In the summer of 1807, Napoleon Bonaparte was on top of the world. He had just signed the Treaties of Tilsit, ending the war between the French Empire and Imperial Russia, securing his status as the undisputed master of Europe.
To celebrate the monumental diplomatic triumph, Napoleon wanted to host a grand rabbit hunt for his military staff and dignitaries.
He tasked his chief of staff, Alexandre Berthier, with organizing the event. Berthier spared no expense: he secured a sprawling grassy estate, laid out lavish outdoor banquets, and procured roughly three thousand rabbits to ensure every general got plenty of shooting targets.
When the Emperor and his elite marshals took their positions along the edge of the open field, beaters swung open the cages to release the quarry.
Wild rabbits normally bolt in terror when released into the open. But Berthier had cut a fatal corner: unable to trap enough wild hares in time, he had bought domesticated farm rabbits from local breeders instead.
To a farm rabbit, a human approaching does not mean danger. It means breakfast.
Rather than scattering into the bushes, the three thousand rabbits banded together and charged straight toward Napoleon at full gallop.
At first, Napoleon and his generals laughed at the bizarre spectacle. But the laughter quickly turned to panic as the swarming horde engulfed them. The rabbits swarmed the Emperor's boots, scrambled up his silk coat, and tore at his breeches with their claws.
Armed guards and military dignitaries tried swatting at the swarm with riding crops and horsewhips, but the sheer momentum of three thousand furry combatants was overwhelming.
Surrounded and completely outflanked, the greatest military strategist of his era did the only sensible thing: he retreated.
Napoleon sprinted across the lawn toward his horse-drawn carriage. The rabbit horde gave chase, dividing into two flanking columns that bypassed his guards, jumped onto the carriage steps, and according to eyewitnesses, even leaped through the open windows. Napoleon was forced to slam the cabin door shut and order his coachman to whip the horses into a dead sprint just to escape.
Conquering Austria, Prussia, and Russia in pitched battles only to get overrun, chased down, and forced into a full military retreat by three thousand hungry bunnies is pure historical comedy. That wraps up Day 23 of Crazy History Facts!
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