During his enforced exile on the island of Elba he busied himself building forts and bridges and winning the support of the local population and making plans for a return to France. But there was to be no glorious ending to the tale - it ended in spectacular and bloody failure in June 1815, on the famous field of Waterloo.

Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free exclusive podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Matt Lewis and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code 'TIMELINE' 👉 https://access.historyhit.com/

You can find more from us on:

  / timelinewh  

  / timelineworldhistory  

  / timelinewh  

This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Any queries, please contact [email protected]