In 1814, the withered French army, led by the brilliant and always inspiring strategist Napoleon Bonaparte, was finally defeated by the combined forces of Great Britain, Prussia, Russia and Austria. The army was disbanded and the emperor exiled to Elba. He soon escaped and on March 1, 1815, he landed in Marseilles and marched on Paris. The people hailed him as a hero, and he was soon reinstated as their leader. His New Empire was to last only 100 days.