After his first abdication in 1814, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Elba. The decision formed part of the Treaty of Fontainebleau, which ended his rule as emperor and assigned him sovereignty over the small Mediterranean island.
Elba lies off the coast of Tuscany and was strategically close to mainland Europe. Napoleon arrived there in May 1814 and governed the island as its ruler, introducing administrative, economic and public-works reforms while maintaining a small army and navy.
His exile did not last long. On 26 February 1815, Napoleon escaped Elba and landed in France on 1 March, beginning the period known as the Hundred Days. After his defeat at Waterloo, he was exiled again—this time to the much more distant island of Saint Helena, where he died in 1821.