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How did Napoleon I regain power during the Hundred Days?

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Jacques-Louis David: The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries — Napoleon I *The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries*, oil on canvas by Jacques-Louis David, 1812; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.

Napoleon I regained power during the period known as the Hundred Days by escaping his exile on Elba and returning to France in early 1815.12

Driven by dissatisfaction with the Bourbon Restoration and concerns regarding his personal security and finances, Napoleon landed at Cannes on March 1, 1815, with a small detachment of his guard. As he marched toward Paris, he successfully rallied support from the peasantry and won over the soldiers sent to arrest him near Grenoble.12

Upon his arrival in Paris on March 20, 1815, Louis XVIII fled, and Napoleon resumed control. To solidify his position, he introduced liberal reforms to the Imperial Constitution, which helped him gain support from some former political opponents. However, his return prompted the major European powers to form an alliance against him, ultimately leading to his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo and his final abdication on June 22, 1815.123