When Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on St. Helena in 1821, he left behind more than a military legacy and a political legend. In his will, he ordered that his hair be preserved, turned into a bracelet, and that strands be sent to members of his family, including his mother, brothers, and son.
This request reflects a widespread custom in the nineteenth century, whereby hair was kept as a personal memento after death. Napoleon’s hair was cut short before the autopsy, and the locks that have survived are among the most curious relics associated with him.
Napoleon Bonaparte’s last wish is written in his will
Napoleon’s will makes the request unusually clear. It stipulates that his servant Marchand must preserve his hair and turn it into a bracelet, with pieces sent to close family members and other members of his inner circle, including Empress Marie Louise, his mother, and his brothers and sisters, with a larger bracelet dedicated to his son.
In other words, this was not an improvised myth that arose later; It was an instruction documented in the Emperor’s will.To modern readers, the idea of preserving poetry may seem alarming. In Napoleon’s world, this was a common act of mourning. Hair was often made into mementos and “memento mori” objects, a way to physically hold on to someone after death. Museums and historical collections still hold traces of hair related to Napoleon, including mourning rings and padlocks given to his admirers shortly after his death.
The request is important immediately after his death. A 2004 medical history article notes that because Napoleon wished to distribute his hair among family members, his head was shaved just before the autopsy so that the locks could be saved. This decision is one of the reasons why so many original or alleged specimens survived in subsequent centuries.
Napoleon’s poetry is taken from the battlefield of Waterloo. Image: Royal Collection Trust
Later poetry fed into a larger mystery
Napoleon’s preserved hair became important for another reason: it became embroiled in a long-running controversy over how he died.
Some researchers have argued that arsenic levels in hair samples indicate poisoning, while others have said the evidence does not support this conclusion and is consistent with environmental exposure in the early 1800s. The broader historical record still leans toward stomach cancer as the most likely cause of death, although the poisoning theory remains part of the public fascination.
Small remnants of a very big life
Perhaps Napoleon’s request was not about vanity or immortality. It fits better with the mourning customs of the era: a fallen emperor wanting a final physical link left behind for the people closest to him. That is why his poetry remains as a sentimental souvenir and a historical artifact, carrying a strangely intimate trace of one of the most powerful figures in history.
