{"id":1310,"date":"2026-06-23T08:29:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T08:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/?page_id=1310"},"modified":"2026-08-19T07:37:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T07:37:13","slug":"napoleone-bonaparte","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/napoleone-bonaparte\/","title":{"rendered":"Napoleone Bonaparte"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1331.2px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><p>Napoleon Bonaparte (Ajaccio, 15 August 1769 \u2013 Saint Helena, 5 May 1821) was a French statesman and military\nleader, founder of the First French Empire and the central figure of the first phase of modern European\nhistory, known as the Napoleonic Age.<br \/>\nHis figure inspired generations of artists, writers, musicians, politicians, and historians.<br \/>\nBorn in Corsica to a family of minor Italian nobility, he studied in France, where he became an artillery officer\nand later a general during the French Revolution.<br \/>\nHaving gained prestige through his victories in the First Italian Campaign, he seized power in France following\nthe coup d\u2019\u00e9tat of 1799. He served as First Consul from 1799 to 1804 and as Emperor of the French, under the\nname Napoleon I, from 1804 to 1814 and again in 1815. He was also President of the Italian Republic from\n1802 to 1805 and King of Italy from 1805 to 1814.\nA great military commander and protagonist of more than twenty years of campaigns across Europe, Napoleon\nis regarded as one of the greatest strategists in history. Through a system of alliances and brilliant victories\nover the European powers, he conquered and ruled much of continental Europe, controlling numerous kingdoms\nthrough loyal figures such as his brother Joseph Bonaparte and later Joachim Murat in the Kingdom of\nNaples.\nThe disastrous Russian Campaign of 1812 marked the decline of his European domination. Defeated by the allied\npowers at the Battle of Leipzig in 1813, he abdicated in 1814 and was exiled to the Island of Elba. In March\n1815 he escaped, landed near Antibes, and returned to Paris, reclaiming power during the period known as the\nHundred Days, until his final defeat at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. He spent his remaining years in exile on\nthe island of Saint Helena, under British supervision. Following his downfall, the Congress of Vienna restored\nthe pre-Napoleonic monarchies throughout Europe, ushering in the period known as the Restoration.\nThe French occupation of Scilla must be understood within the broader context of the French Decade (1806\u2013\n1815) in the Kingdom of Naples, during Napoleon\u2019s military campaigns across Europe.\nAfter the French invasion of the Kingdom of Naples in 1806, led by Marshal Mass\u00e9na, the Bourbon monarchy\ntook refuge in Sicily under the protection of the British fleet. Scilla, with its castle strategically positioned on\nthe Strait of Messina, represented a key military stronghold.\nAlthough the French occupied most of Calabria in 1806, the Castle of Scilla, defended by British forces and\nBourbon loyalists, remained unconquered for a considerable period. The first French capture of the fortress\ndates back to the spring of 1806, when, after occupying Scilla, they established themselves within the stronghold,\nwhich, together with Amantea and Crotone, represented a crucial point in the defensive network of the\nregion.\nThe French were subsequently attacked by overwhelming British forces and, after twenty-three days of fierce\nresistance, were forced to abandon the fortress on 16 July.\nThe setback greatly angered Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who, in a letter dated 7 February 1808 addressed\nto his brother Joseph, then King of Naples (1806\u20131808), described Scilla as:\n\u201cthe most important point in the world,\u201drecognizing both the town and its castle as assets of fundamental\nstrategic importance and urging his brother to act without delay to recapture them, since their continued loss\nappeared to jeopardize every plan for the conquest of Sicily.<\/p>\n<p><i>\u201cOnce Corfu has been secured, you will send a very discreet man to Admiral Ganteaume to inform him whether\nyou intend to have him appear off Reggio.<br \/>\nTell him to present himself off Catania and Reggio in order to protect\nthe landing of seven or eight thousand men who would occupy the Faro, establish a battery there, and seize the\nsuburbs of Messina.<br \/>\nFrom that moment, the conquest of Sicily would be assured, as you could direct your forces\nto Reggio and reinforce the expedition departing from there with up to fifteen thousand men.<br \/>\nThis plan is based\nupon the assumption that you control Scilla, the most important point in the world.<br \/>\nyou do not control Scilla,\neverything becomes impossible, and Sicily will be lost through your fault.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p>A decisive role in the delicate phase of the French reconquest of the fortress was played by General Reynier,\nwho, after a difficult siege, succeeded in driving out the British on 17 February 1808. The British retreated by\nsea to the Faro of Messina.<br \/>\nThe recovery of the stronghold led De Rivarol to state that, together with Reggio, it ensured complete French\ncontrol over the region.\nNot satisfied with their defeat, however, the British launched further operations during 1809. Three significant\nnaval engagements took place in the waters off Scilla between June and September, although British forces never\nagain managed to establish a foothold on the mainland.<br \/>\nThe troops stationed within the castle remained on constant alert, rotating duties through a monotonous routine\ninterrupted only on 3 May 1810, when Joachim Murat, King of Naples (1808\u20131815), visited Scilla and its\ncastle in person to assess the military situation in preparation for a possible invasion of Sicily.<br \/>\nThe king\u2019s visit clearly demonstrates the importance attributed at the time to Scilla and its castle, both in comparison\nwith neighbouring settlements and because of the site\u2019s strategic location.<br \/>\nNevertheless, the expansion of the French army, which advanced as far as Scilla and established itself within\nits castle, encountered a natural and strategic barrier: the Strait of Messina. Despite Napoleon\u2019s ambitions\nand repeated attempts, the Strait marked the insurmountable limit of French expansion, preventing passage\ntoward the Faro, Messina, and Sicily, all of which remained firmly under British control.<br \/>\nThere are places that seem destined by history to stand as dividing lines between eras. Scilla is undoubtedly\none of them: a place that once again held in its hands the fate of one of the most significant military campaigns\nin history.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\"><p style=\"text-align: right;\"><em>Giuseppe Ribuffo<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-2 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1331.2px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div ><a class=\"fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-custom fusion-button-default button-1 fusion-button-default-span\" style=\"--button_accent_color:#f20800;--button_border_color:#2038b2;--button_accent_hover_color:var(--awb-color1);--button_border_hover_color:var(--awb-color1);--button_gradient_top_color:var(--awb-color1);--button_gradient_bottom_color:var(--awb-color1);--button_gradient_top_color_hover:var(--awb-color4);--button_gradient_bottom_color_hover:var(--awb-color4);--button_text_transform:none;\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/monumento-la-metamorfosi-di-scilla\/\"><i class=\"fa-angle-double-right fas awb-button__icon awb-button__icon--default button-icon-left\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><span class=\"fusion-button-text awb-button__text awb-button__text--default\">Next page: 52. Monument: The Metamorphosis of Scylla, Francesco Triglia, 2013<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1839,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1310","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Napoleone Bonaparte - Discover Scilla<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/napoleone-bonaparte\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Napoleone Bonaparte - Discover Scilla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/napoleone-bonaparte\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Discover Scilla\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-19T07:37:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/51-Giovanni-Battista-Borra-1760.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1692\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/napoleone-bonaparte\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/napoleone-bonaparte\\\/\",\"name\":\"Napoleone Bonaparte - Discover Scilla\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/napoleone-bonaparte\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/napoleone-bonaparte\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/51-Giovanni-Battista-Borra-1760.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-23T08:29:22+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-19T07:37:13+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/napoleone-bonaparte\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/napoleone-bonaparte\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/napoleone-bonaparte\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/51-Giovanni-Battista-Borra-1760.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/51-Giovanni-Battista-Borra-1760.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1692},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/napoleone-bonaparte\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Napoleone Bonaparte\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Discover Scilla\",\"description\":\"Scopri territorio, storia e racconti di questa magica terra\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Discover Scilla\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/logo-discover-scilla.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/logo-discover-scilla.png\",\"width\":481,\"height\":250,\"caption\":\"Discover Scilla\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.discoverscilla.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Napoleone Bonaparte - Discover Scilla","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/napoleone-bonaparte\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Napoleone Bonaparte - Discover Scilla","og_url":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/napoleone-bonaparte\/","og_site_name":"Discover Scilla","article_modified_time":"2026-08-19T07:37:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1692,"url":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/51-Giovanni-Battista-Borra-1760.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/napoleone-bonaparte\/","url":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/napoleone-bonaparte\/","name":"Napoleone Bonaparte - Discover Scilla","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/napoleone-bonaparte\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/napoleone-bonaparte\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/51-Giovanni-Battista-Borra-1760.jpg","datePublished":"2026-06-23T08:29:22+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-19T07:37:13+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/napoleone-bonaparte\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/napoleone-bonaparte\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/napoleone-bonaparte\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/51-Giovanni-Battista-Borra-1760.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/51-Giovanni-Battista-Borra-1760.jpg","width":2560,"height":1692},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/napoleone-bonaparte\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Napoleone Bonaparte"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/","name":"Discover Scilla","description":"Scopri territorio, storia e racconti di questa magica terra","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/#organization","name":"Discover Scilla","url":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/logo-discover-scilla.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/logo-discover-scilla.png","width":481,"height":250,"caption":"Discover Scilla"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1310","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1310"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1310\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2600,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1310\/revisions\/2600"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.discoverscilla.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1310"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}