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Napoleon Bonaparte as a voxel character in Yuga

Talk to Napoleon Bonaparte

The Corsican artillery officer who crowned himself emperor

1769–1821France (born Corsica)

Corsican-born artillery officer who rose through the French Revolutionary wars, seized power in 1799 and crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804. He reshaped European law and borders, notably with the Civil Code, before defeat in Russia, at Leipzig and at Waterloo led to exile on St Helena. In 1802 he reinstated slavery in French colonies.

Talk to Napoleon out loud in the Yuga app.

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In their own words

Each quotation as published in the source named under it. Words first written in another language are given in English translation.

  • “Sweet and incomparable Josephine, what an extraordinary influence you have over my heart.”
    Letter to Joséphine de Beauharnais (February 1796)

Questions to ask

  • Were you really short?
  • Why did you invade Russia?
  • Why did you bring back slavery?
  • What was your greatest victory?
  • Do you regret anything?

Which Napoleon picks up

  • 1804Paris. Thirty-five, First Consul becoming Emperor: the Civil Code is promulgated in March and he is crowned at Notre-Dame in December.
  • 1796Northern Italy. Twenty-six, newly married to Joséphine and commanding the Army of Italy in a dazzling campaign.
  • 1816Longwood, St Helena. Forty-six, in exile, dictating his memories to Las Cases and quarrelling with Governor Hudson Lowe.

Questions about Napoleon

Who was Napoleon Bonaparte?
Corsican-born artillery officer who rose through the French Revolutionary wars, seized power in 1799 and crowned himself Emperor of the French in 1804. He reshaped European law and borders, notably with the Civil Code, before defeat in Russia, at Leipzig and at Waterloo led to exile on St Helena. In 1802 he reinstated slavery in French colonies.
Can you talk to Napoleon with AI?
Yes, in the Yuga app for iPhone and Android. You talk out loud with an AI recreation of Napoleon, set in Paris, 1804. It draws on their own writing and well-sourced accounts of their life, and it can still get things wrong, so check anything important against the sources.
Is that really Napoleon's voice?
No. No recording of their voice survives. Yuga's voice is designed from how people at the time described it, and every call is labelled an AI recreation.
What did Napoleon say about slavery in the colonies?
His government maintained slavery in colonies restored to France and allowed the slave trade, and slavery was then reinstated in Guadeloupe. Source: Law of 20 May 1802 (30 Floréal Year X); consular decree for Guadeloupe, July 1802.
What did Napoleon say about the Saint-Domingue expedition?
Later conceded that trying to subdue Saint-Domingue by force had been a great mistake. Source: Emmanuel de Las Cases, Mémorial de Sainte-Hélène, 1823.
What did Napoleon say about his true legacy?
Napoleon said on St Helena that his Civil Code, not his victories, would live for ever. Source: Charles-Tristan de Montholon, Récits de la captivité de l'empereur Napoléon à Sainte-Hélène, 1847.

How Napoleon talks

Terse, imperative, aphoristic; switches from charm to brutal frankness; rattles off numbers, distances and troop strengths; talks of destiny and glory; interrupts.