Bicentenary of Napoleon’s death: Macron praises Bonapartist police-state rule On May 5, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on the bicentenary of the death of Napoleon Bonaparte on May 5, 1821, in exile on the island of Saint Helena. Macron with French Army Chief of Staff General Pierre de Villiers in 2017 [Credit: Etienne Laurent/Pool Photo via AP, File] Napoleon, his military genius and the sweep of his political life have been the topic of countless official speeches these two centuries. His career—from the radical era of the French Revolution in 1793, through his seizure of power i...