Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon I) was a great military leader who played a key role in French Revolution. He governed the majority of Europe in the 19th century and his Napoleonic Code flourished French legal system and is still being used in present French civil law. This story is about none other than his last horse: Le Vizir.
In 1802, Napoleon was presented a greyish white Arabian stallion called Le Vizirby the 28th Sultan of the Ottoman Empire: Selim III. Le Vizir took 3 years to train and became one of Napoleon’s mounts. Being a small and good-tempered horse, Le Vizir eventually became Napoleon’s one of the favorite horses and was honored by being portrayed in 1806 by Pierre Martinet. And it is believed that Napoleon’s mount in the painting by J. Meissionier in 1814 is also as Le Vizir.
The stallion served Napoleon during the wars of Lena and Eylau. At Napoleon’s fall, Le Vizir accompanied him all the way to the island of Elba: Napoleon’s place of exile from 1814 to 1815.
Napoleon died at the islands of St. Helena on May 5, 1821, and Le Vizir outlived his master for 5 years and died in 1826, at the age of 33. Even though Napoleon had 130 reported horses, only Le Vizir was privileged not to be forgotten. Its 13 years of loyal service for its master was forever rewarded!
Soon after Le Vizir’s death, his hide was sent to England prepared for taxidermy. The orders were made by the imperial stable officer Léon de Chanlaire who considered the taxidermy of Le Vizir important. Finally, it was mounted and initially displayed in the Manchester Museum, England in 1843 and afterward shipped to Louvre Museum in Paris in 1868. Almost after 7 decades of its posthumous journey, in 1905 Le Vizir was honored and bestowed to be displayed permanently at the same resting place as of his master’s after being transported to Musée de l’Armée (The Army Museum) in Paris.
In 2006, a fund called “Sauvons Vizir” (“Save Vizir”) was established. It successfully reached donations worth over € 20,000. As a result, Le Vizir was restored in a climate-controlled glass display case and further, the donations covered the repairing of tears and cracks, restoring color, re-hydrating the skin and cleaning of this 200-year-old specimen.
In 2006, a fund called “Sauvons Vizir” (“Save Vizir”) was established. It successfully reached donations worth over € 20,000. As a result, Le Vizir was restored in a climate-controlled glass display case and further, the donations covered the repairing of tears and cracks, restoring color, re-hydrating the skin and cleaning of this 200-year-old specimen.
The brand; ‘N’ topped with a crown, on the stallion’s left flank is still clearly visible on the specimen and the excellent taxidermy does not let the viewer guess the age of this priceless artifact instead fill with awe of witnessing Napoleon’s beloved horse.
References
- https://www.ulule.com/cheval-vizir/news/le-cheval-de-napoleon-vizir-est-restaure-venez-lad-113748/
- https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-03/napoleons-last-horse-to-strut-his-stuff-after-makeover/7565536
