Paris, december 1795
“I awake all filled with you. Your image and the intoxicating pleasures of last night, allow my senses no rest.
Sweet and matchless Josephine, how strangely you work upon my heart.
Are you angry with me? Are you unhappy? Are you upset?
My soul is broken with grief and my love for you forbids repose. But how can I rest any more, when I yield to the feeling that masters my inmost self, when I quaff from your lips and from your heart a scorching flame?
Yes! One night has taught me how far your portrait falls short of yourself!
You start at midday: in three hours I shall see you again.
Till then, a thousand kisses, mio dolce amor! but give me none back for they set my blood on fire”.
This was a love letter that Napoleon Bonaparte sent to his mistress Josephine before their wedding. This was just one of maybe thousands he wrote.
I personally doubt that he actually felt real love, because he always continued to take on mistresses. He also divorced Josephine because she didn’t give him any children – I don’t believe you do that if you really love some one, not even at this time. I mean, if it only were a matter of children, he could have kept her as a mistress.
The love letters was not quite the reason for his fame, but maybe it should have been? There is an art to write love letters too, more than being a brilliant military leader, won’t you say? I sure would have preferred being famous for love than for war. The old saying “make love not war” still has meaning.
I guess I’m saying: start to write more love letters!!!
The connection between Sweden and Napoleon is that Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte from France, brother-in-law with Napoleons brother, reigned as King Karl Johan XIV of Sweden 1818. The House of Bernadotte is the current Royal House of the Kingdom of Sweden.
France has always been considered as the country of romance, maybe this connection can explain why we Swedes are considered to be so open about love and sex…?
Ah, that must be the reason why I like french kissing so much 
Read more Love Letters of Napoleon
Wikipedia about The House of Bernadotte
Such wonderful words! The only letters I get from the wife are “Your dinner’s in the oven, gone to play darts, do not foget to clear up the dogs poo in the garden”
How romantic!
I love that answer even if you don’t
Napoleon, curious person in fact! A monster in war, a lover , but the power was an important think in his life so important that poor Josephine could go away!
I think french kiss is a good think too : you kiss your friends, your cats, dogs and even your pictures when you see your love on it!
kisses!
Claudie
Lifecruiser: I think Napoleon had his prioritys set wrong. Maybe he never experienced love at all. Maybe he was not capable of loving. Who knows…
The connection between Napoleon and Sweden also includes a love affair Napoleon had with Desire(acute accent on the last “e”) the girl who Bernadotte married afterwards. Napoleon refers to her in his memoirs as his first love.
Lifecruiser: Ah, that’s true Etienne! Should have mentioned that in the post