On this day.

[Coog]

On this day 5 May 1821 Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.

[csadn]

On this day 5 May 1821 Napoleon dies in exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean.

A likely story.... :)

[Coog]

The British claimed he died of stomach cancer. There is a conspiracy theory that he was poisoned with arsenic.

[Berthier]

His father died of stomach cancer, there were indications prior to St Helena that Napoleon had stomach problems. The poisoning theory although not impossible, seems less likely if perhaps more "romantic" and befitting the legend.

[David Manley]

"conspiracy theory"

Never seen it billed as such, more a case of accidental poisoning as a result of arsenic in the wallpaper (it was used in green pigments of the time - a bizarre thought to us now, but no less bizarre than painting airships in aluminium based paint that was to all intents and purposes the same as the fuel used in a space shuttle's SRBs).

I suppose a "conspiracy theory" adds to the romanticism of the time, so it probably keeps some people happy :)

[Berthier]

The real problem with the arsenic theory is no=one else got ill who stayed on the island with him and the arsenic in the wall paper would not have been confined to his room only. There were no reports of any of his "companions" with alimentary complaints and many lived to old age (eg bertrand who was at the exhumation of napoleon in 1840 died in 1844, aged 71, Montholon, the prime suspect as "poisoner" lived to 71 as well died in 1853)

Also (wikipedia)

There have been modern studies which have supported the original autopsy finding.^[148] Researchers, in a 2008 study, analysed samples of Napoleon's hair from throughout his life, and from his family and other contemporaries. All samples had high levels of arsenic, approximately 100 times higher than the current average. According to these researchers, Napoleon's body was already heavily contaminated with arsenic as a boy, and the high arsenic concentration in his hair was not caused by intentional poisoning; people were constantly exposed to arsenic from glues and dyes throughout their lives.^{[note 11]} 2007 and 2008 studies dismissed evidence of arsenic poisoning, and confirmed evidence of peptic ulcer and gastric cancer as the cause of death.^[150]

[David Manley]

case closed, mi'lud