Joséphine de Beauharnais

On 29th May, 1814, Joséphine de Beauharnais died. She was walking in the gardens of Rueil-Malmaison with Tsar Alexander.

She was laid to rest in the church of Saint Pierre-Saint in Rueil.

Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie was born on June 23, 1763 in Les Trois-Îlets in Martinique. However, there is a dispute regarding her birthplace. Henry H. Bree in his ‘The History of St. Lucia’ states that she was born in the island of St.Lucia.

Her father was Joseph-Gaspard Tascher, chevalier, Seigneur de la Pagerie, lieutenant of ‘Troupes de Marine’ and mother was Rose-Claire des Vergers de Sannois. They were a wealthy Creole family and the owner of a sugar plantation.

A marriage alliance was arranged between Joséphine’s younger sister Catherine- Désirée and Alexandre, the son of the French aristocrat, François, Vicomte de Beauharnais. But because Catherine died when she was 12 years old, it was decided that Joséphine would marry him.

Joséphine married Alexandre on 13th December, 1779, in Noisy-le-Grand. Two years later, she bore him a son, Eugène de Beauharnais. A daughter, Hortense de Beauharnais was born next.

Their marital life was not a peaceful one. It led to a court ordered separation soon after. During this time, she along with her children stayed in the Pentemont Abbey.

On 18th April, 1794, Joséphine was arrested by the Committee of Public Safety as she was thought to be close to the anti-revolutionary circles during the Reign of Terror. She was kept imprisoned in the Carmes prison.

Alexandre was accused of having failed to defend Mainz and guillotined on 23rd July 1794. After the fall of Robespierre, Joséphine was released on July 28th, 1794.

Before her marriage to Napoleon, Joséphine de Beauharnais had brief affairs with famous political figures like Paul François Jean Nicolas Barras.

She met Napoleon in 1795 and a year later, he proposed marriage to her. They got married on March 9, 1796. However, this marriage was not well received by Napoleon’s family.

Soon after the marriage, Napoleon had to leave for Italy. During the period of separation, he sent her many love letters which speak of his passionate love. The marriage went downhill when the lonely Joséphine became involved with Hippolyte Charles, a Hussar lieutenant. Napoleon was enraged when he heard about his wife’s affair and lost all interest in maintaining fidelity from his side as well.

On December 24th, 1800, Joséphine escaped death very narrowly when the carriage she was supposed to be in, exploded on its way to Opéra.