Napoleon Bonaparte To Josephine Beauharnais

Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon I) (1769 - 1821)

One of the greatest military leaders in history, Napoleon Bonaparte, 'The Little Corporal', was born in Corsica. Educated at French military schools, he distinguished himself early on. He commanded troops that quelled a royalist Parisian uprising in 1795 and as reward was given the army of the interior to lead. Soon after, he was made commander in chief of the army of Italy.

In addition to being a brilliant military mind and feared ruler, Napolean Bonaparte (1763 - 1821) was a prolific writer of letters. He reportedly wrote as many as 75,000 letters in his lifetime, many of them to his beautiful wife, Josephine, both before and during their marriage.

He married Josephine de Beauharnais in 1796, before going off to lead the poorly equipped army based in Italy. After a coup in 1799, Napoleon became first consul, and in 1804 emperor. Between 1804 and 1810 he consolidated his empire in Europe. In 1814, following defeat in Russia, he abdicated and was banished to Elba. In 1815 he resumed power, but was crushed at the Battle of Waterloo and exiled to St. Helena, where he died in 1821.

This letter, written just prior to their 1796 wedding, shows suprising tenderness and emotion from the future emperor.

Paris, December 1795

I wake filled with thoughts of you. Your portrait and the intoxicating evening which we spent yesterday have left my senses in turmoil. Sweet, incomparable Josephine, what a strange effect you have on my heart! Are you angry? Do I see you looking sad? Are you worried?... My soul aches with sorrow, and there can be no rest for you lover; but is there still more in store for me when, yielding to the profound feelings which overwhelm me, I draw from your lips, from your heart a love which consumes me with fire? Ah! it was last night that I fully realized how false an image of you your portrait gives!

You are leaving at noon; I shall see you in three hours.

Until then, mio dolce amor, a thousand kisses; but give me none in return, for they set my blood on fire.