The First Abdication

The fall of Paris on March 31, 1814, ended Napoleon's resistance and precipitated the crisis that led to his first abdication. The coalition occupation of the French capital was both symbolically and practically decisive—it demonstrated that French power could no longer protect even the empire's heartland while eliminating the administrative center on which Napoleonic government depended.

Napoleon's marshals, exhausted by twenty years of continuous warfare, finally refused to continue fighting. At Fontainebleau, Ney delivered the brutal assessment: "The army will not march." This declaration from officers who had followed Napoleon across Europe and shared his greatest triumphs represented the complete breakdown of the military loyalty on which imperial power depended.

The abdication document, signed on April 6, 1814, formally ended the First Empire while revealing Napoleon's complex relationship with power. His initial attempt to abdicate in favor of his son, the King of Rome, was rejected by coalition powers who insisted on his unconditional renunciation. The final text, acknowledging the Allies' demands while expressing continued concern for French welfare, demonstrated both Napoleon's political realism and his persistent belief in his historical mission.

The Treaty of Fontainebleau, concluded on April 11, 1814, established the terms of Napoleon's exile while revealing the coalition's respect for his achievements and fear of his potential return. The grant of sovereignty over Elba, maintenance of his imperial title, and provision of a substantial pension reflected recognition that Napoleon remained a formidable figure who required careful management. These generous terms would soon prove insufficient to contain his ambitions.