In March 1796, the French military leader and dictator Napoleon Bonaparte married Josephine de Beauharnais, a Creole widow six years his senior. Three days after their wedding, Napoleon left to command the French army in the Italian states. His new bride remained in Paris and started an affair with a 22-year-old cavalry officer.

Unaware of her infidelity, Napoleon penned a series of passionate, sometimes erotic letters to Josephine. In the most graphic of these, he wrote:

“How happy I would be if I could assist you at your undressing, the little white breast, springy and firm; the adorable face; the hair tied up in a scarf a la creole – good enough to eat. You know well that I have not forgotten the small visits [to your] little black forest. I give it a thousand visits and impatiently await the moment to be there… To live inside a Josephine is to live in paradise. To kiss the mouth, eyes, shoulder, breast, everywhere, everywhere.”

The general arranged a liaison with Josephine in Milan, however by the time he arrived she had absconded to Genoa with her lover. Napoleon discovered her infidelity shortly after; he became physically ill as a consequence and was temporarily unable to lead the army. He even wrote to Josephine threatening suicide.

Source: Letter from Napoleon to Josephine, dated November 21st 1796. Content on this page is © Alpha History 2019-23. Content may not be republished without our express permission. For more information please refer to our Terms of Use or contact Alpha History.