Auction of handwritten letter denying Napoleon's kidnapping of the Pope

The letter, signed by Napoleon as “Napole”, will be auctioned on April 27 - one day after Pope Francis' funeral - Photo: AFP

This event recalls the complex relationship between France and the Vatican throughout history. "The Pope's removal from Rome was without my orders and against my will," the French emperor wrote in a letter.

Napoleon's letter is priced from 14,000 - 17,000 USD

In 1809, Pope Pius VII was arrested by the French army at his residence in the Quirinal Palace in Rome and was imprisoned for five years under Napoleon.

At that time, the pope wanted to maintain the Vatican's influence over the French church and counter Napoleon's ambitions to control the clergy.

In a letter to Jean-Jacques-Régis Cambacérès – a nobleman and close ally – Napoleon appeared unaware of the pope's detention, as a way of denying responsibility.

The kidnapping of Pope Pius VII is considered the culmination of the tense relationship between Emperor Napoleon and the Catholic Church - Photo: Alamy/ RFI

“The Pope being taken out of Rome was something that happened against my will, and the Pope being taken to France was the same. But I only learned about it 10 or 12 days after it happened.

“When I know where the Pope is and when I can communicate and carry out my intentions, I will consider the measures to be taken,” he wrote.

According to auction house Osenat, the letter has an estimated value of 12,000 - 15,000 euros (equivalent to 14,000 - 17,000 USD) and will be sold at Fontainebleau, south of Paris - where Pope Pius VII was once imprisoned after being first arrested in Savona, Italy.

According to Jean-Christophe Chataignier, an expert at Osenat, this arrest not only had political significance but also had a great influence on religion, contributing to the shaping of Napoleon's reign. Napoleon knew that this letter would be made public and sent to authorities everywhere.

One wrong move

Meanwhile, historian Ambrogio Caiani commented that this arrest was one of the biggest mistakes in Napoleon's career, as it aroused domestic and foreign opposition to his rule.

Before Pope Pius VII, his predecessor, Pope Pius VI, had an even more tragic fate: after speaking out against the anti-clerical government of France after the 1789 Revolution, he was arrested by the French army in March 1799 and died in captivity in August of that year.

Two guns Napoleon intended to use to commit suicide - Photo: AFP

Items associated with Napoleon always attract special attention from collectors. In July 2024, two pistols that he used to commit suicide were auctioned in France for 1.7 million euros.

Previously, in November 2023, one of his signature "two-horned" hats set a record when it was sold for 1.9 million euros.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/dau-gia-thu-tay-choi-bo-viec-bat-coc-giao-hoang-cua-napoleon-20250423210911781.htm