Napoleon Enters Paris to Begin Hundred Days

Context

Following his defeat in the War of the Sixth Coalition, Napoleon abdicated in April 1814 and accepted exile on the island of Elba under the terms of the Treaty of Fontainebleau. The victorious Allied powers restored the Bourbon monarchy, placing Louis XVIII on the throne and initiating a period of conservative reaction that included the return of émigré nobles and the partial reversal of revolutionary land reforms. While the Congress of Vienna convened to redraw the map of Europe and contain French influence, discontent simmered in France over economic hardship, the demobilization of veterans, and the new regime's perceived favoritism toward the old aristocracy.

What Happened

On February 26, 1815, Napoleon escaped Elba with roughly 1,000 men and landed near Cannes on March 1. As his small force advanced northward along the Route Napoléon, regular army units dispatched to intercept him instead rallied to his banner, including the dramatic defection of Marshal Michel Ney at Lons-le-Saulnier. King Louis XVIII, facing collapsing loyalty in the capital, departed Paris for Ghent on March 13. One week later, on March 20, Napoleon entered the city through the Barrière de Fontainebleau to the cheers of crowds and soldiers, proceeding directly to the Tuileries Palace where he resumed imperial authority.

Aftermath

Napoleon quickly convened a new government and tasked liberal thinker Benjamin Constant with drafting constitutional amendments intended to attract broader support. On March 25 the four major Allied powers—Austria, Britain, Prussia, and Russia—signed a fresh treaty committing each to field 150,000 men against him, formalizing the Seventh Coalition. French forces under Napoleon moved into Belgium in June, only to suffer decisive defeat at Waterloo on June 18, prompting his second abdication four days later.

Legacy

The Hundred Days confirmed the final collapse of Napoleonic rule and led to his permanent exile on Saint Helena. The second Bourbon restoration solidified the principle of monarchical legitimacy that guided the post-1815 European settlement, while the Congress of Vienna's territorial rearrangements and balance-of-power system shaped continental diplomacy for decades. Historians view the episode as both a testament to Napoleon's enduring personal appeal and a catalyst for the conservative reaction that defined the early nineteenth century.