Napoleon studied English at St. Jelena out of boredom

Parts of a greyed-out and ink-stained notebook testifying to the efforts French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte made to learn English two centuries ago will be auctioned in Paris along with 350 other documents related to the famous emperor.

After the defeat in the battle against the English army at Waterloo in 1815, Napoleon was exiled to the island of Saint Helena in the middle of the Atlantic, where he remained until his death in 1821.

Written in his characteristic, tiny handwriting, the notebook reveals how Napoleon "killed" boredom by learning the enemy's language.

Numerous scribbles and drawings in the margins show, however, that the military strategist was anything but an exemplary and diligent student, writes Reuters.

"Even while he was learning English, he couldn't forget that he was a soldier. He drew walls and military fortifications," said Jean-Pierre Ozena, a representative of the Parisian auction house that is organizing the auction, reports AFP.

"It's incredible that after fighting the English all his life, he decided to learn English only at the end," he added.

Napoleon could not overcome not only the English army, but also the English grammar which put him to great trouble, especially the irregular verbs as evidenced by the fragments of the notebook, which is expected to reach a value of 9.500 euros.