WI Napoleon Stayed on Elba

[NapoleonXIV]

Peacefully. The only plans I can see anyone had for him is that the Brits wanted to send him to St Helena anyway.

But what if they let him stay and he did? I don't think anyone would doubt he would remain of great influence if he could still communicate with Europe's peoples and its heads of state, but how would he he wield it and what would it be?

 

[DuQuense]

Monto Cristo

The French [nobles] would have remained scared of his deciding to return, ?would that make them more willing to accept the changes in France, or even more determined to turn the clock back to pre revolutionary times?

 

[carlton_bach]

On the positive side, he would have a much harder time turning himself into a romantic legend, and the whole Napoleon III story would very likely not fly.

Maybe he would turn himself into some sort of elder statesman, corresponding with the heads of state of Europe, especially the younger and more impressionable ones. In a more healthy climate he could live well into the 1840s. Elba itself would become somwething of a tourist destination, especially for wealthy and slightly 'Rad' Englishmen, much like it was bon ton to visit the Stuart pretenders during the Grand Tour in the 1700s. If Napoleon has any of his old acuity left, he'll be able to capitalise on that and make Elba into a model nation. I could well imagine this Napoleon uising his moral pull and historical stature to influence developments in Europe with his 'stamp of approval', lending legitimacy to endeavours he approves of and condemning those he dislikes. If he really wanted to be obnoxious, he could have started an Elban version of 'Le Moniteur' with Europewide distribution....

Of course, his media savvy can be doubted.

 

[David Howery]

part of the reason he left was that he was quickly going broke... fix his money problems, and he might stay. Also, IIRC, the French king was conniving at killing him (or Napoleon thought he was anyway); have the king say something along the lines of 'live and let live', and Napoleon has one less reason to leave....