The untold story of Napoleon's life

By Amal HEWAVISSENTI

" - Josephine, you are fire itself...

You have convinced me that military fame is not everything..."

- Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon Bonaparte, the General, the conqueror of nations was a man with an original touch and a measure of inspiration as far as his military activities were concerned. He was beyond all doubt, a man with no parallel anywhere in the world to have changed the political landscape of Europe in a crucial stage in history.

Even the fame of Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great was eclipsed by the emergence of this small made man whose extraordinary lifetime of military achievement is well noted.

Unmatched skills

Napoleon's heroic deeds and exceptional power of mind in complete contrast to his small body, were a source of inspiration for the people of France who ardently believed him to be their super hero. The English strongly loathed this troublesome man. In short Napoleon had a sense of imperial style and organisational skills that were very much his own and was committed to give passable solutions to almost every problem that plagued France.

Napoleon Bonaparte

Born to an ordinary family in the island of Corsica, Napoleon brought about a memorable landmark in the history of France by mapping out a French legal system and giving a new dimension to education. He was a brilliant General and a military leader who carried his troops to several effortless victories in Europe.

How could a man with such integrity and total power have lost his will power to resist his feelings and emotions before a woman who much less deserved his love? However, it happened. It is completely unsafe to mistake his obsessing love for Josephine for a narrowness of mental outlook, but it was a truer feeling of love not tempered by a military mind. Napoleon's mind worked in a strange way that was sometimes enough to counter the effects of his heroism and charismatic image.

Lady who masked the true picture

After the French revolution, the French State, having closely studied his rare talents, promoted him to the rank of artillery commander. It was at this point that he was brought into contact with Josephine, a widow with two children. He was absolutely powerless before Josephine, a morally bankrupt woman. This meeting brought about dramatic changes in the life of Napoleon who was head over heels in love with Josephine and was prepared to give up the fame of the best of his victories for the sake of her love.

Yet, Josephine's mind, a perfect mismatch for his, focused more on achieving her own goals through Napoleon's reputation because she had been pitched into a bitter situation earlier with her first husband and a few more people there after. Josephine, presumably thought it sensible to fame the emperor with caressing words and bring him under control through the pretext of love.

Once she said to him "O, the General! should others too show the same fear that is shown to you by your enemies in the battlefield?. Do you expect me to fear you?"

This remark threw Napoleon into an embarrassing situation in which he desperately struggled to phrase a lovable, convincing assurance for her, "Josephine! Let me call you by the purest names, I'm on your lap as a lion is on the lap of a lioness. My life is with you."

Invasion of Italy

Napoleon, who overpowered the whole of Europe and gave a true value to the ordinary people involved in the French revolution, married Josephine through genuine love. Three days after his marriage, he had to leave for Italy for an invasion because he felt compelled to give a new dimension to his expansion of the empire. It appears almost inevitable that he was trapped in the 'moral dilemma' in leaving his 'beloved wife'. His desire for military fame was thus brought into close conflict with his genuine love for his wife.

In a sensitive mood he said "Josephine when you love me, I feel capable of conquering the whole world". This shows the Emperor's alacrity to be moved by what Josephine said in pretended resentment.

Josephine's escapades

While Napoleon was battling in Italy, Josephine practically left nothing undone to enjoy herself to her heart's content with higher officials in the State. Moreover, she received an unbroken chain of letters from the Emperor husband but she little cared about them and crumpled them before throwing them away. Once she tried to tempt Napoleon's messenger Murrat by giving him a forcible kiss when he brought a letter from his master in Italy.

Though Napoleon displayed a surprising level of brutality in the battlefield, nowhere else does history record such an emotional dependence as his on his wife.

Therefore, it is probably fair to say that he was so soft hearted that he was ready to sacrifice all his victories for the sake of a loving kiss from Josephine. While he was in Italy, he markedly felt the urge to come to Josephine, but after much effort, he managed to orient himself to the circumstances.

Finally he sent another message through Murrat inviting her to come to Italy. Josephine was determined to play a shrewd diplomatic game on her honest husband by informing him that she was fulfilling his duties for him in France and she was, above all, pregnant! She did not at all like to sacrifice her new-won freedom for her scandal in high society circles and lied to him that a pregnant woman could not go on such an arduous journey.

The mere news of Josephine's (false) pregnancy made the credulous Emperor overjoyed and he shared it with his soldiers nurturing great ambitions to be a proud father of a Prince. Josephine, who was now frenziedly absorbed in her joys with higher officials in the State in her husband's absence, was too ungrateful to her believing husband battling abroad.

Winning a woman's heart

While the rulers of other countries were accompanied by hundreds of pretty ladies, Napoleon spent time solitarily in his camp with all his thoughts fixed on a faithless wife. His victories in Italy brought him into contact with Italian ladies of varied social status but his affection for Josephine could in no way be held back. In the moments of irresistible loneliness, he wrote to Josephine, "Love me! Imagine a warm embrace and be sure of my love... To live in you is to live in heaven..." Strangely enough, her usual response to the letter was a casual remark, "he is excited again!"

The final days of the invasion of Italy proved to be a bitter ordeal for him because he was uninterruptedly obsessed with a speedy reunion with his wife in France. On his victorious return to France, he was shocked to note that Josephine had attended a social function she had been invited to. It is obvious that she valued meeting friends, studying new fashions and enjoying delicious food more than welcoming her valiant, Emperor husband who stood ready to sacrifice everything for her.

He was equally shocked to learn that she had betrayed him with a planned falsehood of pregnancy but everything changed with Josephine's sweet words on her return from the function.

He was naturally unaware that Josephine's behaviour was a part of a State coup by higher officials hostile to him but his two brothers were well aware of the situation. He developed a gradual aversion to Josephine's dishonest behaviour specially after a thorough exchange of ideas with his confidants. "Josephine can't have betrayed me so", he burst out.

Napoleon, now the master of Italy and Egypt, found himself beset by a joint hostility by Nelson of England and the Tzar of Russia and a tactical marriage with an Austrian princess seemed the only step to remain safe. His mind was greatly troubled by the prospect of having no child to succeed him and his brothers seized this opportunity to separate him from scheming Josephine. Whether he would choose Josephine as the empress or would marry a princess to have children brought about a serious confrontation of principles in him.

Torrent of remorse

As Muraat later revealed Napoleon let loose a torrent of remorse on the day of his remarriage with the Austrian princess. "Josephine! we must separate. I will remarry to have a dynasty of my own!" he shouted.

For the French, he carried the image of the nonpareil hero and it was a national pride for anyone to have announced himself a man born in Corsica (because Napoleon too was born in Corsica). But the most astounding aspect of his character is his double-edged attitude that proved itself wonderfully sharp in the battlefield and extremely childish before Josephine.

He displayed unmatched military prowess. He introduced, for the first time the "Code de Napoleon". He rulled half of the world but he knelt before a woman who never responded to his honest love and least deserved his love.