The Bunny Apocalypse

Rainy Day Rabbit Holes: Silly Summer Season — Napoleon vs. The Bunny Apocalypse

In this episode, we travel back to 1807, when Napoleon Bonaparte, the conqueror of Europe and master tactician, faced the most humiliating defeat of his career — at the paws of a swarm of ravenous rabbits. We explore how a grand hunting party meant to celebrate his triumph turned into slapstick chaos, why the bunnies charged, and whether this story was an elaborate piece of historical trolling.

Topics Covered:

• The aftermath of the Treaty of Tilsit
• Napoleon’s love of grand gestures
• Alexandre Berthier’s ill-fated event planning
• The possibly hangry domesticated rabbits
• Paul Thiebault’s rivalry and the murky origins of the story
• What it all means for the myth of invincibility

Resources & Further Reading:

• Ripley’s Believe It or Not
• Mental Floss
• Just History Posts
• History Facts