Early history The island was originally inhabited by
Ligures Ilvates and was called
Ilva (Ἰλούα). It was well known from very ancient times for its
iron resources and valued mines. The
Greeks also called it
Aethalia (Αἰθαλία or Αἰθάλεια) and
Aethale (Αἰθάλη) from "smoky" (αἰθάλη), after the fumes of the metal producing furnaces.
Apollonius of Rhodes mentions it in his epic poem
Argonautica, describing that the
Argonauts rested here during their travels. He writes that signs of their visit were still visible in his day, including skin-coloured pebbles that they dried their hands on and large stones which they used at discus.
Strabo (5.2.6) presents 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 port which is now called Porto Ferraio, was known in ancient times as the portus Argous (Ἀργῶος λιμήν), because it was believed that the Argonauts landed there on their return voyage.
Middle Ages and early modern In the early
medieval period, Elba was invaded by the Ostrogoths and the
Lombards, and later it became a possession of the
Republic of Pisa. After the
battle of Meloria, the
Republic of Genoa took possession of Elba, but it was regained by Pisa in 1292. The island was retained for two centuries by the
Appiani family, Lords of
Piombino, when they sold Pisa to the
house of Visconti of Milan in 1399. 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, Grand Duke of Tuscany, who fortified Portoferraio and renamed it "Cosmopoli", while the rest of the island was returned to the Appiani in 1577. In 1596,
Philip II of Spain captured Porto Longone and had two fortresses built there. This part of Elba came into the direct power of Spain through the
State of the Presidi, including
Porto Longone. In 1736, the sovereignty of this part of Elba was claimed by the
Kingdom of Naples but remained abandoned.
Late modern and contemporary The
British landed on the island of Elba in 1796, after the occupation of
Livorno by the
French Republican troops, to protect the 4,000 French royalists who had found asylum in Portoferraio two years earlier. In 1801, the
Peace of Luneville gave Elba to the
Kingdom of Etruria, and it was transferred to France in 1802 by the
Peace of Amiens. The French Emperor
Napoleon was
exiled to Elba, after his forced abdication following the
Treaty of Fontainebleau, and conveyed to the island on
HMS Undaunted by Captain
Thomas Ussher; he arrived at Portoferraio on 4 May 1814. He was allowed to keep a personal guard of 400 men and was nominally
sovereign of Elba, a step down from Emperor of the French. However, the nearby sea was patrolled by the
French and
British navies to ensure he could not escape. During the months that he stayed on the island, Napoleon carried out a series of economic and social reforms to improve the quality of life. After staying for almost ten months, he managed to escape back to France on 26 February 1815 with about 1,000 men. At the
Congress of Vienna, Elba was given to the
Grand Duchy of Tuscany. In 1860, it became part of the new unified
Kingdom of Italy. During the
Second World War, the island was liberated from German occupation by the French ''
1er Corps d'Armée supported by British forces including Royal Naval Commandos on 17 June 1944, in Opération Brassard''. Faulty intelligence and strong defences made the battle more difficult than expected. In 1954,
BOAC Flight 781 crashed in the waters off the coast of Elba. In recent decades, thanks to its rich cultural heritage, cuisine and nature, the island has become an important international tourist destination. ==Transportation==