Napoleon Hung

Nobody in their right mind would hang Napoleon, it goes against every rule of war recognized by the powers involved as well making them no better than the mob of revolutionaries they fight. The calamity began with a disrespect for the rule of a monarch and later on the disrespect for the person of the monarch, Louis XVI had his head lopped off, what good were they if they hung an Emperor till dead.

I don't know how bad it would be in certain terms, but bless whoever passes the sentence.
 
Hanging is for criminals. Napoleon is no ordinary criminal, which is why he was exiled. If executed, it would have been by firing squad. If hanging was necessitated, then a more creative punishment would be made up. Like hung, drawn and quartered or something. What about bringing him to the Canadian woods, slathering him with honey and tying him to a tree?
 
Hanging is for criminals. Napoleon is no ordinary criminal, which is why he was exiled. If executed, it would have been by firing squad. If hanging was necessitated, then a more creative punishment would be made up. Like hung, drawn and quartered or something. What about bringing him to the Canadian woods, slathering him with honey and tying him to a tree?

Then the bears and the bees :D
 
Hanging is for criminals. Napoleon is no ordinary criminal, which is why he was exiled. If executed, it would have been by firing squad. If hanging was necessitated, then a more creative punishment would be made up. Like hung, drawn and quartered or something. What about bringing him to the Canadian woods, slathering him with honey and tying him to a tree?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scaphism

Read at your own risk.
 
Nobody in their right mind would hang Napoleon, it goes against every rule of war recognized by the powers involved as well making them no better than the mob of revolutionaries they fight. The calamity began with a disrespect for the rule of a monarch and later on the disrespect for the person of the monarch, Louis XVI had his head lopped off, what good were they if they hung an Emperor till dead.

I don't know how bad it would be in certain terms, but bless whoever passes the sentence.

Wasn't Napoleon totally illegitimate in the eyes of his enemies? Wouldn't it actually be a statement in defense of hereditary monarchy if he got hanged?

Anyway, actually executing Napoleon would make a martyr of him, and set up long-term resentment in France and those countries where he is well-liked. The Napoleonic cult would, if anything, be stronger ITTL.
 
Wasn't Napoleon totally illegitimate in the eyes of his enemies? Wouldn't it actually be a statement in defense of hereditary monarchy if he got hanged?

Anyway, actually executing Napoleon would make a martyr of him, and set up long-term resentment in France and those countries where he is well-liked. The Napoleonic cult would, if anything, be stronger ITTL.

Yes, it would make him a martyr, but that's a situational reason for not executing the man.

Napoleon was as legitimate as any usurper who managed to hold onto his position for extended amount of time, Napoleon was the first of a dynasty holding a new title. The French Empire was not the Kingdom, Louis XVIII was the king, he had no kingdom but he was king, Napoleon did not refute this in crowning himself. Napoleon created a hereditary monarchy, once doesn't defend your position by tearing down its supporters even if they should fall on either side in any other conflict.
 
Wasn't Napoleon totally illegitimate in the eyes of his enemies? Wouldn't it actually be a statement in defense of hereditary monarchy if he got hanged?

L.

I believe that, with the exception of UK, all members of the coalitions had accepted Napoleon's title as emperor in one treaty or another. In addition, he was the son in law of the Austrian emperor. Hanging is out; if he is to be executed, it will be in a matter fitting to his rank. Beheaded with an ax.
 
Wasn't Napoleon totally illegitimate in the eyes of his enemies? Wouldn't it actually be a statement in defense of hereditary monarchy if he got hanged?

Napoleon was crowned by the pope making him a legitimate monarch, anyway by hanging him their gonna undermine their own legitimacy which they feared would cause more revolutions in the near future.
 
I believe that, with the exception of UK, all members of the coalitions had accepted Napoleon's title as emperor in one treaty or another. In addition, he was the son in law of the Austrian emperor. Hanging is out; if he is to be executed, it will be in a matter fitting to his rank. Beheaded with an ax.

Spelt 'axe' and if it's going to be befitting for his rank, they would use a sword :p

All the uses of 'hung' instead of 'hanged' in this thread are painful to me...
 
Napoleon was crowned by the pope making him a legitimate monarch, anyway by hanging him their gonna undermine their own legitimacy which they feared would cause more revolutions in the near future.

Firstly, the British and Prussians were protestant, and the Russians orthodox - crowning by the pope would confer scarcely more legitimacy in their eyes than being crowned by the Dalai Lama. And secondly, he wasn't crowned by the pope anyway - he grabbed the crown out of the pope's hands and crowned himself (and declared himself to be a saint - but that's a separate issue).

As for the issue at hand - his execution was certainly discussed (and IIRC the Prussians were particularly enthusiastic), and Napoleon certainly feared it which is one reason he surrendered to the British after Walterloo, as they were the ones judged least likely to just put him in front of a firing squad.

As to why not - I suspect it was a mixture of sqjueamishness at executing somebody who had been recognised by most of the allies at one point as head of state (ironically Britain alone had refused to do so and refused to sign the Treaty of Fontainebleau for precisely this reason) and the desire to avoid creating a martyr. Better to chain him to a rock in the South Atlantic, throw away the key and let him become irrelevant.
 
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