Our Content Provider the Archives Nationales has organised the display of the last will and testament of Napoleon I, exceptionally exhibited from the 4th March to the 29th June 2026.
Preserved in the famous Armoire de fer since 1860, the document offers a deeply personal glimpse into Napoleon’s final days. Just a few days before his death, he set down his last wishes in writing, including the now-famous line:
“I wish my ashes to rest on the banks of the Seine, in the midst of the French people whom I have loved so much.”
The manuscript is 58 pages long, and it bears the traces of the actors who contributed to it, and of the relations between England and France at the time.
The exhibition is free, all information available here; for those who cannot travel to Paris, the testament is also visible online, and searchable in Archives Portal Europe here:

