Napoleon Bonaparte’s life was certainly a busy one, but alongside the great battles, victories and defeats there was a curious episode unfolds, involving royal inclinations and bunny rabbits. Celebrated for his grandeur and military prowess, Napoleon nurtured a passion for hunting, a pastime typically reserved for monarchs.
Yet, his marksmanship was somewhat wanting. During one such hunting escapade, Marshal Alexandre Berthier devised a plan to ensure Napoleon’s triumph by providing him with domesticated rabbits. Unbeknownst to the emperor, these creatures, acclimated to human presence, displayed a remarkable lack of fear.
When Napoleon disembarked from his carriage to take aim, the rabbits, mistakenly perceiving him as a keeper bearing sustenance, initiated an audacious charge. In a bizarre twist, a multitude of rabbits besieged the French emperor, while his attendants frantically attempted to repel them with whips.
Confounded and amused, Napoleon hastily retreated to his carriage, flinging rabbits from its window in his wake. This incident casts a revealing light on Napoleon’s idiosyncratic royal pursuits, offering a comical interlude in the life of a formidable leader, serving as a reminder that even emperors can encounter moments of unintended humiliation.
Top image: Main – Representational image of Napoleon Bonaparte. Source: de Art / Adobe Stock. Inset: Angry rabbit. Source: Eric Isselée / Adobe Stock
