Top 10 Shocking Facts About Napoléon
From zero to hero and then back to zero! Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we count down our picks for the top 10 shocking facts about Napoleon Bonaparte. For this list, we're reviewing unusual and generally unknown facts about this French Emperor's life, including his rise to and fall from power.
#10: His Wife’s Affair Was a Tabloid Sensation
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Joséphine de Beauharnais, widowed and with two children, apparently had quite a few gentleman suitors in her day. But then she met Napoléon and became his wife. When Napoléon was away at war, she was left alone at home – which led her to start a relationship with a French military man. Rumors of her infidelity swirled, and finally reached her husband’s ears. Distraught, Napoléon wrote a letter to his brother, but the message was intercepted and eventually found its way to a British newspaperman, who printed the details for all to read. Turning Napoléon’s crumbling marriage into a tabloid sensation, this – on top of the fact that she hadn’t produced an heir – caused the emperor to divorce Joséphine.
#9: He Lost at Chess to ‘The Turk’
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Napoléon was an exceptional military strategist and the kind of man who had to win at everything he tried. That might be why he couldn’t resist a game of chess – especially against a supposedly almost unbeatable machine. In 1809, he challenged the rarely defeated automaton chess player known as ‘The Turk’ at Austria’s Schönbrunn Palace. Unbeknownst to Bonaparte, the incredible gadget was actually controlled by a person hidden inside it, playing through a complex mirror system. The Emperor made several illegal moves, causing the Turk to relocate his pieces back to their original spots. While tickled by the machine’s responses, Napoléon was unable to beat the Turk in a proper match.
#8: He Sold Louisiana to the U.S. for Dirt Cheap
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In his effort to take over the world – or at least as much of it as he could – Napoléon began building an empire in North America, taking ownership of the Louisiana territory in 1800. However, the economic effects of the Haitian Revolution on the French colonial enterprise caused Napoléon to relinquish all of France's territorial claims in North America to the United States. The U.S. came to the negotiation prepared to buy New Orleans and adjacent territories for $10 million, however were surprised when France offered all of their lands in North America for $15 million. This Purchase gave the U.S. over 500 million acres of land… at 3 cents an acre! Needless to say, this was a steal.
#7: He Wrote a Romance Novella
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Napoléon’s life seemed to have been comprised of one failed relationship after another, though given his nature it should be no surprise that he had a tendency to sensationalize his exploits. But each of those relationships was filled with a treasure trove of love letters from le petit caporal. After a particularly tumultuous relationship with temporary fiancée Eugénie Désirée Clary – the future queen of Sweden and Norway – Bonaparte used his writing skills to pen the romance novella “Clisson et Eugénie.” The novella was essentially an autobiographical account of his love affair with Clary, although pseudonyms were given to barely conceal the identities of the lovers.
#6: He Was More Italian Than French
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A man inextricably tied to French culture and history, Napoléon – perhaps France’s most legendary leader – was actually not that French after all. The Bonaparte family was actually from the island of Corsica, which was held by Italy until it was conquered by France in 1769 – the year of Napoléon’s birth. And before that, the Buonapartes were part of the Tuscan nobility. In fact, Napoléon’s birth name was actually Napoleone di Buonaparte, while family and friends affectionately called him Nabulio. The eventual Emperor of the French only seriously began to learn fluent French when he was sent to school in France at the age of 9 – but he never did learn to spell properly. Quel dommage.
#5: He Didn’t Exactly Get Along with the Catholic Church
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You can’t discuss the rise and fall of Napoléon without mentioning the Catholic Church. On the outside, he seemed to champion the Church: in 1801, after the Revolution and basic dismantling of the Church, he signed a Concordat to restore the Roman Catholic Church as the majority church in France and reinstate its power. However, behind closed doors, he was not devout and was actually more curious about Muhammad than Jesus. His relationship with the office of the Pope may’ve deteriorated further if the legends are true: apparently, he was to be crowned by Pope Pius VII, but at the last second snatched the crown and anointed himself so he wouldn’t have to answer to the Pope.
#4: He Introduced Canned Foods to the Military
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During the Napoleonic Wars, the French military was concerned with food preservation and worried they would not be adequately able to feed their soldiers – especially when the army was unable to obtain food in a hostile region. The military offered 12,000 francs for a suitable invention and in 1810 Nicolas Appert won that prize, by presenting glass jars that were airtight, becoming the father of the modern canning process. Napoléon must have been extremely tech savvy for his time, and jumped at this technological advantage for his militaristic pursuits.
#3: He Always Had Poison On Hand for a Rainy Day
Though stories vary as to whether it was a pill, a vial of poison or a packet of toxic powder, many sources say that Napoléon carried poison with him at all times. Why? Maybe he was afraid of the potential humiliation of being captured, or maybe he was terrified by the thought of the torture that could ensue if he did get caught. However, he finally chose to consume the poison on April 12th, 1814 – the day after he was forced to abdicate the throne. Only, it didn’t work: the poison had been sitting around for at least a decade, and had expired. Instead of dying, he became painfully sick and was cured by a cup of tea and a good night’s sleep.
#2: His Little Soldier Lives in… New Jersey
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Napoléon was certainly a man of the world but did you know that Napoléon has roots in the United States? Well, at least part of him does. After Napoléon’s autopsy, his physical examiner Dr. François Carlo Antommarchi – who was left out of Bonaparte’s will, and you’ll see why that’s important in a minute! – decided to take a memento for himself from the infamous emperor’s body. What did he take, you ask? Well, he snipped off his penis! Napoléon’s little soldier has changed hands and traveled the world, and eventually was bought by an American urologist in 1977, whose daughter now owns and houses it in her basement… in New Jersey. And in case you were wondering: he was not that well-endowed. Before we get to our number one shocking Napoléon fact, let’s review some honorable mentions: - He Seized Power Thanks to a Coup D’état; He Was Not Democratically Elected - He Apparently Dressed as a Commoner on Walkabouts to Find Out How Popular He Was - He was Arrested for Treason During the French Revolution - He was a Math Geek as a Child & Was Bullied, But Asserted His Dominance Even Then
#1: He Wasn’t as Short as You Think
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Many of you may’ve heard of the Napoleonic complex – when a short person acts overtly dominant to compensate for their size. Since that condition is named for Bonaparte, the idea that he was diminutive has persisted for centuries. British propaganda often depicted Bonaparte as little and aggressive, and the rumors spread. However, Napoléon was the average height for his time: at his death, he measured 5 feet 2 inches in French units, or 5 feet 6 inches in the modern English system. Napoléon himself is partly to blame for the myth, as he preferred his elite guard to be comprised entirely of tall soldiers, which made him appear comparatively short. No wonder they called him “le petit caporal.” Do you agree with our list? What are your favorite facts about Napoléon? For more revolutionary Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.
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