Josephine
Wife
of Napoleon and Empress of France
1763-1814
Marie
Joseph Rose Tascher De La Pagerie, empress of France, wife of
Napoleon I, was born at Trois Ilets, near St.Pierre, Martinique
, June 24, 1763 . Her father, whose family emigrated from the
vicinity of Blois , France , held the office of Captain of the
Port at St. Pierre .
Like
most young ladies in French colonies, Josephine received only
a limited education, yet her grace and kindness of heart endeared
her to all whom she met. At age fifteen she was sent to France
and one year later married Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais,
also a native of Martinique , who was major in an infantry regiment.
This was not a happy union, yet the two had a son, Eugene and
daughter, Hortense, who became queen of Holland by her marriage
to Louis Bonaparte and mother of Napoleon III.
Although
he had been a promoter of the French Revolution and had faithfully
served his county in arms, Viscount de Beauharnais was arrested
during the Reign of Terror (1793–94; a period of the French
Revolution characterized by a wave of executions of presumed
enemies of the state) and beheaded. Before his death, Josephine
tried relentlessly to procure his release, which led to her own
imprisonment; and her two children were reduced to poverty.
After
her release, Josephine met Napoleon Bonaparte, then an obscure
officer. He fell desperately in love with her, although she was
six years older than him. They married on March 9, 1796 . Twelve
days later, Napoleon was appointed to the chief command of the
French army in Italy . Josephine accompanied him in his Italian
campaign, and exercised a great influence in restraining him from
measures of violence and severity. She shared all the honors that
were bestowed upon her husband and was with great difficulty prevented
from accompanying him to Egypt .
During
their separation and after his return, Josephine began to entertain
the most brilliant society of France , which contributed a great
deal to her husband’s power. She was crowned in Paris , December
2, 1804 , but her happiness was soon marred by sadness and fear.
She had no children by Napoleon and in his eyes he needed an heir
to maintain his power. After many struggles between his love and
ambition, Napoleon, forced Josephine to consent to a divorce.
The marriage was dissolved on December 16, 1809 .
While
Napoleon had divorced her, the nation still held Josephine in
high esteem, which gave her continued power over the French people.
Her high standing with the royalty of surrounding nations protected
her during the disasters that befell France in 1814.
While
she was a beautiful woman, Josephine’s greatest assets were her
grace and goodness of heart. She has been called Napoleon’s “star.”
His fortunes, it has been said, arose with her, and waned when
their connection ceased. Josephine died on May 29, 1814 .