TAKING HIS NAME IN VAIN: Napoleon Bonaparte and his unruly sisters with Sylvia Sagona

Napoleon used his three beautiful sisters as pawns in his power game, marrying them to his top generals and placing them on newly created thrones of Europe. But this avaricious, quarrelsome and disloyal trio with none of their brother’s talent, plotted to ruin his marriage, and, through their unbridled ambition, finally contributed to his downfall.

Sylvia Sagona is an internationally recognised specialist on 19th century French society. She retired from the French Department at the University of Melbourne to work on historical documentaries for French and Australian television and is currently researching a book on Parisian women in the 19th century.

Antonio Canova, Pauline Borghese as Venus Vinctrix, 1804-1806, Borghese Gallery, Rome