Désirée Clary, the later Queen of Sweden, was the first lover of the then-unknown Napoleon Bonaparte. The young Polish Countess Maria Walewska and Marie-Louise of Austria followed her. Napoleon wrote all of them charming letters, which are published here for the first time in German. They document Napoleon's rise, his battles and victories, but also reveal previously unknown, tender sides of him, showing that in his life as Emperor of the French, he surprisingly had a lot of time for matters of the heart. However, while he was able to expand his sphere of influence militarily, he failed to satisfy his greatest longing: His first wife, Joséphine de Beauharnais, always remained somewhat reserved towards her husband's passionate devotion. Consequently, his words become increasingly fervent and desperate; his verses read almost heartbreakingly.