Has anyone who was once overthrown, risen back to great power?

by printergumlight
thebroadwayflyer

I think there are probably many examples, but Santa Ana (Mexico) springs to mind. Napoleon probably fits too, after his escape from Elba.

Edited for boneheadery.

eighthgear

Napoleon Bonaparte is probably the most well-known example of this story occurring. Following the disastrous invasion of Russia and the subsequent War of the Sixth Coalition (which saw Paris fall to the enemy), Napoleon abdicated the throne and was forced into exile on the island of Elba. However, he escaped Elba and returned to France in February 1815, after less than a year in exile. The French Army rallied to support him and he once again was in charge of France. Of course, he'd be defeated at the Battle of Waterloo and forced into exile again, this time on the island of Saint Helena in far worse conditions.

Artrw

Sorry, we don't allow throughout history questions. These tend to produce threads which are collections of trivia, not the in-depth discussions about a particular topic we're looking for. If you have a specific question about a historical event or period or person, please feel free to re-compose your question and submit it again.

ecclectic

Vlad (III) Dracul also known as The Impaler

Born to the throne of Walachia, he was ousted and regained power twice before his death. Really a fascinating life story.

b1uepenguin

Sure; this might not be the grand example you are looking for, but it fits.

Pomare II; Ari'i nui (King) of Tahiti was forced to flee from Tahiti Nui when dissenting ari'i (chiefs) and commoners revolted against his rule. His father's rule had been tenuous at best, in fact he was recognized as King in name only really, and even then it was more a foreign myth than a reality for Tahitians. When Pomare II came to power he had a better claim to being the paramount monarch over the islands, but LMS Christian missionaries (London Missionary Society) who had been turned away in their attempts to convert him began sowing dissension amongst the populace (reportedly trying to sell them on democratic values^1). The people revolted and Pomare II fled from Tahiti in 1808.

Pomare II secured firearms and men while exiled in Mo'orea; he called on allies in the Leeward Islands and his traditional vassals in the Tuamotus to come to his aid; and used profits from his monopoly on the pork trade with Australia to finance the purchase of firearms and the cannon from a Russian ship. The Christian missionaries, who had been so interested in replacing Pomare II as king, had little success converting people during his exile. In 1811 they journeyed to Pomare II's stronghold on Mo'orea and offered their assistance in returning him to power if he would support their missionary efforts. For both sides it was a win; the missionaries could secure royal favor, protection, and backing; and Pomare could use to missionaries to facilitate trade with visiting ships.

Pomare II and the missionaries returned to Tahiti Nui; and on Nov 12. 1815, when the missionaries and Tahitian converts had gathered for services^2, they were attacked by the remaining followers of 'Oro (Tahitian God of War; and fertility). In the ensuing Battle of Te Feipī, the forces of Pomare II defeated those of Opuhara; or as his descendant Tati Salmon describes it, "our great-great-uncle Opuhara, the commander, lost his life, struck down by the bullets of these Christians under the king and his allies"^3

After the battle Pomare II pardoned those who had opposed him, provided they put down their weapons and recognize him as the paramount monarch over the islands. With the end of the conflict, Pomare II again took the thrown as Ari'i Nui. In 1819 he officially converted to Christianity and declared it to be the official religion of the islands and worked with the missionaries to begin codifying Tahitian law in writing.

  1. Niel Gunson, Pomare II of Tahiti and Polynesian Imperialism The Journal of Pacific History, 4 (1969): 69.
  2. Its worth keeping in mind that this story is largely coming from the archives of the missionaries and so we might expect them to state that they were innocently attacked while in prayer; and that the descendants of Opuhara believe they were the ones attacked. Either way, both sides appear to have been ready for conflict.
  3. Tati Salmon, On Ari'is in Tahiti, Journal of the Polynesian Society, 19.1 (1910): 41.

Also worth checking out; Colin Newbury, "Tahiti Nui."