On May 5, 1821 Napoleon Bonaparte died on the island of Sant’Elena. The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, will celebrate the 200th anniversary of Napoleon’s death with a speech in which he will address the legacy left by the emperor, an admired and controversial figure in French history at the same time. The head of state will travel to the Institut de France in Paris to attend a ceremony with academics and high school students. It will be up to the historian Jean Tulard, one of the best known specialists of Napoleon’s biography, to give the official speech; after which Macron will speak. The homage of France also includes the solemn deposition of a wreath at the foot of Napoleon’s tomb, under the dome of the Invalides, in the presence of Macron himself, the Minister of Defense, the Chief of Defense Staff and higher ranks of the Armed Forces. Jean-Christophe Napoléon Bonaparte and other descendants of the illustrious family will be present at the ceremony. The Napoleonic celebrations in France have aroused controversy but President Macron has assured his presence on the day of the anniversary of 5 May and from the Elysée it is noted that the head of state will not avoid highlighting the shadows of the emperor’s career . Corsica also commemorates the bicentenary of the death of Napoleon, the most illustrious son of the island, with a rich program of events. In Italy the celebratory activities of the Committee for the Napoleonic Bicentenary (1821-2021) start. From North to South, a network of 67 cultural institutions and associations, universities and study centers organizes and promotes a program of events, collected under the title of ‘Napoleon in Italy’. A title that evokes a look at the Napoleonic age observed in its relationship with the Italy of the time and with those realities, starting with Milan and Lombardy, which were most directly involved in it. The celebrations will officially start today with the broadcast, starting at 5.49 pm (the time of the emperor’s death), of the ‘May 5th Marathon’ through the Committee’s Facebook and Youtube channels. The marathon will have as its scenario some of the Napoleonic places that will be the backdrop to the scheduled events.
