La berline de Napoléon, le mystère du butin de Waterloo
Directed by Jean Tulard
On the morning of 18 June 1815, the Emperor was full of hope. That same evening, all was lost at Waterloo. Once the Guard had been pushed back what little was left of the army broke ranks. The greatest shame was the loss of his personal vehicle with all his belongings. Napoleon always kept them near him, and now the enemy held them. This is the red thread of this book that accompanies an exhibition at the musée de la Légion d’honneur. It is the result of a true police investigation. For it was not known for a long time what had happened to the treasure, and first of all the decorations the Emperor had received throughout his existence – the jewel of the “chevalier de l’ordre des Séraphins” or the plates of the “chevalier de l’ordre de l’Aigle d’or”, or that of the “ordre de l’Eléphant”. They became the war spoils of marshal Blücher and were exhibited in Berlin before disappearing discreetly, only to appear from time to time following the treaty of Versailles to then slip away again … to reappear in Moscow in 2000. The book describes this fantastic story with all the details of the insignia, which have exceptionally come back to Paris.
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Review published in the newsletter #263 - from 14 June 2012 to 20 June 2012