Table of contents:


The legendary French military leader and emperor Napoleon Bonaparte rests in the Parisian Cathedral of the House of Invalids. The ambitious Corsican was stripped of many vital body parts. One of them is his penis. After the untimely death of the Little Corporal in early May 1821, many apparently wanted to take a piece of his flesh as a keepsake. No matter how awful it sounds. Who and how dismantled the emperor for souvenirs, and where they are now stored further in the review.
Death of the emperor
About two dozen people were present at the autopsy of the emperor's body. Half of them were doctors. So, in fact, it was not so easy to steal something. According to one theory, the personal physician Francesco Antomarca cut off his master's love appendage. Another version boils down to the fact that the intimate parts of the body were cut off by Napoleon's confessor Ange-Paul Vignali. This was done during the traditional church funeral rites over the body of the emperor.

Where did the important parts of the body go?
As it turned out later, this was not the only part of the body that was so impudently stolen from Bonaparte. A certain Louis-Etienne Saint-Denis was present at the autopsy. He was Napoleon's second valet. The former servant also confessed that he could not resist and stole two small pieces of his master's rib. Saint-Denis claimed that he took advantage of the moment when everyone was distracted and no one was watching the body. These two pieces of flesh also went to Vignali.

The imperial genitals passed into the possession of the chaplain Napoleon. He, taking advantage of his position, secretly took them out of St. Helena. The priest placed them in his home in Corsica. There they were kept in his family until 1916. After that, a London book company called Maggs Bros Ltd. decided to acquire them. Almost ten years later, the Napoleonic penis passed into the possession of a certain Dr. Abraham S. V. Rosenbach, a Philadelphia bookseller. He bought all the Vignali family heirlooms for a very modest amount of a couple of thousand dollars.

In 1927, this unprecedented artifact was first exhibited at the Museum of French Art in New York. After that, one newspaper covering the event wrote that some people sniffed, others giggled and pointed fingers. In a glass case, there was something that looked like a piece of deerskin or shriveled eel.
The misadventures of the "relic"
Twenty years later, Dr. Rosenbach sold the unusual "souvenir" to Donald Hyde. He was an avid collector. When he died, his wife returned the imperial organ to Rosenbach's successor, John Fleming. A few years later, the wealthy collector Bruce Gimelson took an interest in Vignali's collection and bought it out in its entirety for $ 35,000.

In 1972, the strange artifact was put up for auction in London. True, it failed to reach its reserve price and was withdrawn from the sale. After this fiasco, one British tabloid burst out with a not-so-decent headline: "NOT TODAY, JOSEPHINE!"
Finally, in 1977, the "relic" was sold to an American urologist named Lattimer. After the death of the doctor, the "treasure" was inherited by his only daughter.
Subject was subjected to forensic analysis. Researchers have confirmed that this is indeed a male penis. But whether it belongs to the Emperor Napoleon - this question remained open. Some historians doubt that the priest could have orchestrated such a theft. After all, such a huge number of people watched the body. Others suggest that he only stole a small portion.

The penis is now still owned by Dr. Lattimer's daughter. She was recently offered $ 100,000 for it, but refuses to sell it. If, as Freud suggested, the collector is a sexually maladjusted misanthrope, then the emperor's phallus is an incomparably attractive object. He is the embodiment of masculine strength and domination. However, the Freudian paradigm has never considered female collectors and does not explain the attractiveness of such things to them.
In any case, it's time to let Napoleon's penis rest in peace with his master. Museums are gradually moving away from displaying human remains, advocating that proper burial rites for body parts can be performed. Napoleon's penis must also be allowed to return home and reunite with the rest of his mortal body.

If you are intrigued by this turbulent period of French history, read our article about Napoleon's closest comrade-in-arms and relative: 6 curious facts about the general of Napoleon - Gascon, who hated the monarchy, and himself became a king.
Popular by topic
How it happened that the Soviet Union exchanged warships for Pepsi

Pepsi is the undisputed global soft drink giant. It has long been firmly rooted in the Russian market. It started back in the early 1970s, when Russia was part of the Soviet Union. It was the first swallow of the hostile capitalist world to enter the communist market. At that time, the rivalry between the two countries was so fierce that it becomes unclear how the American company managed to do this?
Why the Americans were afraid of Alexander Abdulov, how he almost ruined Azerbaijan and other little-known facts about the actor

On May 29, the famous actor and film director, People's Artist of Russia Alexander Abdulov could have turned 68, but he has been dead for 13 years. It is difficult to name an artist who would enjoy the same truly popular love and by his participation alone ensured the film the status of a cult cinema. Wherever he appeared, he was in the spotlight and made an unforgettable impression on the public. True, it was not always unambiguous. He had his heart broken in his youth, which caused him to try
Not only the husband of Lisa Boyarskaya: Little-known facts about the star of "Trigger" Maxim Matveyev

More recently, this actor, who recently celebrated his 39th birthday, was mentioned in the media primarily in connection with his marital status - for more than 10 years he has been married to the successor of the famous acting dynasty Elizaveta Boyarskaya. Maxim Matveev has been acting in films since he was 25, but his deafening popularity came to him only after 35, when "Anna Karenina", "Trigger" and "Sherlock in Russia" were released. Today Boyarskaya is more often called "the wife of Maxim Matveyev", and he himself is spoken of as one
In memory of Valentin Gaft: Unsuccessful love scenes, fake epigrams and other little-known facts about the famous artist

The famous theater and film actor, writer, People's Artist of the RSFSR Valentina Gafta became widely known not only as a performer of vivid roles in the films "Garage", "Say a Word about the Poor Hussar", "Forgotten Melody for the Flute", "Sorcerers", but also as the author of philosophical poems and poignant epigrams, because of which his relations with colleagues often deteriorated. Who actually created some of the lyrics attributed to Gaft, why the actors were offended at him, and why the actresses did not want to play with neither
The Last Princesses of Orthodox Europe: What Happened to the Girls of Deposed Dynasties

Until recently, almost every country in Europe had its own ruling dynasty. But the twentieth century was merciless towards monarchies, and all traditionally Orthodox countries now live without kings. Princesses, once born to become queens in other states, eventually got a different fate