text: which two islands did napoleon stay on in the 1800's? one island is a "saint" something. elba: an island of italy in the tyrrhenian sea between corsica and the mainland. napoleon bonaparte spent his first period of exile here (may 1814-february 1815).  saint helena: a volcanic island in the southern atlaantic ocean west of angola. together with ascension and tristan da cunha, it forms the british dependency of saint helena, occupied by the british since the mid-1600s. napoleon was in exile here after his defeat at waterloo in 1815 until his death in 1821.