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The original was posted on /r/todayilearned by /u/Ainsley-Sorsby on 2024-12-18 01:01:59+00:00.

Original Title: TIL After the battle of Sedan, over 100,000 French soldiers were captured, including Emperor Napoleon III himself, but he headed to a “comfortable captivity” while his soldiers were left starving in makeshift POW camps. On hearing the news, Napoleon’s wife asked “why didn’t he kill himself?”