Home HomeSwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

Napoleon's Pistols Go Under the Hammer

Pistols that a dejected Napoleon Bonaparte fingered in the days before he tried to take his life are going under the hammer outside Paris this week. They are expected to bring in up to 17 million kronor.

» Updated: 16 July 2024, 14:14

» Published: 01 July 2024

Napoleon's Pistols Go Under the Hammer
Photo: Geoffroy van der Hasselt/AFP/TT

Pistols that a dejected Napoleon Bonaparte fingered in the days before he attempted to take his life are going under the hammer outside Paris this week. They are expected to bring in up to 17 million kronor.

Napoleon's condition was fragile in the evenings preceding his abdication and exile to Elba, after the tide of war turned and the sixth coalition occupied the French capital in the spring of 1814.

According to a statement from his advisor Caulaincourt, reproduced in the auction catalog, Napoleon's armorer reported that the French emperor often spoke loudly about ending his life and frequently inspected his pistols. It raised alarm bells.

After the defeat, he was completely depressed and wanted to take his life with these weapons, but his armorer hid the gunpowder, says auctioneer Jean-Pierre Osenat.

In the end, Napoleon chose to swallow the poison he constantly carried around his neck, on the night of April 13 at the Château de Fontainebleau outside Paris. But the poison was old by then and Napoleon survived. The day after, he signed his abdication, gave the pistols as a gift to Caulaincourt, and prepared for exile.

The following year, Napoleon suffered his final defeat at Waterloo, after a dramatic comeback.

The auction is being held at the Château de Fontainebleau this weekend. The pistols are described as the weapons that could have changed the course of history by the auction house Osenat.

Tags
TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Expected interest rate cut from Fed
1 MIN READ

Expected interest rate cut from Fed

Divided on softer amortization requirements
2 MIN READ

Divided on softer amortization requirements

How much the banks lower the mortgage rate
1 MIN READ

How much the banks lower the mortgage rate

Higher costs hit SAS owner
1 MIN READ

Higher costs hit SAS owner

The Union Steps Up the Tesla Strike
1 MIN READ

The Union Steps Up the Tesla Strike

New French obstacles for Airbnb
1 MIN READ

New French obstacles for Airbnb

The Government Seeks Support for Those Affected by Northvolt
1 MIN READ

The Government Seeks Support for Those Affected by Northvolt

The regional tax will be raised next year
1 MIN READ

The regional tax will be raised next year

Astra Zeneca's China Chief Arrested by Police
1 MIN READ

Astra Zeneca's China Chief Arrested by Police

More rate cuts - but risk of turmoil with Trump
2 MIN READ

More rate cuts - but risk of turmoil with Trump

Svantesson: Trump's policy may increase inflation
2 MIN READ

Svantesson: Trump's policy may increase inflation

Major Banks Lower Mortgage Rates
1 MIN READ

Major Banks Lower Mortgage Rates

Central Bank Economist: Central Bank Cuts Interest Rate Too Late
2 MIN READ

Central Bank Economist: Central Bank Cuts Interest Rate Too Late

How You Are Affected by Lowered Interest Rates
2 MIN READ

How You Are Affected by Lowered Interest Rates

Thedéen expects turmoil after Trump's victory
2 MIN READ

Thedéen expects turmoil after Trump's victory

Inflation upswing does not threaten interest rate cuts
3 MIN READ

Inflation upswing does not threaten interest rate cuts

The Stockholm Stock Exchange Closed Up
1 MIN READ

The Stockholm Stock Exchange Closed Up

Most up on Asian stock exchanges
1 MIN READ

Most up on Asian stock exchanges

This is how your wallet can be affected by Trump's victory
2 MIN READ

This is how your wallet can be affected by Trump's victory

Cheerful on Wall Street after Trump win
1 MIN READ

Cheerful on Wall Street after Trump win