Napoleon Bonaparte's pistols auctioned for $1.8 million

Pistols of the French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, with which he once wanted to kill himself, have been sold for $1.8m at the Osenat auction house on July 7.

The auction was held next to the Fontainebleau palace where Napolean tried killing himself after his 1814 abdication.

The government has 30 months to make a purchase offer to the new owner of the weapons. But the pistols can leave France only temporarily.

The pistols are inlaid with gold and silver and have an engraved image of Napolean on it.

The pistols' sale comes after France's culture ministry recently classified them as national treasures and banned their export.

This means the French government now has 30 months to make a purchase offer to the new owner, who has not been named. It also means the pistols can only leave France temporarily.

Story of the Guns

It is believed that Napolean wanted to use the pistols to kill himself on 12 April 1814 after his army lost against foreign forces and was forced to give up powers.

But his grand squire Armand de Caulaincourt removed the powder from the guns to save him, following which Napoleon took poison. Still, he survived.