Napoleon Bonaparte is one of the best-known historical figures associated with France. However, it took nineteen years for Napoleon’s funeral. Why, you may ask? After he lost his last battle, he was exiled to the Island of Elba in the Mediterranean Sea, this time for good. Napoleon died of a ruptured ulcer in 1821 and was buried on the island. Nineteen years later, the French decided he had been exiled long enough. A French team went to Saint Helena Island and dug up Napoleon’s bones for an official state funeral back in Paris.

Finding The Right Political Climate

When the British beat the French at the Battle of Waterloo in 1814, Napoleon had to give up his claim to the emperor of France. He was then sent to live his remaining years on another island called Saint Helena. Meanwhile, back in France, the newly restored King Louis XVIII thought French Politics should settle down before Napoleon could have his funeral. Nineteen years later, the political climate was stable enough to have the state funeral.

Return Of the Ashes

The French named the state burial “Retour des cendres,” or return of the ashes, a symbolic representation of a leader coming home for burial. By 1840, French leaders were ready to bring Napoleon back to France. Leadership wanted to use the burial as political theater to support revolutionary France and the diminished power of the French King. After much negotiation, a team went to the island. It took the ship 93 days to get the bones back to France. It took longer than usual because the team decided to visit a few tourist places on the way back. On December 15, 1840, Napoleon had his State Funeral.