Happy Anniversary to Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon and Josephine Bonaparte’s Anniversary

On March 9, 1796, twenty-six-year-old Napoleon Bonaparte married the thirty-two-year-old widow, Josephine de Beauharnais. The groom, enraptured with his more nonchalant bride, is known to have written passionate love letters, including one containing the line, “I shall see you soon—do not wash.” Nevertheless, while poring over military maps on his wedding day, he lost track of time and showed up two hours late for the civil ceremony.

Perhaps that is why, on their wedding night, Josephine refused to expel her dog, Fortuné, from their bedroom. Years later, Napoleon recounted how the dog had bitten his ankle at a most inopportune moment.

One of the few witnesses at the wedding ceremony was Josephine’s business advisor, a man named Calmelet. Within earshot of the groom, he advised her not to marry the penniless young man who, in his opinion, would never amount to anything. Less than eight years later, in Nôtre Dame Cathedral, Calmelet witnessed Napoleon and Josephine being crowned Emperor and Empress of France.