Napoleon Abdicates

On April 11, 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as Emperor of France at the Palace of Fontainebleau after a series of military defeats by the Sixth Coalition (Russia, Prussia, Austria, Sweden, and other European powers). Following his disastrous invasion of Russia in 1812 and defeat at the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813, Coalition forces captured Paris on March 31, 1814. Napoleon's marshals, led by Marshal Ney, forced him to abdicate both for himself and his heirs. Under the Treaty of Fontainebleau, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba off the coast of Italy, where he was allowed to retain the title of Emperor and given sovereignty over the small island. He was also granted an annual pension of 2 million francs. However, Napoleon's exile lasted only 300 days—he escaped in February 1815 and returned to France for the Hundred Days before his final defeat at Waterloo.