An undisputed master of the battlefield, Napoleon Bonaparte suffered one of his most unexpected defeats... at the hands of rabbits! Even more surprisingly, in Paris, just a few hundred meters from his tomb at Les Invalides, a large colony of wild rabbits lived in the wild, offering an amusing wink of fate to lovers of historical anecdotes and Parisian curiosities.
Napoleon, crowned with victory after the Treaties of Tilsit, is about to enjoy a hunt organized by his chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier. But Berthier, instead of releasing vigorous wild rabbits, brought in farmed animals. A fatal strategic error.
The cages open. Far from scattering, the rabbits rush straight towards Napoleon. They're not fleeing, but attacking: dozens, then hundreds, even thousands of quivering snouts, determined to get at the man they take for a benefactor. The officers laugh, the Emperor backs away, then turns on his heel. It is said that he even had to retreat back to his carriage, surrounded by this army of hungry furballs. Napoleon had never experienced such a stampede on the battlefield.
Two centuries later, Napoleon finally rests in peace... or almost. For not far from his tomb, on the great lawns of the Invalides, a new army is in place. Not grenadiers, but a vast colony of wild rabbits. They come out at dusk, nibbling the grass under the amused eyes of passers-by, digging burrows in the middle of the impeccable alignments.
Just a few hundred meters from the Emperor, these little inhabitants seemed to have established their permanent quarters, at least until their relocation to Seine-et-Marne was decided. Coincidence? Perhaps. But for lovers of unusual stories, it's hard not to see this as a mischievous wink of fate: Napoleon, again and again, "besieged" by rabbits.
Napoleon in Paris: in the Emperor's footsteps
Napoleon I's reign was short, but intense: in just a few years, the Emperor managed to leave a lasting imprint on France. In Paris, this legacy is clearly visible. Hôtel des Invalides, Arc de Triomphe, Eglise de la Madeleine, rue de Rivoli... Let's take an imperial stroll through the streets of the capital. [Read more]
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