Napoleon vs the Rabbits: The Battle He Didn’t Win (S03x72)

Napoleon Bonaparte defeated powerful armies, brought kingdoms to their knees and changed the political landscape of Europe. But according to one of the strangest stories associated with the French Emperor, there was one determined army he could not overcome.

An army of rabbits.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Welcome back, guys, to the storytelling podcast, your cozy corner of captivating tales. I'm your host Alejandra, and today we are traveling back to the early 19th century to meet one of the most famous military leaders the world has ever known. This man made kings nervous and his armies march across Europe with this astonishing success, and whose victories changed the course of history. When people think of Napoleon Bonaparte, they imagine epic battles, brilliant military strategies, and an emperor who seemed almost impossible to defeat. But as we know here on the podcast, history has this wonderful sense of humor as well. And today we are not talking about one of Napoleon's greatest victories, he has many, but we are talking about one of his greatest embarrassments. And this story is so strange that it sounds as though someone invented it as a joke. But it has been repeated for over 200 years. Imagine an emperor standing proudly in the French countryside, surrounded by his officers, ready to enjoy this relaxing afternoon after years of warfare. Everything has been carefully organized, the weather is pleasant, the guests are in good spirits, and the hunt is about to begin. Then, within just moments, everything goes spectacularly wrong. And instead of chasing the animals, the animals actually starts chasing him. We are not talking about wolves or wild boars, which was normal in these hunting gatherings. And not angry bulls, because, you know, we're talking about rabbits. Hundreds of rabbits. Okay, maybe someone said along the line that it was thousands, but we need to take things with, you know, this grain of salt. And today we are discovering one of history's greatest commanders that found himself retreating from an army that he never expected to fight. And why this unusual event has become one of the funniest stories ever connected to Napoleon Bonaparte. And don't get me wrong, there will be more episodes about Napoleon because he has a lot of episodes. This episode is sponsored by Spotlight Creative Agency. If you're starting a podcast or trying to grow the one that you already have, Spotlight helps creators with editing, scripting, and social media so you can focus on telling great stories. This podcast has been growing with their support behind the scenes, and if you want help turning your ideas into a polished show, Spotlight Creative Agency can help. Check them out, link in the description. And just to remind you that this channel is made for you to binge. Many more episodes are waiting for you here on the channel. If you prefer a visual experience, you can also find the episodes on YouTube where you can watch and listen at the same time. But before we get to the rabbits, let's just understand the man at the center of this story. Napoleon Bonaparte wasn't born into great wealth or into one of France's most powerful noble families. He was born in 1769 on the Mediterranean island of Corsica, which had only recently become part of France. And as a young boy, he spoke French with a noticeable Corsican accent and often felt like an outsider among his classmates. Even so, he possessed something that they couldn't taught. He was incredibly intelligent, he was curious, and he was remarkably disciplined. Many young men of his age enjoyed parties or social gatherings, but Napoleon, he preferred to study military history. He read books about famous generals, ancient empires, and great battles, filling his mind with strategies and ideas that he hoped that one day he could use it. And when the French Revolution erupted in 1789, the country was thrown into complete chaos, and kings and queens across Europe watched this nervously as France overthrew its monarchy and attempted to build an entire new society. Civil unrest, political violence, and war became part of everyday life. And for ambitious young officers, however, the revolution created these opportunities that never existed before. Napoleon quickly proved himself to be this exceptional military commander. He had this extraordinary ability to understand battlefields, almost like a chess player looking several moves ahead. While many generals followed traditional methods, Napoleon moved quickly, and for the surprise of his enemies, he attacked when they least expected. And this was victory after victory. His Italian campaign made him famous through Europe, and newspapers praised him. Soldiers would admire him, and ordinary French citizens began to see him as a national hero. And then came Egypt, an expedition that mixed military ambition with scientific discovery. This will be a whole new episode just for this. And he did awesome in terms of history and preservation, especially on Egypt. And although it didn't achieve all its goals, it ended even more mystery and fame to grow Napoleon's reputation. By the time he returned to France, the country desperately needed stability. Political leaders argued constantly and governments rose and fell, and many people believed that only one man had the power to restore the order. And Napoleon agreed. In 1799, he seized power during a coup and became first consul of France. A few years later, in 1804, he crowned himself emperor in this elaborate ceremony inside Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. And it was this extraordinary moment because instead of allowing the Pope to place the crown upon his head, Napoleon famously took the crown himself and placed it there, sending a powerful message that his authority came from his own achievements and not for anyone else's approval. And of course, this reflected his personality. He was confident, he was brilliant, he was ambitious, and he was completely convinced that he was destined to greatness. And over the following years, Napoleon led French armies across Europe with this astonishing success. Austria, Prussia, and several other powerful nations all discovered how dangerous he could be on the battlefield. Entire kingdoms fell before him. Borders were redrawn, and old political systems absolutely collapsed. At his height, Napoleon controlled or influenced much of continental Europe. Even countries that weren't directly ruled by him had to consider his wishes before making important decisions. And to many people living at that time, Napoleon seemed almost unstoppable. But despite all this success, of course, and constant warfare, this came at a cost. Thousands of soldiers marched for months through rain, snow, and this unbearable heat. Supplies were difficult to transport, and families waited anxiously for loved ones who might never return home. Entire regions suffered from years of conflict with farms destroyed, trade interrupted, and ordinary people that were caught between competing armies. Napoleon himself rarely stopped working. He could spend long hours reading reports, planning campaigns, reviewing maps, and writing letters. He expected the same level of dedication from everyone around him. His officers admired his energy, but they also knew he demanded excellence. Mistakes were rarely tolerated, and decisions often had to be made within minutes. But despite him being this emperor and he had very successful campaigns, and he treated not very well his people, life around the emperor moved at this exhausting pace, as we saw a little bit in parts of the army. And then in 1807, something happened that offered just a little brief moment of relief. After defeating the Russian forces at the difficult and bloody battle of Friedland, Napoleon man with Tsar Alexander I to negotiate peace. And the meeting itself became legendary. Rather than meeting inside a palace, the two rulers chose a raft floating in the middle of the Nieman River. It was neutral ground, symbolizing that neither ruler was entering the other's territory. And that image fascinated Europe. Two of the continent's most powerful men sitting together in the middle of a river discussing the future of nations. And the negotiations resulted in the Treaty of Tilsit. For Napoleon, it represented another remarkable achievement. France and Russia would, at least for the moment, stop fighting one another. There were celebrations throughout France, and many believed Europe might finally enjoy a period of relative peace after years of exhausting conflict. Naturally, Napoleon wanted to celebrate. Although he enjoyed military life, he also appreciated a few moments of relaxation. It wasn't all just work, work, work. Hunting had long been one of his favorite pastimes of European aristocrats, kings, nobles, and wealth landowers. They organized elaborate hunts, not only for sport, but also as part of this important social occasion and gathering. These events were carefully planned. Guests wore elegant clothing that was suited to ride through the countryside. Horses were prepared and servants organized food and refreshments, and the dogs waited eagerly for the excitement to begin. But for Napoleon, this wasn't just another afternoon outdoors. This was an opportunity to enjoy himself with trusted officers and close companions after years of spending commanding armies across Europe. And someone suggested organizing a grand rabbit hunt, and it sounded perfect. You know, unlike hunting dangerous animals such as wild boars, rabbits actually provided this light entertainment. Of course, it sounded barbarous, but people were doing that. And the event would be relaxed, enjoyable, and almost symbolic. And after so much bloodshed, here was this afternoon dedicated simply to laughter, fresh air, and friendly competition. And Napoleon said yes, gave his approval. The responsibility for organizing everything fell to one of the men he trusted most, his chief of staff, Marshal Alexander Berthier. Berthier had organized military campaigns involving hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and surely arranging a rabbit hunt would be one of the easiest tasks of his entire career. Or so everyone thought. But there was only one problem. Someone had to provide the rabbits. But now, if you ever watched a wild rabbit in Nature, you know that they are incredibly cautious creatures. The slightest unusual sound is often enough to send them racing for cover. You will never caught him. And they survive by being alert and staying hidden, and by running away from danger. They are super fast. That is exactly what everyone expected to happen. The plan was very simple. Hundreds of rabbits would be released into the fields, and Napoleon and his guests would spread through the countryside and begin the hunt. But gathering hundreds of wild rabbits was much more difficult than it sounded. Some historical accounts suggested Berthier ordered around 300 rabbits. Others claimed that the number was close to 1,000. And in the most dramatic versions of the story, suggested nearly 3,000 of rabbits were collected for the occasions. Whatever the real number was, I was certainly too much rabbits in the picture. The men responsible for supplying them suddenly found themselves facing this serious challenge. Catching that many wild rabbits would take this enormous amount of time. Wild rabbits are fast, unpredictable, and they are not, you know, interested in cooperating with people carrying nets. So, whether out of convenience, misunderstanding, or simply trying to impress the emperor, they just provide an impressive quantity of animals. But these suppliers made a decision that would make this famous. Instead of delivering wild rabbits, they delivered domesticated ones. You know, the fluffy ones. At first glance, that probably didn't seem like a major issue. A rabbit is a rabbit, right? Well, not exactly. Wild rabbits spend every day avoiding predators. Foxes, birds of prey, wolves, dogs, and even humans. They have hunted them for centuries. And their instincts are all built around survival. If they see people approaching, they will disappear instantly. Domesticated rabbits, however, they live this completely different life. Many of them are raised on farms and or are kept in enclosed space where people feed them every single day. To those rabbits, humans are not these terrifying predators. Humans are those that just give them food and clean them after themselves. So no one involved in organizing the hunt appeared to just realize how important the difference was. And on the morning of the event, the atmosphere couldn't be more cheerful, because you know, Napoleon arrived dressed for the occasion as normal and surrounded by his trusted officers whose uniforms sparked in the sunlight. Horses stampied impatiently across the grass, and servants hurried from one place to another making the final preparations. Countryside itself was beautiful, gentle hills stretching to the distance, dot with trees and open fields, birds sang overhead, and there was this pleasant breeze drifting through the landscape. Everything looked perfect. The cages containing the rabbits were positioned around the hunting grounds, waiting for the signal. And guests were chatting confidently, some joked about who would prove to be the best hunter, and others simply enjoyed their rare opportunity to relax with the emperor outside the pressures of wars and politics. Napoleon himself appeared to be in this excellent mood, and for once there were no battle plans to discuss, and no enemies to defeat, no urgent messages arriving from distant front lines. It was this just this peaceful afternoon, and finally the order was given. And the cages were opened. And at first everything seemed normal. Dozens of rabbits hopped onto the open, then dozens became hundreds. The little animals gathered together across the grass, and Napoleon watched, waiting for them to scatter into every direction. And after all, that's that's what rabbits do. Only they simply didn't. Instead of running away from the people standing before them, the pair the rabbits paused, simply. Many of them lifted their nose into the air, some twitched their ears. Then, almost as if they had reached this silent agreement, they all began hopping towards humans. At first nobody thought much about it, and then a few officers laughed. Someone probably assumed rabbits were simply confused, and perhaps they did it just a moment before darting away into the fields, but they just kept coming. Twenty rabbits became fifty, fifty became 100, and the crowd of fluffy little animals moved together like a living carpet rolling across the grass. And Napoleon? He just stood there watching with growing confusion to what the heck is going on. He was thinking like this hunt is not where it's supposed to be. You know. And then one rabbit reached his boot, and then another. And soon there were rabbits pressing around his legs, and the emperor stepped backwards, and the rabbits stepped backwards, and forwards and everywhere, to be honest, and the officers looked at one another. And surely this would stop after a few seconds. But it didn't. More rabbits poured from the cages. And instead of spreading across the countryside, they all seemed fascinated by the gathering of people, thinking, why is is did these people bring food or what? And within moments, the elegant hunting party found himself surrounded. Imagine the scene, please, because in my mind it's already very clear. Some of the most decorated military officers in Europe. The men who had survived cannon fire, who had charged across battlefields in clouds of smoke, the men who had stared down enemy cavalry were now completely bewildered because of hundreds of rabbits simply refused to leave them alone. And of course, if you are laughing, I'm laughing too. And even then, they were laughing a lot. And at first, it was because this was generally funny, you know, little rabbits bouncing happily across the grass, touching the emperor. But then something was strangely obvious. The rabbits weren't stopping, they continued just pushing forward, and more of them arrived every few seconds. It's like they were reproducing in seconds. And Napoleon attempted to walk away. And the rabbits followed him. He changed direction, they followed again. But by now, they were crowding around his boots so closely that he had to watch every step to avoid accidentally stepping on them. And his officers tried waving hats and walking sticks, and someone, you know, clapped loudly, and others shouted, and you know, normally sudden noises would send the wild rabbits racing for safety. But these rabbits they barely reacted. If anything, the shouting seemed to make them even more excited, and they continue hopping eagerly towards the people, and servants hurried over to try to separate the rabbits from Napoleon's feet, and it didn't work. More kept arriving, and the animals weren't aggressive, they weren't actually attacking. They were simply believed that these humans that were there were standing in the middle, you know, of they must sure have food. Because from the rabbit's point of view, this was a wonderful place. They were in heaven. Hundreds of familiar-looking humans had gathered together in one place. It was surely feeding time, for sure, but unfortunately for Napoleon, nobody had brought vegetables or grains or anything that rabbits were expecting. The Emperor's attempt to escape to escape actually he started to get desperate. And he walked faster. And the rabbits hopped faster, and he turned away, and the rabbits turned with him. And witnesses later described the site as a wave after wave of rabbits that were advancing restlessly across the field towards the Emperor itself. Of course, as a side joke, I can say that maybe the Prussians were behind this and they were very infiltrated spies. But of course, I'm joking. And one officer tried driving them back. Another attempted to chase them away with a riding crop. You know, a little bit of wheat, just follow me. And the rabbits simply moved around the obstacle, and they were just simply going towards Napoleon. And of course, you know, laughter by now was impossible to contain. This was the ruffle part of the day. And even some of Napoleon's closest companions, they struggled to keep straight faces because Napoleon would look at you, and if you're smiling or if you're laughing, he would think that it was laughing to him. So not with him. And this was not this glorious imperial hunt. This was such a chaos that finally Napoleon admitted defeat. Not military defeat, but practical defeat. He turned and headed toward his carriage, hoping to leave this increasing ridiculous scene behind. And surely, once he climbed inside his carriage, the problem would be over, except yes, the rabbits follow him there too. Historical accounts, of course, differ at a lot of points. I have found this story in several perspectives. And some claim that they surrounded the carriage before it could leave, and others suggest that they continue hopping after it had rolled away from hunting grounds. Either way, the result was the same. The Grand Imperial Rabbit Hunt had ended almost before it had begun. And you know, there were they didn't caught any rabbits. Um basically, rabbits caught them. And imagine trying to explain this to someone who wasn't there back then. Uh, someone like, uh, how did the Emperor hunting trip go? Oh well, the rabbits won. And yes, it sounds like a punchline for a joke. Yet this extraordinary little story has survived for more than two centuries because of how wonderfully absurd it is. Napoleon Bonaparte had defeated Austria, he defeated Prussia, he had humbled powerful kingdoms and helped to reshape Europe and Europe's history. But in one peaceful afternoon in the French countryside, he found himself outmaneuvered by a determined army of hungry rabbits. Napoleon Bonaparte is remembered as one of the greatest military minds in history. His victories changed nations, his decisions shaped Europe, and his name still appears in history books all over the world. Yet somehow, one of the stories people love telling the most isn't a one about his greatest triumphs. It's about the day a peaceful afternoon turned into complete chaos because one very simple mistake. And sometimes history reminds us that no matter how powerful someone may be, life has a way of keeping everyone humble. An emperor who would command hundreds of thousands of soldiers couldn't command a field full of rabbits. And perhaps that's one of the reasons that this story survived for more than 200 years. It shows us that even the most extraordinary people have moments that are wonderfully ordinary, unexpected, and just a little bit ridiculous. Exactly what we like here. And this was today's episode, guys. I hope you liked it. And comment below and share your thoughts. It's always nice to hear from you guys, and I promise that I have more episodes ready for you available here weekly on the Storytelling Podcast. And just to remind you that this channel is made for you to binge. Many more episodes are waiting for you here at the channel. And if you prefer a visual experience, you can also find the episodes on YouTube where you can watch and listen at the same time. Thank you for listening, and please remember that if you'd like to send your stories or special topics to be shared in the next episodes, please send them to the storytellingpodcast880ml.com or follow me on social media at the storytelling podcast official and at LA LifeOfficial. But before you go, if you haven't done that already, I would love for you to click on the follow or subscribe button and see you on the next episode.