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Napoleon was buried in six concentric coffins, but he lies mutilated, without a penis, among other body parts, in Les Invalides in Paris. Severed parts of his intestine and his teeth have passed through auction rooms or been sold in private sales. Many things have been written about Napoleon, and it is difficult to know where the facts end and the legend begins. It is said that the trees surrounding his grave on Saint Helena Island were stripped by souvenir hunters until they were splinters, as people believed the wood contained Napoleon’s essence. While it may seem unlikely now, such beliefs based on superstition were very popular at the time.
In his comfortable exile on Saint Helena—close to luxury, but without the splendor of an emperor—Napoleon spent his time playing cards.
Napoleon, his life
They say that he cheated, and that he did so in a somewhat childish way.
It has also been written that in his final years he reviewed maps and recalled strategies, perhaps trying to understand the reason for his defeat.
Perhaps he wondered, as many historians have claimed based on the same sources, how much the severe hemorrhoid attack he suffered at Waterloo influenced his defeat.
Everything about Napoleon has been studied… Apparently, he had gynecomastia, a roundness of the breasts, of which he was proud. His doctors reported that he would joke about them, claiming that any woman would be proud to have them.
Regarding the amputation of Napoleon’s penis, the exact reason is unknown. It is known from the written testimony of Dr. Frank Richardson that the severed penis was placed in a velvet-covered box and delivered to Napoleon’s chaplain, Ange Paul Vignali.
After Vignali died, his heirs sold it to the Maggs brothers, owners of a London bookstore. They remained the owners until 1972, when a urologist named John K. Lattimer paid Christie’s $400,000 for the member.
According to the examination, the penis measured four centimeters. By his calculations, it would have reached about six and a half centimeters when erect.
John K. Lattimer, who died in May 2007, was not only one of the owners of Napoleon’s penis, but he also counted among his possessions drawings made by Hitler, American Civil War rifles, and the blood-stained collar of the shirt Abraham Lincoln was wearing when he died.
Among the eccentricities told about Napoleon, his habit of twisting the ears of those beside him is notable.
Canon Escoiquiz recounts how, during an interview, Napoleon did this to him, saying: “You are made a tunant.”
“It has been said of Napoleon’s excised penis that it looked like a twisted shoelace or a wrinkled eel. The story goes that despite being known as a great lover, he was also known for having a small penis.”
Fakes of famous penises
The most prominent forgery seems to be a piece of intestine, supposedly from Napoleon, which was acquired by the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1850.
It was discovered to be fake because the official medical report stated that Napoleon’s organ was healthy, while the alleged relic showed signs of cancer.
Rasputin’s penis
It was also removed. Rasputin’s penis is displayed at the Museum of Eroticism in St. Petersburg.
The museum, which is located in a urological clinic, displays the penis next to a large collection of ceramic phalluses.
It is claimed that Rasputin’s penis, measuring about thirty centimeters and immersed in formalin, is intended to serve as an incentive for patients.
