Napoleon's Golden Sword Fetches More Than £3m

Its gold-encrusted blade holds the secrets of the young Napoleon, who carried it into one of his legendary, seemingly doomed battles. Far outnumbered by the enemy, and hampered by a series of botches, he miraculously managed to turn around his army's fortunes in the final hour.

The last of Napoleon's swords in private hands yesterday sold for €4.8m (£3.26m) at auction south of Paris, over three times its estimate. Napoleon carried the sword at Marengo in June 1800, where his troops pushed the Austrian army from much of Italy.

The intricately decorated, gently curved blade is also an example of Napoleon's "oriental complex". It was based on an inspiration he drew from his Egyptian campaign.

"He noticed that the Arab swords, which were curved, were very effective in cutting off French heads" and ordered an imitation made upon his return, the auctioneer, Jean-Pierre Osenat, said. "It symbolizes more than anything else the power, the force and the incontestable strength of the emperor Napoleon."

After the battle at Marengo, Napoleon gave the sword to his brother Jérôme as a wedding present, and it has never left the family until now. The sword was declared a national treasure in 1978. The buyer, unidentified yesterday, must have an address in France and keep the sword in the country for five to six months a year.