Sky Eclat
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 17, 2012
- 57,595
- 215,274
Joséphine, Empress of France
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon I. Married previously to Alexandre de Beauharnais, who was executed during the French Revolution, she and Napoléon were wed in 1796. She had two children from her first marriage, but was unable to provide Napoléon - now emperor and anxious to found a dynasty - with an heir.
In 1810, she reluctantly agreed to a divorce so that he might remarry. He insisted that she retain the title of empress, and they remained close until her death. Joséphine was the recipient of numerous love letters written by Napoleon, many of which still exist.
Joséphine retreated to her private residence at Malmaison, outside Paris, where she continued to entertain lavishly, with the emperor paying the bills. After Napoleon’s abdication she won the protection of the Russian emperor Alexander I but died soon after.
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon I. Married previously to Alexandre de Beauharnais, who was executed during the French Revolution, she and Napoléon were wed in 1796. She had two children from her first marriage, but was unable to provide Napoléon - now emperor and anxious to found a dynasty - with an heir.
In 1810, she reluctantly agreed to a divorce so that he might remarry. He insisted that she retain the title of empress, and they remained close until her death. Joséphine was the recipient of numerous love letters written by Napoleon, many of which still exist.
Joséphine retreated to her private residence at Malmaison, outside Paris, where she continued to entertain lavishly, with the emperor paying the bills. After Napoleon’s abdication she won the protection of the Russian emperor Alexander I but died soon after.
