Valley of the Tomb
The Valley of the Tomb (French: Vallée du Tombeau) is the site of Napoleon's tomb, on the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena in the south Atlantic Ocean, where he was buried following his death in exile on 5 May 1821.[1] The valley had been called the Sane Valley, but Napoleon had taken walks there and referred to it as the Valley of the Geraniums.[2]
Napoleon did not expect to be buried on Saint Helena, but in case that he was, his request was to "have me buried in the shade of the willows where I used to rest on the way to see you at Hutt’s Gate, near the fountain where they go to fetch my water every day".[3] He was buried with full military honours as a general. The full British garrison of 3,000 men lined the route of the cortège, with arms reversed. French General Tristan de Montholon requested that the tomb be engraved simply with "NAPOLEON" and his dates of birth and death, but the Governor, Sir Hudson Lowe, refused and insisted that "Bonaparte" be added. As a result of the impasse, the tomb slab was left blank.[4]
The French government of
Gallery
References
- ^ Location: 15°57′33.18″S 5°41′53.54″W / 15.9592167°S 5.6982056°W.
- ^ Martineau, Michel; Young, Pamela; Francis, Beverley; Rusch, Neil (2002). Napoleon's Exile on St Helena. Jamestown, Saint Helena: St Helena Tourism.
- ^ "The Emperor's Tomb". Saint Helena Napoleonic Heritage. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
- ^ Martineau, Michel; Young, Pamela; Francis, Beverley; Rusch, Neil (2002). Napoleon's Exile on St Helena. Jamestown, Saint Helena: St Helena Tourism.
- ^ "The Emperor's Tomb". Saint Helena Napoleonic Heritage. Retrieved 7 July 2020.
External links
Media related to Napoleon's tomb at Saint Helena at Wikimedia Commons