Napoleon Bonaparte. The Duke of Wellington.
With apologies to historians and to the end of the Great Man Theory of history those are the two names that collectors most focus on in the Napoleonic War period.
You might add Admiral Lord Nelson to that list in the UK. And others in France or Russia or Germany.
Napoleon had great ambitions and achieved most of them.
Wellington and Bonaparte were both extraordinary characters, whether you want to call them great or not.
And, they more than left their mark - as individuals - on this tumultuous and bloody period.
The Napoleonic Wars are generally accepted as running from 1803 to 1815.
The name takes in a series of conflicts involving a dizzying number of states, client states, statelets, duchies….
The death toll, as far as it can be measured, is probably 6 million. Many of them completely innocent civilians.
It was also an international conflict, spreading well outside Europe’s borders.
After Napoleon was finally defeated at Waterloo the world was changed.
Some of the progressive changes of the French Revolution were embedded across Europe. Liberalism and nationalism of a new type were on the march. Britain’s ascent to global imperial dominance picked up its pace.
Economies were reforged and the way war was fought would never be the same again.
The conflicts left an extraordinary cultural legacy too: War and Peace, Les Misérables, Goya’s still-shocking Disasters of War pictures…
Let’s look at those giants in brief, and see how you can collect Napoleonic relics today.
1 - Napoleon Bonaparte
Napoleon at the Battle of Jenna in 1806, he was much-loved by his soldiers and enjoyed considerable personal popularity.
They’re still arguing about the legacy of Napoleon Bonaparte today.
Stories put about as anti-Bonaparte propaganda during the wars were still in the bloodstream of popular culture as I was growing up: his size (or lack of it), his sexual prowess (or lack of it), how he stood, the size of his ego were all still easily and generally understood.
That’s a long shadow for a foreign leader who died 150 years before I was born.
Who was Napoleon?
Napoleon bonaparte was born in Corsica on August 15, 1769. Moving to mainland France as a young man he joined the army and quickly became a successful officer as the French Revolution opened up opportunities beyond the aristocracy.
By 1795 he was a political star after facing down - and firing on - Royalist insurgents in Paris. A year later he was leading a military campaign in Italy and confirming his military genius.
Success brought enormous popularity, and national leadership in 1799 as First Consul. From that lofty peak, Napoleon promoted himself to Emperor in 1804.
France continued to fight wars across Europe. Napoleon kept winning, until, in 1812 he chose to invade Russia. His armies crumbled, and in 1814 a coalition of states invaded France and packed Napoleon off to exile on Elba.
He escaped, returned to France and - with a good degree of popular support - took power again.
At Waterloo, in 1815, a sixth and final anti-Bonaparte coalition took him on and defeated his armies at Waterloo.
His next exile, to St Helena in the South Atlantic, was final, and he died there in 1821 after 51 years of one of the most extraordinary lives in history.
Buying Napoleon collectibles
Napoleon lived a life of extreme contrasts: a very Corsican child from a relatively modest background who ruled France as a Emperor steeped in opulence, grand imperial imagery, and raw military might.
Artefacts from his life are, as you would expect, extremely highly valued and very sought after.
Particularly in France. If you want to buy Napoleon artifacts do it outside France. And if you want to sell them, head to Paris for the highest price.
Much Napoleon material is safely tucked away in national and museum and archive collections and is unlikely to ever come to market.
However, you can shop for material owned by the Little Corporal, if you have fairly deep pockets.
Personal items are valuable and stories add more value.
Napoleon lived in an age of letters and documents. Putting things down on paper, even in the heat of a campaign, was an important record for accountability.
His letters can be very valuable. A note to Josephine (his wife) sold for £276,000 pounds in 2007 to set a record for the Emperor. It went five times over its estimate at sale in London.
More affordable are examples like this military letter that Napoleon signed to confirm his receipt of it. A great way to get an important historical document and one of history’s most desirable autographs.
A close up of Napoleon's signature on the 1807 letter. Every serious autograph hunter craves it. Not all will get it.
Hats were key to Napoleon’s legend. And he knew it. He wore a bicorn hat “the wrong way” by turning the points horizontally. This trademark look was said to make him stand out on the battlefield.
He loved the hats, which were almost always either on his head or in his hands, and had a good supply of them, always carrying 12 with him when he travelled.
They are among the most valuable items associated with him.
Last year, once sold for £1.7m at auction in Paris.
There are thought to be around 20 still around and most are in private collections.
Other personal items are also very desirable, like this snuff box that can be yours for much less.
Fit for an emperor? Perhaps, but this beautiful snuff box was one of the consolations of exile on St Helena for the defeated and deposed Napoleon.
You could even buy a fragment of Napoleon himself in the shape of a strand of his hair.
2 - The Duke of Wellington
Wellington at Waterloo, the greatest of his many military triumphs.
A soldier and politician - the latter less successfully - Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington is one of the giants of his age.
Ask anyone to name a British soldier and he is likely to feature strongly in hour results.
Among his legacy is a strong physical presence on the streets of London in the shape of memorials, his massive home, Apsley House, opposite Hyde Park, and street, square and pub names up and down the country.
Who was the Duke of Wellington?
Arthur Wellesley was born on May 1, 1769 in Ireland - then under British rule.
He joined the British army in 1787 and was fighting as a colonel in the wars with France by 1796.
In 1803, he was a major-general winning his first major victory in India.
It was the Peninsular War (in what is now Spain and Portugal) that made him a military star. The wars ruined Spain and Portugal, and drained resources from France - already weakened by the invasion of Russia - to such an extent that Wellington was able to march his army into France after winning the Battle of Vitoria.
In 1814 he received the title Duke of Wellington (the town in Somerset) and a plum job as Ambassador to France. The perfect place from which to observe the end of Napoleon’s exile and return to power.
Wellington was one of the key commanders at the Battle of Waterloo, one of around 60 he fought in, almost all successful. His last command was of the multinational army that occupied Paris and put a king back on the French throne.
Wellington is less well remembered as a politician, but was twice Prime Minister (from 1828 to 1830 and for a stop-gap month in 1834).
Wellington's political career didn't add much to his reputation, but it didn't diminish his status as a national hero, as his massive funeral showed.
He retained the title of Commanded in Chief until his death in 1852 and his funeral was a grand affair. Queen Victoria called him “the greatest man this country ever produced.”
Buying Wellington collectibles
A long life leaves many relics, and Wellington documents, militaria, and personal items can be found relatively readily.
Wellington may have won the final battle, but Napoleon has won the reputational battle as far as collectors are concerned.
Items from his life certainly have value though.
Invitations to his funeral were auctioned with estimates of around £1,200 in 2007.
A sword he wore in the occupation of Paris - apparently made for Napoleon - was sold for £60,000 in 2005.
Swords - he was gifted many - typically make 10s of thousands of pounds.
Letters and signed documents can cost thousands, like these examples:
How extraordinary to own a letter written in Wellington's own hand. You can clearly see the strong, handsome signature.
And, you can even own a piece of Wellington yourself in the shape of a strand of his hair.
Buying Napoleonic War relics today
All collectibles owe their value to their uniquness so it is important that you make sure you are buying from a trustworthy source.
Use reputable buyers, look for those who are willing to guarantee authenticity - we offer a lifetime, money-back authenticity guarantee. And make sure you have documented provenance to show that the item you are buying really is linked to or was owned by your hero.
You can, of course, shop more widely, and the period has produced a fascinating array of popular culture relics related to the wars that would keep any collector going for a lifetime.
If you’d like to look at our collections of Napoleon and Wellington items then take a look here.
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