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What does a man who commands armies write when his wife stays silent?
In Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796–1812, Napoleon Bonaparte writes as a husband with an army to lead in Italy. The collection opens just days after his marriage. From camps and borrowed palaces, often at night, he sends hurried words of longing, jealousy and tenderness that he never intends for print.
The correspondence follows Napoleon from the Italian campaign through distance in Egypt and the demands of imperial power. His passion cools as private hopes meet reasons of state. Josephine's replies are mostly missing, so her silence leaves questions open. You hear one side of a marriage, not a balanced account of two lives.
What you’ll discover
- Passion from Italy Meet the young general whose burning letters carry longing alongside the pressures of command.
- Distance and doubt Follow the anxious notes of a husband separated from Josephine by slow, unsafe mail.
- Power enters the marriage Trace a changing tone as Napoleon rises from soldier to Emperor of the French.
- A voice without ceremony Hear tenderness, boredom and cruelty in words meant for Josephine rather than a public audience.
- The limits of letters Consider what one voice reveals, and what Josephine's missing replies leave you to question.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this book if you love real letters, the Napoleonic wars, or the private lives of famous people. It suits readers of biography who like to hear a voice speak in its own time.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Love and command share the page
- Trust begins with checking the letters
- Marriage begins with a sudden separation
- Silence feeds his jealousy
- Victory leaves the marriage unsettled
- His voice becomes calmer with power
- Concern comes wrapped in scolding
- Divorce changes their daily relationship
- Private sentences trace a public life
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Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796–1812
Between battles, a general on the Italian front begs his wife Josephine for a letter and fears she loves him less.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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In short
What would a general who commands an army write to his wife at one in the morning? In April 1796 a young Bonaparte sits at Albenga, far from Paris, and begs Josephine for a letter.
Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796–1812 at a glance
- Reading time
- About 6 h 20 min5 h fast, 7 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 90,000 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The letters survive in three collections
Henry Foljambe Hall arranged Napoleon's letters to Josephine by year and campaign, from 1796 to 1812. After the letters he placed notes drawing on memoirs of people near the couple. The result is a correspondence with a running commentary.
He explains where the texts come from. The earliest love letters reach us through a travel book by Charles Tennant, who printed eight in 1824. The largest source is the collection published by Didot in 1833, with two hundred and twenty-eight letters. Hall thinks Hortense allowed only pages that would not harm her mother's name, yet he counts them authentic.
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Cite this edition
Napoleon I. Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796–1812. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/napoleons-letters-to-josephine-1796-1812.
Napoleon I. (2026). Napoleon's letters to Josephine, 1796–1812. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/napoleons-letters-to-josephine-1796-1812
Napoleon I. Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796–1812. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/napoleons-letters-to-josephine-1796-1812.
@book{napoleon2026napoleons,
author = {Napoleon I},
title = {Napoleon's Letters to Josephine, 1796–1812},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/napoleons-letters-to-josephine-1796-1812}
}
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What is Napoleon's Letters to Josephine about?
It collects the letters Napoleon wrote to Josephine between 1796 and 1812, from his first Italian campaign to the eve of the Russian war. Henry Foljambe Hall adds notes on battles, people and sources to place each letter in its moment.
Are the letters really by Napoleon?
Hall draws most of them from the Tennant collection and the Didot collection of 1833, both treated as authentic, and checks the rest against the official Correspondence of Napoleon I. He places letters printed by Madame Ducrest in an appendix as forgeries.
Why did Napoleon and Josephine divorce?
The notes explain that Napoleon wanted an heir and that a family council and the Senate dissolved the marriage in December 1809. Josephine kept her title as Empress and a large income, and the letters show him writing to her kindly afterwards.
The author
Napoleon Bonaparte
1769–1821 · French emperor and military leader
Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, in 1769. He was a French military leader and emperor from 1804 to 1814, and again in 1815. He wrote letters to his wife Josephine between 1796 and 1812. He lived in exile on Saint Helena from 1815 until his death in 1821.
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