Napoleon's beloved, Josephine owned a small moppy named Fortune. The animal was by no means characterized by the typical gentleness of the breed. Since Fortune spent most of his time in Josephine's chambers, he became extremely possessive and hostile toward men he considered his rivals. Napoleon recalled the night of his wedding to his chosen one in 1796 in this way, reporting to his friend, French playwright Antoine-Vincent Arnault: "Do you see this gentleman? He's my rival. When I married her, he was in possession of the lady's bed. I wanted to remove him, but it was completely pointless. I was told that I either had to sleep somewhere else or agree to share the bed. This annoyed me greatly, but I had to make a decision. I gave in. The favoritism was less favorable..."
When Josephine followed Napoleon to Milan, she naturally took Fortune with her. The unfortunate feisty pet unfortunately ended its life there, provoking a fight with a mastiff owned by Napoleon's cook. Devastated by the loss, Josephine, to wipe away her tears, soon got another moppy from her lover, Lieutenant Hippolyte Charles. The situation repeated itself - Napoleon was once again forced to share his bedroom with his mistress's pampered pet. How significant is the fact that the ruler of the French Empire, a prominent military commander Napoleon Bonaparte - in his bedroom gave way to ... a small pet. This illustrates how significant a role dogs played in the monarchical courts of the time. Their position in the hearts of their owners was unquestionable.
Napoleon spent the last years of his life in forced exile on the island of Saint Helena. He reportedly shared his days with a black and white dog of unknown breed named "Sambo." Reports state that the dog's ears were cut off in the so-called Chinese style, making its head resemble... a seal. Napoleon seemed very close to his companion. He once wrote: "If you do not like dogs, you do not like fidelity; you do not like those who are attached to you; therefore you are not faithful..."
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