Josephine (1763-1814) was the beloved wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, one of French history’s most important figures. She was the daughter of a French planter in Martinique, in the West Indies. She was born on June 23, 1763. She married Vicomte Alexandre de Beauharnais when she was about 17. They had a son, Eugene, and a daughter, Hortense. The vicomte was one of the last victims of the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. Josephine was in prison for a time and narrowly escaped being guillotined.
Josephine soon became friendly with Vicomte de Barras, a government leader. Through his influence, she got back some of her husband’s property, and she became a leader in Paris society. It was at Barras’s home that Josephine met Napoleon. He immediately fell in love with her, and they were married in 1796.
Her marriage.
Josephine was a beautiful woman. She was graceful and stately in her public appearances, which made her an asset to Napoleon in his climb to power. But her marriage to Napoleon made her a subject of gossip. It was often reported that she had love affairs while Napoleon was absent during his military campaigns. Such reports frequently reached Napoleon and made him angry. Josephine was also an intelligent woman and may have given Napoleon much advice.
Napoleon and Josephine had no children. By 1809, Napoleon was afraid that he might die without a son, and that his empire would crumble. He finally decided he would have to divorce Josephine. He told her of his decision, as gently as he could. She promised never to doubt Napoleon’s love. Josephine then retired with imperial honors to Malmaison, the small estate near Paris which Napoleon had bought for her.
Her last years.
Napoleon married Marie Louise of Austria in 1810. A year later, a son was born to them (see Marie Louise ; Napoleon II ). Josephine heard the cannon shots announcing the birth, and Napoleon sent her a special message. He once brought his son to Malmaison, without Marie Louise’s knowledge. Josephine had begged to see him.
Marie Louise was not allowed to go with Napoleon to exile at Elba. Josephine wrote a letter to Napoleon and asked permission to join him. He was forced to write back that it was impossible. But Josephine died on May 29, 1814, before his letter arrived.
