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What was the name of Napoleon's horse?
By J.F.
Lozier
Since so many of the paintings of Napoleon show him
riding a horse, it has become a common trivia question to ask
"What was the name of Napoleon's horse?". However, it is not
an easy one to answer, for Napoleon owned and used over 150
horses during the course of his life. The most famous ones
were:
- Wagram, a gray Arab Napoleon rode from 1809
onwards, it was brought along during the Elba exile.
- Roitelet, an English-Limousin chestnut given
to Napoleon by Prince Eugene de Beauharnais, it carried
Napoleon back from Russia and was ridden at Lutzen and
Arcis-sur-Aube.
- Intendant, a pure white Norman nicknamed
"Coco" by the Imperial Guard. He was mainly used for
parades and reviews because of his calm, steady, and
graceful nature during such ceremonies.
- Vizir, one of the Emperor's favorites, this
gray Arab was a gift from the Sultan of Turkey in 1805
and 10 years later Napoleon brought it with him to
Saint-Helena. It now resides — stuffed — in the
Musée de l'Armée in Paris.
- Marengo,
a gray Arab captured after Waterloo. His skeleton is kept
at the National Army Museum in London.
- Tauris, this gray was a gift from Alexander
(Tsar of Russia) was ridden by Napoleon at Vitepsk,
Smolensk, Borodino, during his entrance in Moscow, and
during the retreat from Russia. After being brought to
Elba, it was ridden from Golf-Juan to Paris during the
Hundred Days.
- Cyrus, one of the horses Napoleon rode at
Austerlitz.
- Styrie, ridden by Bonaparte across the Great
Saint-Bernard, and at Marengo.
- Désirée, ridden at
Waterloo.
The names of some of his other horses include: Aboukir,
Familier, Cheikh, Triomphant, Austerlitz, Calvados, Cid,
Cordoue, Sagonte, Sélim, Bouffon, Conquérant,
Extrême, Folâtre, Gracieux, Timide, Sahara,
Major, Belle, Distingué, Gisors, Lowska, Favori,
Harbet, Néron, Tamerlan, Hippogriffe, Kurde,
Labrador, Sara, Épicurien, Embelli, Gessner,
Bréant, Wuzbourg, Montevideo, Artaxercés, Aly,
Coceyre, Sultan, Russe, Estime, Arabella, Babylonien,
Euphrate, Hahim, Harbet, Helavert, Héricle, Lydienne,
Lyre, Naïade, Nankin, Naturaliste, Naufragé,
Nausicaa, Navigateur, Navire, Ninon, Emin, Gonsalvo.
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