A marriage certificate signed by Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, the empress Josephine, has sold for $20,000.

The piece was featured in Lion Heart Autographs' February 10-16 jewellery, art and antique show in Palm Beach.

Napoleon signed the marriage certificate in 1804

The couple attended the wedding of General August Hulin and Marie Jeanne-Louise Tiersonnier in 1804.

Hulin was one of Napoleon's top generals. In 1808 he would help oversee the campaign in Prussia and was rewarded with the governorship of Paris.

David Lowenherz of Lion Heart Autographs explained: "Napoleon and Josephine's own marriage contract is preserved in National Archives of France.

"I don't think there is a person anywhere who isn't fascinated by Napoleon and Josephine's love story - a truly romantic couple joined together during a remarkable period in history.

"This contract, signed not just by them, but by family members and important military officers as well, all of whom gathered to celebrate the marriage of the man whose actions sparked the French Revolution, offers a rare glimpse into the splendid affairs of the royal household."

A marriage certificate from Napoleon and Josephine's secret 1804 Catholic wedding, held as a condition of the Pope's attendance to Napoleon's coronation, will sell at Osenat Auction in Fontainebleau on March 5-6.

We have this remarkable strand of Napoleon's hair for sale.

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