Napoleon & Josephine

A tumultuous love affair

Alexandre de Beauharnais, Josephine’s first husband,

was a general. (He was from the Caribbean Island of Martinique).

Josephine and Alexandre married in 1779 and moved to Paris (She 16, he 19 & a Viscount).

She was stoked as she had moved up in the world from her birth to a poor plantation family…

In 1783 he returned to Martinique where he had several reported affairs with multiple women.

She had been married before…

Josephine too was unfaithful in her husband’s

absence. She eventually moved to Martinique to join

him. However he had become an important governmental figure and returned to Paris.

Mid Marriage

He was arrested in spring 1794 & guillotined

during the reign of terror(Sept 1793-Summer of 1794) largely because he was one of the wealthy nobles who was “out of touch with the plight of the peasants.”

1794)…Sucked for him that the reign of terror ended only a couple of months after his execution….

Rose was left in Paris to raise their 2 children.

It ended in tragedy

Rose Beauharnais was recently widowed but had set her

sights on Paul Barras. They were having a steamy affair… Barras had participated in the storming of Bastille, he

was from a wealthy family and enjoyed the rank of Captain.

He helped to bring about the end of the Reign of Terror seeing that the original intent of the revolution had become perverted.

He and Napoleon were actually given charge of the army in Italy together in 1795. Barras is how Napoleon met Josephine.

Paul Barras

She and Napoleon met in early 1795.

Josephine had heard about Napoleon’s military talent and bet that he was a star on the rise!

She was an alluring flirtatious woman. She abandoned Barras who was tiring of her and set her sights on Napoleon!

Napoleon proposed in January of 1796. He was 27 years old, Josephine (a.k.a Rose) was 33.

Enter Napoleon

He was extremely sexually attracted to her. Even before their wedding letters from Napoleon to Josephine have been preserved.

They are very explicit….

The Attraction

They did not

like her… as far as they were concerned she was a widow of questionable moral character who came with baggage!

What his family thought

The Wedding

The Fairy Tale doesn’t last…

While away at war Napoleon writes daily to Josephine… He passionately longs for her and writes explicitly of the things they will do when reunited.

Josephine was lonely, left at home with nothing to do & idle hands often find trouble…

Napoleon busy at war

While Napoleon was busy killing people for the

glory of France… Josephine was busy… well.. You know…

Josephine’s alleged infidelities

Napoleon would receive letters from trusted

confidants back home about his wife’s extra-curricular activities.

He would often write home dramatically professing his love for her and threatening her with divorce. He often made sure to add some promises of ravishing her physically if she were to wait for him and remain faithful once more.

There was this constant battle between his ego and his irrational passion for Josephine.

Napoleon finds out

He had affairs too!

The double standard?

Divorce

However they continued to stay in touch even after his marriage to second wife, Marie Louise of Austria.

He also wrote a novella called Clisson et Eugenie: a Love Story about his passionate relationship with short time fiance Eugenie desiree clary (April 1795)

The End result

What do you think?