The British landed on the Island of Elba in 1796, after the occupation of Livorno by the French Republican troops, to protect the 4,000 French royalists who had found asylum in Portoferraio two years earlier.
In 1801, the Peace of Luneville gave Elba to the Kingdom of Etruria, and it was transferred to France in 1802 by the Peace of Amiens.

The French Emperor Napoleon was exiled to Elba, after his forced abdication following the Treaty of Fontainebleau, and conveyed to the island on HMS Undaunted by Captain Thomas Ussher; he arrived at Portoferraio on 4 May 1814.
He was allowed to keep a personal guard of 600 men and was nominally sovereign of Elba, although the nearby sea was patrolled by the French and British navies.
During the months that he stayed on the island, Napoleon carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life.
After staying on for almost ten months he escaped to France on 26 February 1815.
At the Congress of Vienna, Elba was restored to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany.
In 1860, it became part of the new unified Kingdom of Italy.

During the Second world war, the island was liberated from German occupation by the French 1ᵉʳ Corps d'Armée on 17 June 1944, in Opération Brassard.
Faulty intelligence and strong defences made the battle more difficult than expected.

In recent decades, thanks to its rich cultural heritage, cuisine and nature, the island has become an important international tourist destination.
The British landed on the Island of Elba in 1796, after the occupation of Livorno by the French Republican troops, to protect the 4,000 French royalists who had found asylum in Portoferraio two years earlier. In 1801, the Peace of Luneville gave Elba to the Kingdom of Etruria, and it was transferred to France in 1802 by the Peace of Amiens.
The French Emperor Napoleon was exiled to Elba, after his forced abdication following the Treaty of Fontainebleau, and conveyed to the island on HMS Undaunted by Captain Thomas Ussher; he arrived at Portoferraio on 4 May 1814. He was allowed to keep a personal guard of 600 men and was nominally sovereign of Elba, although the nearby sea was patrolled by the French and British navies. During the months that he stayed on the island, Napoleon carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life. After staying on for almost ten months he escaped to France on 26 February 1815. At the Congress of Vienna, Elba was restored to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1860, it became part of the new unified Kingdom of Italy.
During the Second world war, the island was liberated from German occupation by the French 1ᵉʳ Corps d'Armée on 17 June 1944, in Opération Brassard. Faulty intelligence and strong defences made the battle more difficult than expected.
In recent decades, thanks to its rich cultural heritage, cuisine and nature, the island has become an important international tourist destination.
Elba