The Invisible Emperor

Napoleon on Elba from Exile to Escape

By: Mark Braude

Narrated by: Mark Braude

Part forensic investigation, part dramatic jailbreak adventure, Mark Braude's The Invisible Emperor is a gripping narrative history of Napoleon Bonaparte's 10-month exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba.

In the spring of 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated. Having overseen an empire spanning half the European continent and governed the lives of some eighty million people, he suddenly found himself exiled to Elba, less than 100 square miles of territory. This would have been the end of him, if Europe's rulers had had their way. But soon enough Napoleon imposed his preternatural charisma and historic ambition on both his captors and the very island itself, plotting his return to France and to power. After 10 months of exile, he escaped Elba with just of over 1,000 supporters in tow, landed near Antibes, marched to Paris, and retook the Tuileries Palace - all without firing a shot. Not long after, tens of thousands of people would die fighting for and against him at Waterloo.

Braude dramatizes this strange exile and improbable escape in granular detail and with novelistic relish, offering sharp new insights into a largely overlooked moment. He details a terrific cast of secondary characters, including Napoleon's tragically-noble official British minder on Elba, Neil Campbell, forever disgraced for having let "Boney" slip away; and his young second wife, Marie Louise who was 22 to Napoleon's 44, at the time of his abdication. What emerges is a surprising new perspective on one of history's most consequential figures, which both subverts and celebrates his legendary persona. The Invisible Emperor is both a riveting story and an original examination of how preposterous, quixotic, and grandiose ideas can suddenly leap from the imagination and into reality.

©2018 Mark Braude (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A history of Napoleon’s short first exile, rendered in short, punchy chapters.... [H]e was there only 10 months and left with a flotilla of armed vessels. It’s great fun reading about the Allies’ attempts to predict his destination, and those anecdotes reinforce our knowledge of the emperor’s great talents.” (Kirkus)

“The Invisible Emperor details the deceptively calm but ultimately catastrophic interlude in the 25-year military career of one of history’s most famous soldiers, Napoleon.... Intriguing.” (BookPage)

“An intriguing look at a still controversial public figure during an often overlooked historical period. For readers of French history, there is little about the Napoleonic legend that isn't fascinating, and as Braude proves, the time spent on Elba is no exception.” (Library Journal, starred review)

Napoleon on Elba

I have been fascinated with Napoleon since I was a child. Needless to say, I read everything I can find about Napoleon. Mark Braude has this new book about Napoleon’s exile on Elba. Braude is a research fellow at Stanford University. Braude has chosen to explore the one part of Napoleon’s life that most historians have skipped over.

The British who had done the majority of the fighting against Napoleon were shoved aside during the decision making leading up to the Treaty of Fontainebleau, which exiled Napoleon to Elba and gave him sovereignty of the island. Braude did extensive research about this time frame of Napoleon’s life. I found it fun to read about the events and people knowing what is going to happened to them after they leave Elba.

Braude provides a great deal of information about Napoleon’s time on Elba. Some people may find it too much information, but not me. Braude has the concise writing style of a historian. I learned more about Napoleon. This book is going to make a good reference book to put on the shelf. If you are interested in Napoleon, this is a must-read book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book just over nine hours. The author narrated the book.

Great story told in a great way.

History needs a strong narrative to be interesting. This takes a snapshot of Napoleon's life, that on Elba, and makes it fittingly grand, yet honest.

A fresh look...

If I have it right, this is the first book on Napoleon’s first, brief, exile on Elba in some time and for those of us who feel we know their history regarding the subject may learn much from Mr. Braude’s book.
The book moves at a brisk pace with short chapters.
Given that Mr. Braude wrote the book I would have expected his narration to be smoother. At times, often actually, it sounds as though he’d never seen the manuscript and violence is done to many otherwise rewarding sentences.
As a Napoleon freak, I greatly enjoyed the book.