Elba - History

History

Originally inhabited by Ligures Ilvati who gave the ancient name Ilva, the island was well known from very ancient times for its iron resources and its valued mines. The Greeks called it Aethalia (Αιθαλία, fume) after the fumes of the furnaces for the metal production. Apollonius of Rhodes mentioned it briefly in his epic poem Argonautica: the Argonauts rested here during their travels and signs of their visit were still visible in the poet's day, including skin-coloured pebbles that they dried their hands on, and large stones they used at discus. The text however may be unsound and Strabo (5.2.6) presented a slightly different account: "because the scrapings, which the Argonauts formed when they used their strigils, became congealed, the pebbles on the shore remain variegated still to this day."

The island was invaded by the Etruscans and later (after 480 BC) by the Romans. In the early 11th century it became a possession of the Republic of Pisa. When the latter was sold to the Visconti of Milan in 1398, the island was acquired by the Appiani, Lords of Piombino, who retained it for two centuries.

In 1544 the Barbary pirates from North Africa devastated Elba and the coasts of Tuscany. In 1546 part of the island was handed over to Cosimo I de' Medici, who fortified Portoferraio and renamed it "Cosmopoli", while in 1577 the rest of the island was returned to the Appiani. In 1596 Philip II of Spain captured Porto Azzurro and had two fortresses built there. In 1802 the island became a French possession, and its economy flourished.

Following the Treaty of Fontainebleau, French emperor Napoleon I was exiled to Elba after his forced abdication in 1814 and arrived at Portoferraio on May 3, 1814 to begin his exile there. He was allowed to keep a personal guard of six hundred men. Although he was nominally sovereign of Elba, the island was patrolled by the British Navy.

During the months Napoleon stayed on the island, he carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life, partly to pass the time and partly out of a genuine concern for the well-being of the islanders. Napoleon stayed on Elba for 300 days. He returned to France on February 26, 1815 for the Hundred Days. After his defeat at Waterloo he was subsequently exiled again, this time to the barren and isolated South Atlantic island of Saint Helena. Napoleon's stay on Elba is the basis for the famous English language palindrome: "Able was I ere I saw Elba." Internationally, Elba is best known for its connection to Napoleon.

In the Congress of Vienna the island was given to the Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1860 it became part of the new unified Kingdom of Italy.

Elba was liberated from the Germans by the French 1er Corps d'Armée on June 17, 1944 in Opération Brassard. Faulty intelligence and strong defences made the battle more difficult than expected.

More recently, the island has become famed for its wine, and it is today a renowned tourist resort.