THE BATTLE OF THE BUNNIES: NAPOLEAN'S SECOND WATERLOO
1001 Heroes, Legends, Histories & Mysteries Podcast
Jon Hagadorn
4.5 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 18 February 2026
⏱️ 7 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
This story was inspired by by sharing 'The Count of Monte Cristo' in its entirety recently at 1001 Stories For The Road Podcast. If you want a great cllassic romance/adventure story- this is it!
THE BATTLE OF THE BUNNIES
It sounds like a tall tale, but this actually happened! In July 1807, after signing the Treaties of Tilsit, Napoleon Bonaparte decided to celebrate with a grand imperial rabbit hunt.
The event didn't go exactly as planned:
The Setup: Napoleon's chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier, was in charge of the festivities. To ensure a "successful" hunt, he didn't trap wild hares; instead, he reportedly bought roughly 3,000 domesticated rabbits from local farmers.
The Ambush: When the cages were opened, the rabbits didn't hop away in fear. Because they were farm-raised, they saw Napoleon and his men as providers of food. Instead of fleeing, the massive swarm charged toward Napoleon in a fluffy wave.
The Retreat: Thousands of rabbits swarmed the Emperor's legs, climbed his silk jacket, and reportedly even hopped into his imperial carriage. The "Greatest Military Mind in History" was forced to beat a hasty retreat, using his riding crop and coat to shoo away the persistent bunnies.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi everyone. I'm John Haggardorne, and welcome to Found in the Footnotes. |
| 0:14.5 | Amazing history in 5 to 10 minute sound bites. Now ready to be discovered every Wednesday at 4 p.m. Easter time, right here at 1001 Heroes. |
| 0:22.8 | Another gem rises to the surface, and our story begins. |
| 0:29.2 | When we think of Napoleon Bonaparte, we think of conquest, of battlefield genius, of Europe |
| 0:35.3 | reshaped at the point of a bayonet, of a man so intimidating that |
| 0:39.3 | half the continent had lost sleep just hearing his name. What we don't think of is rabbits. |
| 0:46.6 | And yet, today's story is about the time when one of history's greatest military minds was |
| 0:51.2 | forced into retreat by a fluffy, squeaking army. |
| 0:57.0 | This is the story of the Battle of the Bunnies. |
| 1:02.0 | Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 1769 on the island of Corsica. |
| 1:07.0 | He rose from a relatively obscure background to become a general by his mid-20s, an emperor by his |
| 1:12.4 | mid-30s, and a walking ego basically the entire time. He was brilliant, he was ruthless, |
| 1:19.5 | and he was very sure of himself. Napoleon won battles not just with soldiers, but with speed, |
| 1:26.3 | psychology, and audacity. |
| 1:28.6 | He marched armies across mountains people said were impassable. |
| 1:32.6 | He crowned himself emperor because, why wait for permission? |
| 1:37.5 | At his peak, he controlled most of Europe. |
| 1:41.2 | Kings feared him, nations united against him. |
| 1:47.0 | Painters worked overtime. This is important, because when someone like Napoleon Bonaparte loses a fight, it really shouldn't be to woodland creatures. |
| 1:55.0 | The year is 1807. |
| 2:05.7 | Napoleon has just signed the treaties of Tilsett, effectively pausing years of brutal war. |
| 2:07.5 | Europe is exhausted. |
... |
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