The marriage contract between Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine is due to go under the hammer in Paris at the end of September

The marriage contract between Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine is due to go under the hammer in Paris at the end of September

The document was signed on March 8th, 1796 and the wedding took place the following day. Theirs may have been a passionate love affair, but the lovers were practical. The contract states that the pair will ‘in no way be responsible for the debts and mortgages of the other’ and that there will be ‘no common property’.

The couple also lied about their ages — covering up the fact Josephine was six years older — something that would have provoked a scandal at the time. The marriage was annulled ten years later by the Pope after Josephine failed to give the Emperor any children.