

France, Napoleon Bonaparte. St. Helena Medal by Barré, dated May 5, 1821, with miniature. Bronze 31 x 50 mm / 30 x 19 mm, weight 31,06 g. / 7,10 g., Condition XF, nice dark patina.
A beautiful set of Napoleon Bonaparte medal and its miniature, a real gem in the collection of any enthusiast of the Emperor of the French.
After his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815, Emperor Napoleon abdicated and surrendered to the British. Deciding the fate of the former Emperor of the French, England did not want to risk either his execution, as Napoleon's staunchest opponents sought, or a trial that was questionable for propaganda reasons, or internment. So the British government decided that Napoleon, as a "prisoner of state," would be transported and imprisoned on the island of St. Helena. In exile on the small Atlantic island, he spent the last six years of his turbulent life. Napoleon Bonaparte died on May 5, 1821.