History Of Isola Delba
Isola dElba is believed to have been inhabited originally by the tribe known as Ligures Ilvati and they had given the island the ancient name of Ilva
. The iron resources and the valuable iron mines had been utilized even in very ancient times. The fumes of the furances producing the iron metal made the Greeks call Isola dElba as Aethalia or fume. The tribal people were overpowered by the Etruscans initially by force and the Romans took over the control of the island after 480 BC.Even when the Roman Empire ended, the ravaging of Isola dElba did not stop with the barbarians and Saracens continuing to harass the inhabitants until the eleventh century. During this period, the island became part of the Republic of Pisa. In 1398, the island was sold to the Visconti of Milan and then it was acquired by the Lords of Piombino, the Appiani. The island remained in their control for about two centuries.
After a brief reign of a part of the island by Cosimo l de Medici from 1546, when he fortified Portoferraio and renamed it Cosmopoli, the rest of the island was taken over by the Appiani in 1577. However, in 1603, Porto Azzurro was captured by Philip II of Spain and he built two fortresses there. The French took over the possession of Isola dElba in 1802 and the economy of the island started flourishing.
When the Allied Forces exiled Napoleon Bonaparte to Isola dElba after his forced abdication at Fontainebleau, he reached the island on May 4, 1814. He was provided with a personal escort of around 1,000 men and other household staff. Napoleon was even provided with the title Emperor of Elba and was allowed to rule over the island population of about 110,000 people. However, the British naval patrols continuously kept a keen watch on the island during the approximate period of 300 days that Napoleon stayed there.
During this period, to pass his time and out of genuine concern about the well-being of the natives, he implemented several social and economic reforms for improving the quality of life in Isola dElba. Meanwhile, the reign of Paris was restored to the Bourbons but Napoleon could not forget France. He started planning for return to Paris and he assembled a miniature army. On February 26, 1815, he escaped from Isola dElba with that small army and reached France to start the 100 days campaign. However, he was again defeated at Waterloo and this time, he was exiled to Saint Helena, an isolated and barren island in the South Atlantic. The stay of Napoleon in Isola dElba came to be known as Able was I ere I saw Elba.
When the Congress of Vienna was convened, the island was handed over to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. When the unified Kingdom of Italy was declared in 1860, Isola dElba became part of it. During the World War II, the Germans occupied the island but French troops liberated it from them on June 17, 1944. However, the liberation was not achieved easily due to the strong defenses set up by the Germans and unreliable intelligence obtained by the French. Later on, the possession of the island was taken over by Italy and it became part of the province of Tuscany.
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