Napoléon: From Roses to Poison / Après les Roses, le Poison

Relive the last period of Napoleon’s life in exile on St Helena, and the fascinating Australian link where the Balcombes established The Briars in Mt Martha.

After his defeat at the battle of Waterloo in 1815, the French Emperor Napoleon I has been exiled to St Helena – an island in the south of the Atlantic Ocean. William Balcombe, Superintendent of the East India Company of the island, agrees to the Emperor’s request for a temporary stay at his home, The Briars. Elder daughter Jane soon starts giving Napoleon English lessons. After initial misgivings, her refreshingly uninhibited younger sister Betsy falls for the charms of the suave imperial visitor and his French entourage.