Napoleon's prized sword which he carried for a decade and gave away three months before his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo has emerged for sale for £850,000.
The 'Turkish style' sabre was specially commissioned to mark his ascension to French Emperor in 1804 and took several months to make.
The 32inch sabre is inscribed 'N Bonaparte' on one side and 'Premier Consul' on the other.
It was made by the master gunsmith Nicolas-Noel Boutet from the Versailles arms factory.
The Little General was so taken by the 'exceptional' craftsmanship that he kept hold of it until March 1815.
