Napoleon I’s Testament: A Unique and Free Exhibition at the National Archives

" I wish for my ashes to rest by the banks of the Seine," this phrase is well known, but few have seen the handwriting of the man who penned it. In April 1821, on Saint Helena, Napoleon I knew that his time was running out. Sick and weakened, he spent from April 15 to 27 writing a new 58-page will. This document isn’t just a list of bequests; it’s a condensed portrait of his life, displayed from March 4 to June 29, 2026 at the heart of the National Archives in Paris.

Here, we find the warrior, the head of state, but above all the man who refuses to die — "defeated and unavenged". This heartfelt cry for the French people, whom he famously declared he loved so much, marks the highlight of a document that took nearly 40 years to reach the National Archives in 1860. The Exhibition doesn't just display the paper; it delves into the mental journey of the Emperor confronting death.

During his exile, he alternated between writing passionate memoirs to defend his imperial dignity and retreating into periods of solitude, swapping the pen for a shovel as he tended to his garden. It was only after learning of his sister Élisa's death and sensing his own health waning that he finally resolved to formalize his final wishes, initially dictating them to his chamberlain Montholon and later rewriting them himself.

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Discovering this testament is also a journey through the political history of the 19th century. Before resting in the Iron Cabinet, the manuscript survived four different regimes and was at the center of diplomatic tensions with England. The marks on the paper tell the story of this long and intricate saga, involving many actors and shedding light on the behind-the-scenes drama of a truly extraordinary will execution.

This temporary exhibition offers a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the physical traces—scribbles, stains, trembling handwriting—left by a man who, until his last breath, fought to shape his own destiny. The Iron Cabinet, where his will is kept, is a historical vault built during the French Revolution to safeguard the nation’s most valuable documents.

Located at the very heart of the Hôtel de Soubise, its keys are kept under tight security. Retrieving a document is therefore a rare and celebrated event!