By the time Napoleon returned to France from Egypt in ... when he abdicated his throne for the second time. With no hope of escape, he put himself at the mercy of Great Britain.

He never took his eye off France, where the Allies had made the mistake of restoring an eager but weak Bourbon king to the throne. King Louis XVIII had neither Napoleon’s charm nor his charisma.

Napoleon realized the value of persistence to clinch victory. He returned to the French throne even after he was exiled. Napoleon stationed spies across Paris. He trusted few and wanted to ...