How did Napoleon die? Cause of death explained

Ridley Scott’s Napoleon offers up food for thought on how the former French Emperor lived ruled, and came to power – but how did Bonaparte die? Here’s everything you need to know.

Though Ridley Scott’s new movie Napoleon has come under fire for being historically inaccurate, plenty of facts have formed the core narrative of the 2-hour and 38-minute movie.

In our three-star review of the movie, we described the film as “Blasting away the stories, trinkets, and revelry to highlight a minor man who never actually did much of anything doesn’t feel like it was Scott’s intention, but in the midst of overarching battle, that’s exactly what he has achieved, for better or worse.”

While Napoleon examines how the French Emperor came to power – and went to war – how did Bonaparte die? Here’s his cause of death explained.

How did Napoleon die? Cause of death explained

Napoleon died of ill health in 1821, at the age of 51. Though Scott’s film doesn’t show Bonaparte’s death onscreen, it is mentioned in the closing epilogue.

What the movie does show is that Napoleon’s final years played out on the island of St Helena. He was exiled there after losing a catastrophic amount of men in the Battle of Waterloo, leading British officials to decide his fate.

This was actually the second time that Napoleon had been exiled, having previously been deported from his native France after sending soldiers on a wild goose chase through Russia in order to find Tsar Alexander I. With 600,00 soldiers deployed, only 40,000 came back, with Napoleon’s first exile bound to the island of Elba.

Years later in St Helena, it was said that Napoleon’s treatment is what caused his eventual death. Bonaparte inhabited the island for six years before he died, with isolation and loneliness taking their toll on him physically.

By March 1821, Napoleon was bedbound, with his death occurring two months later. As stated in the movie, Bonaparte’s last words were “France, l’armée, tête d’armée, Joséphine,” translating to “France, the army, the head of the army, Josephine (his first wife).”

The period after his death turned into legend, with his body finally returned to France almost two decades later. Though Louis Philippe I found Bonaparte’s body to be in almost perfect condition, parts of his body were severed off during the initial autopsy – including his penis.

Napoleon’s cause of death has never been formally agreed upon, with the severing happening to try and determine the cause. Some experts have pointed to stomach cancer, others merely a stomach ulcer – while a minority have even put forward deliberate causes of death such as arsenic poisoning.

Napoleon releases in theaters on November 22. You can check out our other TV & movies reviews here.