The Island Where Napoleon Was Sent to Die 

Thanks for that. I lived there as a boy between 1970 and 1975. It was a truly special place. Saw Longwood, the empty tomb and the Boer cemetery. My father worked at the Castle. We lived at Luffkins Towers. I went to Country Junior School. I don't think I ran up Jacobs Ladder but I may have walked once, can't remember - it was far from where we lived. I remember the gun battery at the top and have a St Helena Rifles cap badge I found there. I never dared to slide down it - shoulders on one banister knees on the other, that was the thing real kids did. Union Castle line was the only way there - 12 passengers on 12 off every month. Everyone at school wanted to be a merchant seaman. Big heap of coal on the wharf and coal lighters from the old coaling station days. We burned coal fires in our house high up in the interior. Truly magical place, especially when you are 5-10 years old. Flax and donkeys. We had two. Squealing when the pig was killed. School friends so poor they had no shoes and no teeth. Glad I lived there. Taught me a lot about life. We were lucky to be ex pat and "rich" but it opened my eyes even so young to poverty and "otherness". My Pop knew Gilbert Martineau, who was the French man there at the time, must be the father of yer man. He wrote some seminal works about Napoleon (we have signed copies) and his exile.

While the new Napoleon movie may not have been the greatest, the storm of new content on him here on RU-vid makes up for it 😂

Visited St. HELENA in the seventies with the Royal Navy. One place never forgotten, even had a walk through Napoleans house.

Thanks Dan, I always wondered about St Helena because I live in Mount Martha just out of Melbourne (Australia) and am surrounded by landmarks such as Balcombe Creek, Helena Street and The Briars homestead. The Briars Mt Martha grazing property was established in the mid-1800s by Alexander Balcombe, son of William Balcombe of St Helena. Alexander was a small boy when Napoleon was on St Helena. The Briars was the original homestead in this area - the rest was bush. Today it’s open to the public and it housed a collection of Napoleon memorabilia that the family had brought from St Helena, at least it did until a lot of it was nicked about 10 years ago and the rest was moved to a proper museum with better security. The thieves “came in through the bathroom window” and stole, among other things, a lock of Napoleon’s hair! Anyhow, it’s been great to see what the real St Helena and the original Briars is actually like.

Fantastic production, Dan Snow's style of reporting keeps you rivetted.

I climbed Jacob's Ladder years ago during a cruise ship excursion. My legs were sore for days after the climb. Unfortunately, my visit was a brief stopover without seeing Napoleon's house and much of the scenery covered in this video. The video makes up for most of the parts that I missed, especially the information about the liberated African slaves and the Boer cemetery. The island's history is fascinating. I wish that I could have spent more time exploring St. Helena. I randomly came across this historical video and it fills in the gaps of what I missed. It immediately took me back to my all but too-brief St. Helena adventure.

Enjoyed learning something new about St Helena's history. I had no idea there was so much going on there in the 19th century!

Im from st Helena 🇸🇭 my grandmother house is next to napoleon house in longwood

The story of African slaves is undoubtedly one of the most painful stories in human history 😢. Africa should make significant effort to honour African Souls that perished in the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic islands, coasts and inlands of the North America, South America and the Caribbeans. These lifes did not just end, they ended painfully, sorrowfully and shamefully at the hands of European colonizers. God bless Africa 🌍🙏🏼😢✝️

Thank you for sharing this incredible history. I love that you pull people in with Napoleon but then share a complicated and often disturbing past. Please keep telling undertold stories like this!

Best part of video is you climbing the stairs. Looked really tough. God bless you! Feat well done.

I've always found it fascinating that Napoleonic tactics weren't conquered by man's thoughts but by man's innovation in weaponry. The fifled musket and new ammunition made man change tactics. Napoleon was a genius in militarism, and he knew military victory could unite a country more than any political reforms. Much hasn't changed....

Another information filled video! Thanks HH and Dan.

I don’t know why but I have an insatiable appetite for learning about men like this.

That was a lovely opening drone shot, well done at the smooth panning!

I thought Napoleon’s life in exile was much harsher than this. Great video. Thank you.

I read this not too long ago but after his defeat at Waterloo Napoleon considered making a run for the United States and even had a French frigate standing by for the attempt. However the Royal Navy had the French harbors blockaded making a run impossible. It's interesting to speculate just what the reaction to Napoleon's arrival here in the US might have been. His brother Joseph Bonaparte had come here earlier and had an estate near Bordentown NJ. He was well-liked in the area as well, a fine neighbor by all accounts.

Three generations of my maternal family (Sherrard) lived on St. Helena and I am actively trying to piece together their lives. They were Irish and left Dublin in the late 18th century, emigrating to Jamestown, St Helena. I wonder why they undertook such a long, arduous journey into the unknown. My great grandmother aged 7, left with her family for good, emigrating to Durban, South Africa. I would love to visit and do archival work on this island.

I really enjoyed this one! Thanks for sharing.

Thank You So Much for Sharing Valuable Unknown History.

And if building that High Null Fort was a challenge, building the island's airport was just as much of a tough challenge! The airport opened in 2016, but the concept goes further back than that. The first consideration of an airport on St Helena was made in 1943 by the South African Air Force, which undertook a survey on Prosperous Bay Plain, but concluded that, while technically feasible, an airport was not a practical proposition. When the last ocean liner to dock there stopped in 1977, St. Helena was cut off, and the UK stepped in by supplying a hybrid cargo/passenger ship called the RMS St. Helena. But when it became evident the RMS St. Helena needed to be replaced in the 2000s, they knew that it was better to build an airport, so they announced plans for one in 2005. There were two big concerns regarding the airport during its construction, that it was built on the ecologically diverse Prosperous Bay Plain which is an important site for endemic wildlife like the St. Helena plover, and wind shear. Comair was given the contract to fly to St. Helena, and they first tested in April 2016 with a Boeing 737-800, but it had a problematic landing as it landed on the third approach. When coming in to land from the north, it was now apparent that wind shear was going to be a significant issue. To combat this, they decided to have planes approach the airport from the south only to find that this too was problematic. Planes landing there need to land with a tailwind, which makes it quite challenging, on top of the short runway. The first scheduled commercial flight wouldn't take place until October 2017.

fascinating docu Dan, your empathy shines thru

God, imagine the initial relief of being liberated from slavery, only to realise that you were just going to be left to starve and rot in squalor on St Helena.

My Grandfather Frank Wilson lived in Longwood house after the war when he was the manager for the Cable and Wireless company his last career posting before retirement .

Beautiful place..we sailed there on our way from CapeTown..great video!

Snow on the road took me totally off guard. Nice job.

One of the very Best of RU-vid. Congrats to all involved!

Thanks for this really informative

Thank you for sharing. The video was very interesting indeed.

Hey HH. Love your work 👍

That was fascinating! Thanks Dan

I have been very fortunate to visit the Island 4 times sailing and cruising

This is the best on St. Helena I've seen ever.

Always such great videos, well done Dan and the history Hit team!

Wow! What an extraordinary story and so well told.

Thank you for this. I totally enjoyed it.

The Balcombe family moved to the Monrnington Peninsula near the Melbourne suburb of Balcombe. There is a big house called The Briars which is a museum of Napoleon artifacts. Many were gifts given to the 14 yo girl, I remember a triangular guitar, a balika? The rumour was the senior Balcombe was seen by the senior civil service as being too close to Napoleon and was probably “shafted” and sent to Australia, probably as a demotion of sorts.

pretty cool history video, thank you.

This is best documentary I have ever seen on historical subject … The way narrative goes ….. I subscribed …. Immediately

This certainly adds to our general knowledge of a little-known, but fascinating place. It ended rather abruptly. I thought maybe I'd hit the wrong button. There's always some kind of flaw that in HH presentations. However, it does leave the viewer wanting more.

Class documentary. History hit has incredible content

Thank you channel for sharing interesting and interesting historical information

i loved this video cause ive seen a bunch of videos on life in st. helena and none went this on-depth

Excellent video thank you!

It was an informative historical coverage (video) about finals six years in his life through British captivity in Sant Helena Island. Thank you ( 🙏 History Hit) channel for sharing.

This has been my favorite place I have never been for several years. I’ve been to over 60 countries, but from all I’ve read and watched on St Helena, it would be in my top 5 if I ever went. It’s intense remoteness is the draw for me. Thanks for putting this up!

Always been interested in the island…I inherited a carved wooden box that is surrounded by a vague story of a boer ancestor who was held on the island…E.E.L. K.EV 1902. Thank you for the video and well researched content.

I’ve climbed Jacobs ladder. It is the one at Cheddar Gorge. That one is quite imposing also. 🙂

My Grandfather spent a couple years on Ascencion Island building barracks and myriad other constructions.......he showed us as kids his collection of slides that he took with his Argus C4 camera. Those slides showed a beautiful place.....but very isolated.

Excellent documentary. Thoroughly enjoyed watching this well presented piece of amazing history.

Thank you for a relaxing and enjoyable film

Made me cry 😢

Dang whoever recorded the sound when he’s talking outside did such a good job

Thank you for sharing with us an educational video.

Fantastic documentary

My Great Grandfather was harbour master there around the time Napoleons time.

Fascinating program 👍 very watchable ...love to visit island 🏝

Hearing the genuine history, good & bad, is not always pleasant, but that just means we understand what needs to be improved. 😉

Excellent video

I was a passenger on the Cape Town Castle which anchored at St Helen in 1967. I wish that I would have known this information before my visit. The grave of Napoleon was much better tended in this video than it was when I saw it.

Great video. I have visited the island and was impressed by the people. However, it is not remote any more as it now has an international airport with regular passenger flights from South Africa.

Such an excellent presentation. Learned a lot and I thank you.

I would love to visit the island. ❤

The Other Exile is a brilliant book about the first exile on St Helena .... a portugese man who lived entirely alone

Napoleon loved a Grand Cru Red Burgundy called "Chambertin" made from Pinot Noir that is still to this day one of the most revered red Burgundies.

Super good piece! History Hit just does is differently. History Hit: 🍺 Me:

A good book regarding Napoleons time on St Helena is ‘The Emperor’s Last Island’ by Julia Blackburn. Non fiction. May be out of print as read it years ago but probably available in out of print books like Abe, etc. Very good book.

I have never seen St. Helena filmed in such detail as this, nor did I know anything at all about Napoleon's confinement and death, although I did learn yesterday, from excellent food channel 'Tasting History', something of his food habits, incl the recipe for 'Chicken Marengo' and how when on his deathbed he asked for a glass of his favourite wine. Of course, Boney is v much du jour, what with the fillum and all, so it would be hard not to learn SOMETHING.. Nice one, Dan The Man With The Tan. ⭐👍

This was very well done. Started off as a Neapolitan documentary but ended up being a great insight into the history of St. Helena ! Very smooth transition and most importantly , I learned a lot about a place I may or may not ever go. Very valuable content. You even had the courage to speak on the islands role in slavery, the Bore war and even the Zulu’s . Very well done. I really want to see the guy who climbed those stairs in 5 minutes. That guy must be a beast who is in excellent condition.

Nice one!

Now I've seen this I want to go there!

While Jacob's Ladder was formerly a funicular built to connect to the fort, today the staircase connects Jamestown to its suburb of Half Tree Hollow at the top! Half Tree Hollow actually has a bigger population than Jamestown, and that's why it exists. As James Valley of course lacks room for expansion, Half Tree Hollow at the top of Ladder Hill where there was more space, grew in the 1960s. Besides the slave trade and Napoleon, St. Helena also had a minor role in WWII. A U-Boat targeted the oil tanker RFA Darkdale in James Bay in October 1941 with only nine of the 50-man crew surviving. Darkdale had been sent to St Helena a few months earlier to refuel ships operating in the South Atlantic. The wreck leaked small amounts of oil until its gradual deterioration caused the Ministry of Defence to send a team of divers to pump out all the remaining oil in June 2015 Napoleon's stay on Elba was famously temporary (which of course led the UK to send him even further from Europe), but it's interesting too. He was made sovereign of the non-hereditary Principality of Elba, as in he would be its only ruler and under the Treaty of Fontainebleau, once he died, the principality would pass to Tuscany. He was also granted a stipend of two million francs per year to be paid by France. As well as creating a small navy and army, Napoleon developed the island's iron mines, oversaw the construction of new roads, issued decrees on modern agricultural methods, and overhauled the island's legal and educational system. But of course after being on Elba for ten months, he escaped to France in February 1815.

Great doco thanks

21:18 "We have a way of telling history in a way that makes us look good ... 21:44 "...what is the best way to remember these people ?" 21:46 "the best way is to lean on the Descendant community ..."

Thanks History Hits 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼 🎁🕯🌟🕯🎁

17:00 props to the film crew for getting up there with all their equipment

Nice.......great history

I have subscribed to the full HH channel now 🎉

Great stuff.

Excellent video! Thank you History Hit.

Thank you .

Check out the movie "Monsieur N" if you wanna get a feel for this final phase of Napoleon's life. It's a bit of a drama (as in not super accurate), but it does a wonderful job of giving you the "flavor" of his time on St Helena, and the actor portraying him (Phillipe Torreton) is wonderful.

What a Terrific and Disturbing Documentary...I am so impressed with Annina Van Neel, she is really something...I just cannot have enough respect for her...Thank you for doing this insightful Doc...

Would live to know if the gym equipment "Jacobs Ladder" got its name from the Jacobs ladder mentioned here.

Very interesting place. Have you guys done an Elba episode for your Napoleon hype train series yet?

That was very interesting.

The British didn't take the slave back to Africa because the African King's would have rounded them up and sold them again. The British had to put them somewhere and that was the best place at the time.

I watched another video about the ferry that goes to the island. Very interesting.

A very interesting story. One of the histories, of Napoleon's incarceration I read many years ago, stated that the British were slowly poisoning Napoleon, by putting arsenic in his food. During the autopsy, was his body tested for heavy metal poisoning?

I have never learned so much about napoleon. The island is beautiful Love history Not sure if I want to be in between those 2 rocky hills Boy how many steps ?

I can imagine Napoleon chilling out playing his Plsystation there

Imagine if you were an officer or soldier in the British Army and maybe playing strategic war games against each other either on a table or on the grounds. It would be a learning experience for a young officer would be taking an advanced class in tactics and such from a master.

Thanks 😊

Interesting documentary. Thanks for posting. I love RU-vid

Great video! but needs subtitles

A very good documentary

Was anyone else thrown for a second when the stock music they used here was also the theme for Team Deakins (famed cinematographer Roger Deakins' podcast)? lol I'm just glad I could place it, and not have it bug me for ages.

Very moving story.

Fantastic video Dan! While on the island did you get to meet Jonathan the tortoise?!

Thank you for great AFTERSHOCK of this Formidable General and Leader.