ESCAPE PLANS AND CONSPIRACIES
SIR BRIAN UNWIN, KCB, CHAIRMAN, BRITISH NAPOLEONIC BICENTENARY TRUST
Sir Brian Unwin is the author of Terrible Exile: The Last Days Of Napoleon On St Helena and a former civil servant. He is also on the board of The British Napoleonic Bicentenary Trust. “The Trust was set up nearly 18 months ago to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of Napoleon,” Unwin says,“and also to restore some of the historic Georgian buildings on St Helena. There is an extensive array of fortifications and residences, all connected with Napoleon, that are in a terrible state of repair. We’re doing a series of virtual events, all of which can be accessed through our website napoleon200.org.”
5 May 1821, Napoleon passed away in exile on the Island of St Helena. By many accounts the six years since his arrival had been unhappy for the Emperor, who had reportedly gained weight and become increasingly unwell. His death at the age of 51 is now suspected to have been caused by stomach cancer – a painful and pitiful passing for France’s greatest contemporary hero. Of course, for a man whose entire life had been spent building a legend, his death, perhaps due to its relatively sad and quiet
