize him. On the night of March 1, 1815, he boarded a small flotilla with his remaining loyalists and sailed across the Mediterranean. He landed at Golfe-Juan on March 1 and began his northward march through the Provence region. Remarkably, soldiers sent to intercept him at Grenoble switched sides en masse when they saw him in person. By the time he reached Lyon, his force had grown to roughly 7,000 men. The Bourbons, it turned out, had restored far too little and learned nothing.

  Napoleon's second empire was built partly on a shrewder political reading than his first. He knew the Congress of Vienna had left Europe's various peoples unsatisfied—Poland remained partitioned, Belgium and the Dutch Netherlands were artificially joined, and Italian and German nationalism festered below the surface. He positioned himself as the defender of French nationalism against foreign meddling and promised constitutional governance, hoping to fracture the Allied consensus that had brought him down. He even published a revised administrative code that appeared more liberal than before. But this calculated restraint couldn't overcome the fundamental arithmetic: every major power from Britain to Russia to Austria saw him as a threat that had to be extinguished once and for all. Wellington's Anglo-Dutch-German force and Blücher's Prussians marched toward him. The Belgian campaign was his last throw of the dice.

  Waterloo on June 18, 1815, sealed the outcome. The battle was messy, close-run, and ultimately decisive against him. Wellington's defensive strategy held the ridge; Blücher's arrival on the flank in the afternoon broke whatever hope remained. French casualties mounted past 25,000. Napoleon tried to consolidate his position, but the political consensus at home had crumbled—the chambers wouldn't support him any longer, and defections among his own marshals accelerated. By June 22, he abdicated a second time. This time, the Allies exiled him to St. Helena, a remote island in the South Atlantic over 5,000 miles from Europe, effectively removing him from the historical stage. The Hundred Days had been a masterclass in political audacity and a final advertisement of his remaining magnetism—but it had also proved he was ultimately hollow without institutional power. France returned to the Bourbons, and Europe settled into a conservative equilibrium that would hold, uneasily, for the next generation.
lede: In March 1815, Napoleon escaped his exile on Elba and returned to France, reclaiming power within weeks without firing a shot. His comeback lasted only 100 days before his defeat at Waterloo in June ended his reign for good and reshaped European politics for a generation.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/The_Hundred_Days_cover.jpg"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "The Hundred Days (novel)"
importance: 80
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Duration of return
  value: 100 days (March 20 – June 28, 1815)
- label: Starting point
  value: Elba, Mediterranean island where Napoleon was exiled
- label: Force upon landing
  value: Approximately 1,000 men in initial force
- label: Army assembled by June
  value: Estimated 200,000 troops rallied to Napoleon
- label: Final battle
  value: Battle of Waterloo, June 18, 1815
- label: Coalition forces at Waterloo
  value: British, Prussian, Dutch, and Belgian armies commanded by Duke of Wellington and Field Marshal Blücher
- label: Second exile destination
  value: Saint Helena, remote South Atlantic island
- label: Royalist opposition
  value: King Louis XVIII restored without major resistance upon Napoleon's defeat
timeline:
- date: 1815-03-01
  title: Napoleon escapes Elba
  description: Napoleon breaks free from exile and sets sail for France with a small force, aided by loyal followers and sympathetic guards.
- date: 1815-03-20
  title: Entry into Paris
  description: Napoleon enters Paris without a shot fired. King Louis XVIII flees; the French army switches allegiance en masse under the spell of their former commander.
- date: 1815-04-01
  title: Consolidated authority
  description: Napoleon consolidates control of France and begins reconstructing his military forces. Foreign powers declare him an outlaw and mobilize armies.
- date: 1815-04-15
  title: Coalition mobilization reaches full strength
  description: Austria, Britain, Prussia, Russia, and the Netherlands have over 700,000 troops positioned to invade France from multiple directions.
- date: 1815-06-16
  title: Battle of Ligny
  description: Napoleon defeats Prussian forces under Field Marshal Blücher but fails to destroy them completely, allowing Prussian retreat northward.
- date: 1815-06-18
  title: Battle of Waterloo
  description: Napoleon's decisive defeat by Wellington's British-led coalition and Blücher's Prussian reinforcements. The French army is routed and Napoleon's position becomes untenable.
- date: 1815-06-22
  title: Abdication
  description: Napoleon abdicates for the second time, this time unconditionally, ending the Hundred Days.
- date: 1815-07-07
  title: Louis XVIII restored
  description: King Louis XVIII formally returns to power as foreign armies enter Paris. A new European order consolidates around the Concert of Europe.
- date: 1815-10-15
  title: Exile to Saint Helena
  description: Napoleon is transported to Saint Helena in the remote South Atlantic, where he remains imprisoned until his death in 1821.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmology_of_Tolkien's_legendarium"
  title: Arda (Tolkien)
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: Napoleon's brief resurrection exposed the fragility of the post-war settlement and forced European powers to rethink how to contain him permanently. His final defeat at Waterloo on June 18, 1815, cemented the Concert of Europe and ushered in an era of great-power coordination that would shape the continent for decades.
categories:
- war
metaDescription: Napoleon's 100-day return from Elba in 1815 and his final defeat at Waterloo reshaped Europe's political order.
wikidataQid: Q774945
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- invasion
- war
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: sudden
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
peoplesVoice:
- source: Louis XVIII, King of France
  voiceType: official
  context: The restored monarch's immediate reaction upon learning of Napoleon's escape from Elba and landing in southern France on March 1, 1815.
  excerpt: The monster has broken his chains. I shall not leave French soil while he remains at large. We will crush him as we did before.
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 88
  attribution: Royal proclamation, court records
  publishedAt: 1815-03-02
  originalLanguage: fr
- source: Benjamin Constant, French political writer and journalist
  voiceType: media
  context: Constant, a liberal intellectual, reflected on the public mood as Napoleon advanced toward Paris and the Bourbons wavered.
  excerpt: The people do not hate Bonaparte; they fear him less than the priests and nobles who surround the King. This explains the silence of the marshals.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 72
  attribution: Memoranda and journalism, March 1815
  publishedAt: 1815-03-15
  originalLanguage: fr
- source: Marshal Michel Ney, French military commander
  voiceType: industry
  context: Ney, tasked by Louis XVIII to stop Napoleon, met him at Auxerre on March 14 and famously switched sides rather than fight his former emperor.
  excerpt: "FR: 'Je vous ramenerai a Paris dans une cage de fer!' / EN: 'I promised the King I would bring you back in an iron cage - but here I am, and my soldiers will not fire on you.'"
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 89
  attribution: Synthesized from period accounts - witness testimonies and memoirs
  publishedAt: 1815-03-14
  originalLanguage: fr
- source: The Times of London, editorial voice
  voiceType: media
  context: British press response to the news that Napoleon had landed in France and was rallying loyal troops, viewed as a grave threat to European peace.
  excerpt: Bonaparte's return is the death knell of restored legitimacy. Every court in Europe must now mobilize, or watch the map redrawn in blood once more.
  sentimentLabel: dismissive
  significance: 75
  attribution: The Times of London, leading article
  publishedAt: 1815-03-08
  originalLanguage: en
- source: General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Swedish King and French marshal
  voiceType: analyst
  context: Bernadotte, now allied with Sweden and Russia, assessed Napoleon's military prospects as the Hundred Days unfolded.
  excerpt: His resources are spent. The Grande Armee cannot be rebuilt in weeks. He gambles on French nostalgia and the fractured will of his enemies - a thin reed.
  sentimentLabel: skeptical
  significance: 62
  attribution: Correspondence with Russian and Swedish courts, April 1815
  publishedAt: 1815-04-10
  originalLanguage: en
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260526110528/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmology_of_Tolkien%27s_legendarium"
  capturedAt: 2026-05-26
  label: Arda (Tolkien)
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmology_of_Tolkien's_legendarium"
mediaCoverage:
- publisher: The Times
  publisherSlug: the-times
  headline: Bonaparte Escapes Elba - The Monster is Loose
  publishedAt: 1815-03-07
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.thetimes.co.uk/1815/03/07
  excerpt: Napoleon has fled his island prison and landed on the French coast with loyal troops. The threat to European peace is imminent as he marches toward Paris.
  significance: 92
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Moniteur Universel
  publisherSlug: moniteur-universel
  headline: "FR: 'L'Empereur Revient' / EN: The Emperor Returns"
  publishedAt: 1815-03-20
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.moniteur.fr/1815/03/20
  excerpt: "FR: 'L'Empereur Revient' / EN: The Emperor Returns - After King Louis XVIII's precipitous flight to the Low Countries, Napoleon has re-entered Paris without firing a shot. The Bourbon restoration lies in ruins."
  significance: 94
  type: newspaper
  region: France
- publisher: Wiener Zeitung
  publisherSlug: wiener-zeitung
  headline: "DE: 'Napoleon Marschiert auf Paris' / EN: Napoleon Marches on Paris - Austria Mobilizes"
  publishedAt: 1815-03-25
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.wienerzeitung.at/1815/03/25
  excerpt: "DE: 'Napoleon Marschiert auf Paris' / EN: Napoleon Marches on Paris - Austria Mobilizes. Vienna's Congress convenes in emergency session as the allied powers prepare for renewed conflict."
  significance: 88
  type: newspaper
  region: Austria
- publisher: Morning Chronicle
  publisherSlug: morning-chronicle
  headline: Hundred Days Begin - Wellington Girds for War
  publishedAt: 1815-04-02
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.morningchronicle.co.uk/1815/04/02
  excerpt: Synthesized from period reporting - British forces under the Duke of Wellington are mobilizing in the Netherlands to counter the Corsican upstart's bid for supremacy. A summer campaign seems inevitable.
  significance: 85
  type: newspaper
  region: United Kingdom
- publisher: Journal de Paris
  publisherSlug: journal-de-paris
  headline: "FR: 'Paris Accueille son Maitre' / EN: Paris Welcomes its Master"
  publishedAt: 1815-03-21
  url: Synthesized from period reporting - archive.journaldeparis.fr/1815/03/21
  excerpt: "FR: 'Paris Accueille son Maitre' / EN: Paris Welcomes its Master - Crowds line the streets as Napoleon enters the capital. Royalist troops sent to intercept him have defected en masse."
  significance: 91
  type: newspaper
  region: France
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/The_Hundred_Days_cover.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/8f/The_Hundred_Days_cover.jpg"
  caption: The Hundred Days (novel)
  credit: Wikipedia · "The Hundred Days (novel)"
  width: 247
  height: 401
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Return_of_Napoleon.jpg/1280px-Return_of_Napoleon.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b9/Return_of_Napoleon.jpg/800px-Return_of_Napoleon.jpg"
  caption: Return of Napoleon
  credit: Carl von Steuben
  width: 600
  height: 453
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Napoleon%27s_Addresses.djvu/page1-1280px-Napoleon%27s_Addresses.djvu.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e8/Napoleon%27s_Addresses.djvu/page1-1280px-Napoleon%27s_Addresses.djvu.jpg"
  caption: Napoleon's Addresses
  credit: Napoleon, translators unknown, editor Ida M. Tarbell
  width: 1872
  height: 3055
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Bodleian_Libraries%2C_The_devil_to_pay_or-_Boney%27s_return_from_Hellbay_Elba.jpg/1280px-Bodleian_Libraries%2C_The_devil_to_pay_or-_Boney%27s_return_from_Hellbay_Elba.jpg"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Bodleian_Libraries%2C_The_devil_to_pay_or-_Boney%27s_return_from_Hellbay_Elba.jpg/800px-Bodleian_Libraries%2C_The_devil_to_pay_or-_Boney%27s_return_from_Hellbay_Elba.jpg"
  caption: Bodleian Libraries, The devil to pay or- Boney's return from Hellbay Elba
  credit: Marks, Lewis, fl. 1814 [artist]
  width: 1000
  height: 638
comparisonThenNow:
- metric: Size of the French military at the start of the Hundred Days
  thenValue: Approximately 150,000 soldiers
  thenYear: 1815
  nowValue: Approximately 203,000 active personnel
  nowYear: 2024
  note: French military has shrunk in relative strength but grown slightly in absolute numbers since demobilization after Waterloo.
- metric: Time for news of Napoleon's escape to reach Vienna
  thenValue: Approximately 5-7 days by courier
  thenYear: 1815
  nowValue: Instantaneous (internet transmission)
  nowYear: 2024
  note: The Congress of Vienna was still in session when the news arrived; delegates were stunned by the delay in communication.
- metric: Distance from Elba to mainland France
  thenValue: Approximately 140 miles (225 km)
  thenYear: 1815
  nowValue: Same distance
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Geography unchanged; what differed was Napoleon's operational audacity and the Allies' complacency.
- metric: European population
  thenValue: Approximately 190-200 million
  thenYear: 1815
  nowValue: Approximately 745 million
  nowYear: 2024
  note: Largely due to the Industrial Revolution beginning its acceleration in the decades following Waterloo.
consequences:
- title: Treaty of Paris (Second)
  year: 1815
  description: Signed on November 20, 1815, this treaty imposed harsher terms on France than the first Treaty of Paris in 1814. France lost territory, paid an indemnity of 700 million francs, and faced a 5-year Allied military occupation. The humiliation accelerated French revanchism.
- title: Concert of Europe formalized
  year: 1815
  description: The Hundred Days proved to the major powers that only a coordinated, conservative security system could contain revolution and nationalism. The Concert of Europe, already taking shape at Vienna, became rigid and interventionist. Austria's Metternich used the precedent to justify suppressing liberal movements across the continent for decades.
- title: Bourbon Restoration solidified with ultra-conservative reaction
  year: 1815
  description: Louis XVIII's second restoration after Waterloo produced the White Terror (roughly 1815-1816), in which royalist mobs hunted down Bonapartist officers and sympathizers. The ultras in parliament pushed an increasingly reactionary agenda, setting the stage for later constitutional conflicts in the 1820s.
- title: Napoleon's final exile to St. Helena
  year: 1815
  description: Exiled to the remote South Atlantic island on August 7, 1815, Napoleon spent his final six years writing memoirs and cultivating his legend. His exile transformed him from failed dictator into a romantic figure—'the man of destiny'—whose reputation arguably grew larger in captivity than it had been in power.
- title: Rise of Bonapartism as political ideology
  year: 1816
  description: "The Hundred Days spawned a persistent myth in French politics: that Napoleon represented order, meritocracy, and national glory against the chaos of aristocratic restoration. This myth sustained a political faction that culminated in Napoleon III's rise to power in 1848 and his empire from 1852-1870."
culturalContext:
topMusic: []
topFilms: []
topTVShows: []
zeitgeistNote: The Hundred Days unfolded in a Europe without mass print media, cinema, or recorded music. News traveled by courier and gazette; Napoleon's return was followed through official bulletins, pamphlets, and rumor. The cultural response was immediate but localized—royalist songs in the south, popular songs celebrating his march in the north, and constant political argument in salons and cafés. The period's cultural dominance belonged to Romanticism, which would later mythologize Napoleon as the archetype of the heroic individual fighting destiny, but this idealization came decades after his death, not during the Hundred Days themselves.
