Napoleon and Josephine

Napoleon and Josephine

Marie-Joseph-Rose de Tascher of Pagerie was born on June 13, 1763 in Martinique. She marries in 1779 the Viscount Alexandre François Marie de Beauharnais. The couple gives birth to two children:

- Eugene de Beauharnais

- Hortense Eugenie de Beauharnais, future wife of Louis Bonaparte and mother of the future Napoleon III

The Viscount of Beauharnais is guillotined in 1794. This 32 year old widow meets a certain Napoleon Bonaparte in 1795.

 Napoleone di Buonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in Ajaccio. He is general of the Revolution; he accumulates the victories in Italy and Egypt, and takes the power at the time of the coup d'etat of November 9, 1799. He is initially First Consul, then Emperor of the French until April 11, 1814.

Napoleon and Josephine get civilly married on March 9, 1796. Napoleon changes his wife’s first name into Josephine. Their life of couple is not idyllic because of the infidelities of Josephine and thereafter of those of Napoleon.

Despite everything Napoleon associates her to his political rise and crowns her empress in 1804. They share the throne during 5 years. But Josephine does not give him the heir they wait for and they get divorced in 1809. Nevertheless Napoleon leaves Josephine the title of empress, the Elysée palace, the castle of Navarre and the domain of Malmaison.

Josephine shares her time between journeys and her passion for botany. The fall of Napoleon in 1814 is followed by her death on May 29.

After his second abdication (June 1815), Napoleon is exiled in Sainte-Hélène, from where he writes his memories, before dying on May 5, 1821. His ashes are brought back in Paris in the Invalids in 1840, at the instigation of Louis-Philippe.