What Actually Happened To Exiled Historical Figures

In 1814, most of Europe breathed a sigh of relief. The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars finally ended when Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as emperor of France.He was exiled to the island of Elba..

Elba sat just 10 miles off the coast of the Italian peninsula.Elba remained well connected to the continent.So connected, Napoleon escaped after less than a year there. He stormed back to France during the so-called 100 Days, gathering support and manpower for a short comeback that ended with his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in June 1815.

Napoleon faced another exile. This time, he went far away to the remote island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic, where he saw little hope of returning to Europe.

The British newspaper saidThe Observercrowed in 1815:

If the Island of Capri gained fame from Tiberius’s stay, then Elba and St. Helena will gain local importance—one as the first, the other as the last scene of Napoleon's fall from power to isolation!

While on St. Helena, Napoleontended to his legacyby writing his memoirs. He also used the small social circle around him, accepting visitors like colonial officials and dignitaries.

Sir Hudson Lowe, St. Helena's British governor, was not a friend. Lowe angered the ex-emperor when he called Napoleon “general,” not “emperor.”he referred to Napoleon as “general,”not “emperor.”

Napoleon stayed on the damp island for less than six years. He died in 1821 at age 51.Various theoriesattribute his death to stomach cancer, severe stomach ulcers, or arsenic poisoning.

On June 30, 1936, EmperorHaile Selassieof Ethiopia stood before the League of Nations and asked for help. Although Ethiopia was a sovereign nation and a member of the organization Selassie addressed, Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini had invaded the nation months earlier. Selassie argued such unjustified aggression could not stand. The League had a duty to act and stop Mussolini and his dangerous aims.

His pleas went unheard—the powerless League did nothing, and Italy added Ethiopia to its fascist empire. Italy's invasion of the African country succeeded; this was one of many invasions before WWII, when fascist countriesfelt bold enough to claim sovereign landthey had no right to—and international groups simply accepted it.

Selassie's exile from Ethiopia started in May 1936. He found safety in Bath, England. As his grandson Prince Micheal Mekonnenshared with the BBCin 2016:

He could not believe the people of Bath welcomed him; it was very emotional for him.

Even in exile, Selassie kept fighting to get his country back. His persistence paid off in 1941 when Ethiopian soldiers worked with the BritishEthiopian soldiers worked with the BritishSelassie could finally return home, where he spent his post-war years, after pushing Italian troops out of Ethiopia.Selassie promoted African unity.

Decades later, a military coup in 1974 stripped Selassie of power and confined him to his palace. He died in 1975 at age 83.

In 285 CE,Emperor Diocletian split the Roman Empire in half.the Roman Empire split in half. Rome became the capital of the "Western" part. Byzantium, now Istanbul, led the "Eastern" part.

Romulus AugustulusRomulus Augustulus is credited as the last emperor of the Western half of the empire, though some scholars dispute this.Some scholars dispute this claim.His father, the military commander Orestes, promoted Romulus to the throne in 475. The 10-year-old Romulus did not really rule; it was his father's show.

In 476, Odoacer, a Germanic general, invaded Rome during his ten-month reign. He killed Orestes but acted leniently toward the young ex-emperor. Instead of killing the boy, Odoacer allowed him a comfortable life. Details are scarce, but he likely lived another few decades in Campania.exiled Romulus to Campania.Odoacer gave him a handsome annual pension in southern Italy.This pension supported an incredibly comfortable lifestyle. Details are scarce, but he likely lived a few more decades in Campania.He likely lived another few decades in Campania.

While Germanic forces held the Western empire, the Eastern empire in Byzantium, the Byzantine Empire, kept functioning.

By any measure,Themistocles was exactly the type of person Athenians praised: statesman, general, leader, victor. He was also an opportunist. When the Persian Empire, led by Xerxes, invaded Greece in 480 BCE, Themistocles gained power and became the Athens leader. He used this chance and defeated the Persians.Themistocles was exactly what Athenians praised: a statesman, general, leader, victor. He was also an opportunist. When Xerxes' Persian Empire invaded Greece in 480 BCE, Themistocles gained power and became the Athens leader. He used this to defeat the Persians.

After the war, Athenians looked at Themistocles differently. They saw him as arrogant and feared he had...Plutarch recounted how the Athenians eventually banished him. They used ostracism to lower his status and authority, which they usually did with people they thought too powerful or too great for the equality needed in a popular government. They used ostracism not mainly to punish the offender, but to calm the envy of those who liked to humble important men and vent their anger by fixing this shame on them.They used an Athenian tradition to reduce him: ostracism. This meant an Athenian had to vote to exile him.Thucydides described:The ancient writer Plutarch recounted:Plutarch recounted:

The Athenians finally banished him. They used ostracism to lower his status and authority. They did this to men they thought too powerful or whose greatness exceeded the equality needed in a popular government. They used ostracism not just to punish the offender, but to calm the jealousy of those who liked to humiliate important men.

Themistocles went to the Persian Empire. He offered his services to the king. Themistocles first asked for a year to prepare, and the king agreed.Thucydides described

He used intervals to study the Persian language and the country's customs. He reached court at year's end, gaining high regard, something no Hellene had held before or since.

News of Themistocles serving the Persian king angered the Athenians. They banned him from the city for life. Around 459 BCE, he served as governor of Magnesia, far from Athens.

Dante Alighieri, a proud son of Florence, is best known for writingThe Divine Comedy, a classic trio of texts showing his imagined trip to purgatory and hell, and his rise to paradise. Dante also took part in Florentine politics.

In the late 13th century, Florence fought over who should control the Pope's influence on Florentine matters.

Dante was a statesman who felt the Pope should have less influence in the city. He refused to change his views or pay a fine. Thus, he was exiled in 1302, a sentence that included a life ban. Dante never saw his city again.

Dante wrote this during his bitter exile from Florence.The Divine ComedyHe wrote in which hecaptures the eternal desire of an exiled Florentine to return to Tuscany, wherebread is baked without salt:

You must leave everything you love most dearly:

This is the sorrow of the exile's bow.

shoots first. You must know the bitter taste

of other people's bread, how salty it is, and know

how hard the path is for someone who goes

down and up other people's stairs.

Dante passed through Ravenna in 1321, at age 56. In 2008, the city ofFlorence ended his exileDante cleared his name.

Born in 1869 in the Russian Empire, 16-year-old Emma Goldman moved to the US toavoid an arranged marriage and family abuse. Her time in the USfueled her political ideas, and she adopted anarchism, women's rights, and workers' rights. By the turn of the 20th century, she became a leading political activist.

World War I started inspiring Emma Goldman toprotest the military draft. Her position made her a target for federal groups like future FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, who called her anarchism a threat to the US. Authorities arrested her.

In 1919, as xenophobia and a post-war "Red Scare" seeped into American life, the federal government ignoredThe draft seeped into American life's groundwater. The federal government ignoredGoldman's citizenship claimsShe married and divorced an American man soon after moving there. Then, they deported her to Russia, a country going through revolution and civil war.

Years later, Goldman told how guards forced her onto a ship in New York. from her home:On the deck above us, I heard the men walking up and down in the cold wind. I felt dizzy, imagining a transport of politicals heading to Siberia, the

On the deck above, I heard men tramping up and down in the winter wind. I felt dizzy, picturing a transport of politicals heading to Siberia.étapeI saw revolutionary martyrs driven into exile from former Russian days. Russia of the past rose before me. I saw them go. But it was New York, America, the land of liberty. Through the port-hole, I watched the great city shrink. Its skyline, buildings with rearing heads, was visible in the distance. That was my city, the metropolis of the New World. America repeated the terrible scenes of tsarist Russia! I looked up—the Statue of Liberty!

Goldman stayed in Soviet Russia briefly before leaving in 1921. She spent her later years traveling through Europe and Canada, speaking for workers against the rising tide of fascism in Europe.The rising tide of fascism moved through Europe.Fascism spread across Europe.

Goldman did not live in the US again, but she spoke at a speech in New York City in 1934. She only lived in the US during her death. After she died in Toronto in 1940, they buried her in Chicago.

Before Alexander the Great earned his famous title, he was just the son of Philip II of Macedon. Philip practiced polygamy and married new wives when it suited politics; his mother, Olympias, was not his only wife.

Around 337 BCE, Philip took a new bride: a Macedonian woman named Cleopatra. (She was not the famous pharaoh Cleopatra; she was born in Egypt centuries later.) Philip's upcoming wedding pulled the court apart.Philip's upcoming wedding pulled the court apart.Biographer Waldemar Heckel suggests that Philip's infatuation with Cleopatra may have 'embarrassed' Alexander.Philip's infatuation with Cleopatra.Alexander, who was much younger than Philip, may have been 'embarrassed' by Philip's infatuation with Cleopatra.

The situation worsened during a toast after their wedding.The ancient writer Plutarch later claimed:Plutarch later claimed:

Attalus, the girl's uncle, called on the Macedonians to ask the gods for a legitimate successor from Philip and Cleopatra. Alexander got angry and threw a cup at him, asking, 'But what about me, base wretch? Do you think I am a bastard?' Then Philip rose against him and said, 'Look now, men! Here is one preparing to cross from Europe into Asia; and he is upset trying to cross from couch to couch.' After this drunken fight, Alexander took Olympias and put her in Epirus, while he stayed in Illyria.

Philip finally demanded that Alexander and Olympias return, and they obeyed his call, though reluctantly.

The poetOvidOvid was a major writer in the Roman world. Born into an elite family in 43 BCE, he gained fame by writing poetry, includingThe Art of Love, an ancient guide to seduction.

Ovid's luck changed in 8 CE when Emperor Caesar Augustus exiled him to Tomis, in modern-day Romania. What caused the exile?The details of the exile are scarce.Scholars only know thatcarmen et error("a poem and a mistake") caused the exile.

Researchers later tried to figure out what actually happened. Augustus started conservative, moralistic laws.Augustus initiated conservative, moralistic laws.Something Ovid did, said, or wrote during his reign might have put him in conflict with them.As The Guardian reported:The Guardian reported::Ovid asked people in Rome to petition him to end his exile. He used his alone time to write his signature work.

Experts think three things caused this: Ovid's erotic poetry was seen as offensive. His disrespect toward Augustus was too much. He might have been in some plot or scandal.

Scholars still have no proof for any of these theories.

Ovid went far from his friends and family.Ovid was miserable in Tomis.He wrote letters to friends repeatedly.He wrote letters to friends in Rome, asking them to ask for petitions to end his exile. He also used his alone time to write his signature work: In Rome, Ovid asked people to make petitions on his behalf to end his exile. He also used his alone time to write what would become his signature work.Metamorphoses, a collection of mythic poems.Ovid would not return to Rome. He died in 17 or 18 CE.

Ovid never returned to Rome. He died in 17 or 18 CE.

Writer Elif Batuman explained inIn 1591, Russians' human view of bells changed. Dmitry, Ivan the Terrible's eight- or nine-year-old son, was killed in Uglich, a town north of Moscow on the Volga River.the Russian Orthodox faithMaria Nagaya and her associates rang the town's bell to call supporters to fight the supposed killers.Authorities regained control of Uglich. Roughly 300 rioters faced execution, torture, or prison.

People easily understood why bells acted like living things. Russians name bells like Swan for a swanlike sound, Bear for a rumbling unevenness, or Sheep for a rattling tone. They ring with their "tongues," hang by their "ears," and have shoulders, waists, crowns, and skirts. People thought bells could suffer, even show metallic stubbornness.

In 1591, Russians' human-like view of bells reached a new level whenThree Medici men ruled the city: Cosimo, then his son Piero, and finally Cosimo's grandson Lorenzo.Ivan the Terrible's eight- or nine-year-old son died mysteriously in Uglich, a town north of Moscow on the Volga River.

Believing Dmitry was assassinated, the boy's grieving mother Maria Nagaya and her associatesPiero did not quit. He spent most of his exile planning to return to Florence.called supporters to fight the supposed killers. After authorities took back control of Uglich, about 300 rioters faced execution, torture, and/or prison.

The bell left Uglich.They sent the bell more than 1,000 miles to Tobolsk. It stayed locked in a cell until it got a pardon and returned to Uglich in 1892.

In the late 15th century, theMedici familythe Medici family stayed a major political force, even though enemies hoped the clan's best days were over. Three Medici men acted as the city's top rulers: first Cosimo, then his son Piero, and finally Cosimo's grandson Lorenzo.

When Lorenzo died in 1492, leadership passed to his 20-year-old son, another Piero. The young man lacked political sense. When France invaded Tuscany two years later,Piero quickly made a dealwith the king, angering Florence. In response, Piero and his family were kicked out of the city.

Piero did not quit. He spent most of his exile plotting to return to Florence.Piero spent most of his exile scheming to return to Florence.Piero the Unfortunate could not win and reclaim his lost power. He drowned in 1503.

His family returned to Florence in 1512. The Medici had been exiled from Florence before; they were also exiled from 1433-34 and 1527-30.

Saigō Takamori is remembered asJapan's “last samurai”Takamori overthrew the government and challenged its successor state. Before gaining his reputation in Japan, Takamori experienced exile.

As a young man, he aimed to limit shoguns' power. This political stance put enemies on his back. To escape them, he sought refuge on the islandAmami Oshima.

In 1862, Takamori returned to court but was banished again. They arrested him and sent him to Okinoerabu, another island. He used his time there to developthe philosophies and qualitiesthat defined his life.

Takamori's banishment ended in 1864. He won an appointment in the Satsuma Army.

Being a statesman in ancient Rome brought rewards and risks. Cicero learned this firsthand when he clashed with fellow statesman Publius Clodius Pulcher.

In 62-61 BCE, Cicero played a part in a trial against Clodius. Clodius faced accusations ofviolating the women-onlyBona DeariteCicero secretly attended the rite to seduce a married lady. Cicero's proof contradicted Clodius's alibi, showing Clodius lied.

Bribery acquitted Clodius, but he kept Cicero's testimony. When Clodius became a tribune, he forced Cicero into exile in 58 BCE.

While exiled in Greece, Cicero wrote letters to his wife Terentia, who stayed in Rome. In one letter, he expressed his longingto reunite with her:What now? Should I ask you to come—a sick woman, physically and spiritually drained? Should I not ask then? Must I live without you? Perhaps I should say this: if there is any chance of my return, you must build it up and help the campaign. Otherwise, if it is all over, as I fear, come to me any way you can. Know this: if I have you, I will not feel completely lost.

Terentia stayed a

vocal supporter of her husbandand campaigned hoping to end his exile. Fortunately, his banishment ended after just over a year. By August 57 BCE, Cicero was back in Rome.He campaigned to end his exile. Both men benefited; Cicero returned to Rome by August 57 BCE after only a year.

Idi Amin's reputation as the “” seems true. In 1971, he launched a coup and became the country's leader. He then quickly executed his plan for a hyper-nationalistic Uganda.” holds true. Amin launched a coup in 1971, installing himself as leader. He then executed his vision for hyper-nationalistic Uganda.

During his nine-year reign, Amin targeted Ugandan ethnic groups and political dissenters. He oversaw the execution of 300,000 people or more.He also forced tens of thousandsPeople of Asian descent left Uganda.

David Owen had awindow into Uganda's politics.While serving as a British official, he toldSmithsonian“[Amin's] regime goes down in the scale of Pol Pot as one of the worst of all African regimes.”

Tanzanian troops worked with Ugandans to end the dictatorship in 1979.They overthrew Amin.The dictator spent his life in exile, first in Libya and then Saudi Arabia. Patrick Keatley reported this inThe GuardianAmin's quiet exile stoodin stark contrastto his bloody reign in Uganda:

For 24 years after, he gave no interviews and stayed close to home. His life involved sports, gym sessions, and massage parlors. He owned a Range Rover, a Chevrolet Caprice, and a powder-blue Cadillac for shopping trips. He visited the airport to clear customs for cassava and other food items sent by relatives in Uganda.