Perhaps the most vicious of crimes is murder, yet, when this deed is coupled with political implications, its effects can be even further devastating. Political murder, or assassination, leaves a people reeling and a system in shock. As such, it is truly harmful. If done masterfully though, the crime can be concealed. This has occurred with the murder of Napoleon Bonaparte, whose assassination was not discovered for many years, while the factuality of the deed's occurrence is still debated. Indeed, the murder of Napoleon is a monumental crime in European history, an offence only recently revealed by scientific examination and documentation.
Napoleon Bonaparte's multi-faceted ingenuity provided for his meteoric rise to power. He eventually became the Emperor of the French and used his position to better his people's lives. Yet, foreign powers could not abide with the republican principles of the French Revolution that Napoleon furthered. As such, martial coalitions were formed to remove him from the throne. Eventually, these foreign alliances were successful, Napoleon was exiled to St. Helena, a tiny island in the Atlantic, and the Bourbon ruler, King Louis XVIII, was placed upon the throne of France.
Upon his exile, Napoleon's military and political careers were at an end. However, monarchical supporters of King Louis XVIII in France felt that exile was not sufficient for removing his influence. Their fears did have precedent; after the War of the Sixth Coalition in 1814, Napoleon was exiled to Elba, a Mediterranean island. Upon receiving reports of France's worsening condition under her new ruler, the Emperor returned from exile and once again took control of the country amid heartfelt support of the French. Yet, another military coalition defeated him once more, and he was exiled for a second time. Regardless, there was still fear that Napoleon might return yet again to further his influence on France. Louis XVIII could not abide with this possibility. As such, supporters of the French king enacted a plan to forever remove Napoleon's influence; they resolved to murder him.
Among the small entourage that traveled with Napoleon into exile, one man was chosen to carry out the heinous crime. This man, Count Charles de Montholon, was trusted completely by Napoleon. Yet, he was a vicious traitor; the Bourbon monarchy supplied him with a large sum of money to kill Napoleon. Ironically though, the Count was able to manipulate Napoleon's distrustful nature so that he, the murderer, was the only one the Emperor trusted. Because of this, de Montholon was given charge over Napoleon's wine supply. He then began to slowly lace the Emperor's wine with arsenic. This common rat poison worked itself through Napoleon's blood and over a period of several months caused his health to deteriorate. Additionally, a lethal dose was then given to Napoleon two days before his death. As his health was already flagging, the results of this final dose were simply seen by others as natural. On May the 5th, 1821, Napoleon died. Because of the assassin's use of prolonged poisoning, the death of Napoleon was initially contributed to natural causes and labeled the result of a stomach ulcer. Yet, with the emergence of modern technology and the discovery of telling documents, the true nature of this crime has now come to the fore.
Dr. Ben Weider, a leading expert on Napoleonic studies and President of the International Napoleonic Society, and a toxicologist/dentist, Dr. Sten Forshufvud, distrusted the accepted story of Napoleon's death. As such, they began research into the matter amid the late 1960s. Their initial theory was based upon several key pieces of evidence. Eyewitness accounts of the Emperor's final months described the man exhibiting signs of chronic arsenic poisoning, not cancerous illness. Additionally, Napoleon's body was exhumed in 1840 for return to France. Instead of showing two decades of deterioration, the corpse was unchanged, a key sign of arsenic poisoning, which prevents decomposition. With these facts, Dr. Weider and Dr. Forshufvud began delving into their theory.
To confirm their theories, the men turned to Great Britain's Harwell Nuclear Laboratory, a highly prestigious institution specializing, in part, in the field of toxicology. Harwell's labs had recently developed a technology which allowed for the toxicological examination of hair strands. Through stringent study over decades of research, locks of Napoleon's hair were examined for arsenic poisoning, and the results were telling. The lab found that over the course of 120 days, arsenic had been consumed by the Emperor. Additionally, a lethal dose was discovered only days before the man's death; its harmful effects concealed by the man's deteriorating health. The tests' conclusions were staggering, and the men were lauded; Dr. Weider even received the Legion of Honor from France's President.
Further tests were run by the FBI, which also confirmed Harwell's results. Additionally, the discovery of a written confession by Count de Montholon effectively reinforces and proves the studies' conclusions. Instead of simply relying upon logic or even Montholon's confession, the theories were scientifically researched and proven. Repeated tests showed similar results, and this indicates, a successful and admirable investigation.
Yet, not all were convinced. To some, the fact that his own people had murdered Napoleon caused fierce denial by French historians. These apologists claim that the poisoning was conducted naturally through the man's mere proximity to items already containing arsenic, like wallpaper and hair products. Additionally, they decry de Montholon's confession as a forgery, created by the proponents of Napoleon's murder to further their case. Yet, these feeble arguments lack conclusive scientific testing and documentation of de Montholon's innocence. As such, I cannot support even the possibility of this position's validity. In spite of this position's flaws, it has been accepted by those who wish to absolve Louis XVIII and his supporters. Because of this, a fierce debate has raged over the cause of Napoleon's death for years.
Napoleon Bonaparte's assassination was a vicious attack on a defeated man whose ambition was ended. This political murder, although initially concealed by its ingenuity, has finally been revealed through documentation and conclusive scientific testing. Because of this, the pernicious nature of the man's killer has been shown, and justice, if flawed by the elapse of time, has been attainted through this revelation of truth.
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