Napoleon Bonaparte And The Humiliating Battle of Rabbits
An ultimate & unimaginable clash of clans actually took place.
Napoleon and his soldiers barely escaped the relentless enemies that came in huge numbers. The French Emperor, and his men, were forced to flee the battlefield.
The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of this statement is the humiliating defeat of Napoleon in the infamous Battle of Waterloo. But was it Napoleon’s most embarrassing defeat?
I don’t think so.
Who was Bonaparte? Why is he so famous? Well, one of the most illustrious figures in Western history, Napoleon Bonaparte was a French general, first consul (1799–1804), and emperor of France (1804–1814/15). Today, he is considered one of the greatest military generals in history. How could he not be? He returned victorious in 70 out of the 81 battles he fought.
Greatest Military General or not, his victories against humans could not establish a win against a very unlikely enemy; tame rabbits.
Yes! You read it correctly this guy lost to a swarm of bunnies. I will talk about this strange “battle” and how Bonaparte got defeated in this article.
How to Celebrate Victory? Tip From Napoleon I, Emperor of the French.
Now, you must be thinking, How did this happen? What was this guy thinking?
Napoleon had signed the Treaties of Tilsit in 1807, putting an end to the War of the Fourth Coalition. So, apparently, after he signed the Treaties in the summer of 1807, he decided to celebrate and couldn’t find a better way to celebrate than to arrange a rabbit hunt.
Since he was the emperor and had a lot of work pending, so he decided to hand over the task to his Chief of Staff, Alexandre Berthier.
A Big mistake.
The two major tasks which fell under Berthier’s bucket included:
1- Collect the bunnies
2- Send letters to the most prominent men in his boss’ army.
Napoleon’s Biggest Mistake that Led to His Most Humiliating Defeat
One stupid mistake can change everything. I don’t doubt it for a second. I mean this article is about one.
Berthier decided to astonish his boss and the other important men. He thought of something that would impress the guests but got them depressed.
He released thousands of bunnies that were supposed to flee as soon as the cages opened. Did that happen, though? No, it didn’t. Instead, they hopped toward Napoleon and his men. As these swarms of monsters started to scale the French emperor’s legs, nervous laughter swiftly turned to fear.
This guy (Berthier) could fight in wars but couldn’t differentiate between the different types of Bunnies. Not that I blame him. He must have been busy with all the battles his boss fought.
He bought more than 3000 tame rabbits from local farmers. To Napoleon’s misfortune, these tame rabbits were used to seeing humans and thought Napoleon and his group had food for them. They ran towards them.
Imagine 3000+ rabbits coming towards you. I would run away like any normal person. Napoleon did the same. He ran for his life. Did it save him though? Unfortunately, no. Some bunnies joined him in his carriage and he had to fling them off. Now that is a scene I would like to witness with my own eyes.
Did Napoleon Suffer from Ailurophobia?
I know you must be thinking about Napoleon’s phobias related to animals. The answer is, No. He didn’t have ailurophobia or any other animal-related phobias.
There were a few rumors about how two separate events led to him fearing the felines but they are not reliable. Bonaparte “disliked” cats due to their laziness and sluggishness, but he never feared them. As a workaholic, he had no use for anything that was the opposite.
He also believed they spent the entire day lounging around in the sun. Thus, no reliable historical source assigns Napoleon Bonaparte any phobias. However, Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar, two of his heroes, were rumored to have suffered from ailurophobia.
This might be the result of the widespread perception that power-hungry males were scared of cats. I guess a lion does have to bow down in front of a cat after all.
Three Lessons Everyone Needs To Learn After This History Lesson
It is too painful to imagine someone killing a rabbit for fun or for its meat. Rabbits are really calm and peaceful animals. To think people hunt them hurts me a lot as I own a few. If only hunting and killing them were made illegal everywhere.
I hope people who hunt them stop doing so after reading this article. These animals are quite funny and Napoleon’s encounter with them proves my point. The third and most important lesson is; don’t come between the rabbit and its food.
These tiny animals can become cranky if someone messes with their food. Napoleon learned this lesson the hard way. Poor guy was never seen near them ever again.
To put it bluntly
Now, this is a history lesson I would love to study about. I wonder why schools never tell us this stuff. It’s quite interesting. Funny story though. I can still imagine Napoleon running like a madman.
Bunnies really are funny creatures. Should hunting rabbits be considered illegal? Or should they be protected? What do you think?
In my opinion, these cute, cuddly little babies need to be protected. There is a reason they symbolize rebirth, prosperity, and good luck.
These fluffy creatures remind me of the innocence that I have only seen in little children. To think people want to kill them is really sad. I hope everyone does their part in saving these species.
Haloo, my dearest reader. Want to follow up more from me and fellow Medium Family?
Hop on the chance to join:
