The Battle of Waterloo: Europe in the Balance Read Free

region. It was noted, however, that he really made efforts only on behalf of his own allies and friends – while he was willing to compromise his supposedly firm principles over disinheriting others.
    Louis demanded that King Frederick Augustus of Saxony be restored to his throne, despite the fact that he had been a staunch ally of Napoleon. This annoyed the Prussians, who were occupying Saxony and had every intention of annexing it. He also wanted to see Parma in Italy restored to its old ruling dynasty, along with Piacenza, Modena and Lucca. That annoyed the Austrians, who were itching to settle these Italian states on relatives of the Austrian Hapsburg dynasty who had remote claims to them. His support for an independent Poland aroused the ire of the Russians because Tsar Alexander thought he had a claim to the Polish throne.
    Having annoyed the Russians, Prussians and Austrians, Louis further alienated Russia by denouncing Alexander as a pious-minded simpleton and went on to anger Britain by letting it be known that he expected to get back all the colonies that Britain had captured from France during the long years of war, as well as opposing free trade. Louis’ greatest achievement, however, was managing to blame everyone else for his own intransigence.
    Indeed, so incendiary were Louis’ interventions in the discussions in Vienna that Russia came close to invading Austria over the fate of Poland, while Britain was on the brink of walking out altogether.
     
    Napoleon makes his move
     
    On Elba, Napoleon calculated that the time had come for action. If he delayed much longer Louis might give way in the face of calls for reform, the unemployed soldiers might find work and the diplomats in Vienna might patch up some form of compromise deal. If he was in any doubt as to what he should do, his mind was made up when a spy at the royal court in Paris brought him news that King Louis’ brother, the count d’Artois, was plotting to have Napoleon murdered.
    Towards the end of February, Sir Neil Campbell went to the Italian mainland on business, coincidentally at the same time that British warships stationed at Elba were absent for a few days. Napoleon grabbed his chance. He packed 600 men of his little army on to the brig Inconstant – part of Elba’s tiny navy. The flag of Elba was hauled down and the tricolour of Revolutionary France raised in its stead.
    On 26 March the Inconstant put to sea, heading north-west for France. The following day it was sighted by the Royal French ship Zéphir, flying the white flag sprinkled with gold fleur-de-lis of the royal dynasty. The captain of the Zéphir saw that the Inconstant was flying the now illegal tricolour and closed to hail and demand an explanation. Nobody on board the Inconstant replied and, concerned by the superior armament of the ship, the captain of the Zéphir hauled away.
    On 1 March Napoleon and his tiny force landed at Golfe-Juan, then a tiny fishing village but now a holiday resort on the Cote d’Azur. He marched to the town of Antibes, where he was greeted by enthusiastic crowds. He made a speech, which he would repeat at every town he subsequently entered. Napoleon promised to restore the reforms of the Revolution, cut taxes and restore the vote to all adult men. He summoned former soldiers to join his army on a temporary basis to safeguard the new revolution. He also sent out agents to repeat his promises and post up copies of his speech in villages and towns.
    It was quickly evident that not everyone was delighted to welcome Napoleon back to France. Several towns in western Provence gave Napoleon’s agents a cold reception and some began mustering local militia against him. Knowing that Provence had always been lukewarm about the Revolution, and fearing that a royal army would be marching against him, Napoleon made a decision influenced as much by political as by military considerations.
    Instead of taking the main road north up the valley of the Rhône,