The Life Of The Empress Josephine

Josephine Tascher de la Pagerie, born a Creole on the island of Martinique in the French West Indies, became one of the best known and most envied women who ever lived. Sent to France to make an advantageous marriage to a young aristocrat, her naivete and lack of education left her ill prepared to deal with the sophisticated - if decadent - world of pre-Revolutionary Paris. Treated cruelly by her shallow young husband, her life had become a nightmare during the Terror, in which she was imprisoned and almost lost her life. It was during this period that she honed the skills of manipulation and seduction that would lead her from the dungeons of the terror into the beds of the post-Revolutionary powerbrokers, including the Corsican corporal who would conquer Europe. As the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, conqueror of Europe and the wonder of his age, Josephine was assumed to be a worthy consort for her astounding husband, a woman as beautiful, wise and altogether remarkable as he was charismatic, brilliant, and invincible in battle. When in 1804 she knelt before Napoleon in Notre Dame and he placed the imperial crown on her head, making her Empress of France, her extraordinary destiny seemed to be fulfilled. The unknown woman from Martinique became the highest ranking woman in the land, as far above the average Frenchwoman as Napoleon himself was above the humblest soldier in his armies. Yet the truth behind the glorious symbolism in Notre Dame was much darker. For the eight-year marriage between Josephine and Napoleon had long been corroded by infidelity and abuse, and for years Josephine had dreaded that her husband would divorce her. Far from the love match previous biographers have described, Erickson's Napoleon and Josephine were the ultimate pragmatists, drawn together by political necessity while their emotions were engaged elsewhere. Carolly Erickson, the critically acclaimed biographer of the Tudor monarchs, as well as of Marie Antoinette and Queen Victoria, using her trademark ability to penetrate and explain the psychological make-up of her subjects, paints a fascinating portrait of an immensely complex and ultimately tragic woman.

From CNN’s official royal historian, a highly praised young author with a doctorate from Oxford University, comes the extraordinary rags-to-riches story of the woman who conquered Napoleon’s heart—and with it, an empire. Their love was legendary, their ambition flagrant and unashamed. Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, Josephine, came to power during one of the most turbulent periods in the history of France. The story of the Corsican soldier’s incredible rise has been well documented. Now, in this spellbinding, luminous account, Kate Williams draws back the curtain on the woman who beguiled him: her humble origins, her exorbitant appetites, and the tragic turn of events that led to her undoing. Born Marie-Josèphe-Rose de Tascher de La Pagerie on the Caribbean island of Martinique, the woman Napoleon would later call Josephine was the ultimate survivor. She endured a loveless marriage to a French aristocrat—executed during the Reign of Terror—then barely escaped the guillotine blade herself. Her near-death experience only fueled Josephine’s ambition and heightened her determination to find a man who could finance and sustain her. Though no classic beauty, she quickly developed a reputation as one of the most desirable women on the continent. In 1795, she met Napoleon. The attraction was mutual, immediate, and intense. Theirs was an often-tumultuous union, roiled by their pursuit of other lovers but intensely focused on power and success. Josephine was Napoleon’s perfect consort and the object of national fascination. Together they conquered Europe. Their extravagance was unprecedented, even by the standards of Versailles. But she could not produce an heir. Sexual obsession brought them together, but cold biological truth tore them apart. Gripping in its immediacy, captivating in its detail, Ambition and Desire is a true tale of desire, heartbreak, and revolutionary turmoil, engagingly written by one of England’s most praised young historians. Kate Williams’s searing portrait of this alluring and complex woman will finally elevate Josephine Bonaparte to the historical prominence she deserves.

Memoirs of the Empress Josephine in two volumes, is a biographical account of Madame de Rémusat, lady-in-waiting, of Josephine Bonaparte, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. Madame de Rémusat, born Clair de Vergennes, lost her father and grandfather in Revolution. Her mother was friend with Josephine, and when Josephine became Empress, she took Clair with her to be her lady-in-waiting. Madame de Rémusat was with Josephine to the end. She followed her into retirement and then took up her pen to write of court affairs and prominent people. Her memoirs present a vivid portrait not only of Josephine and Napoleon, but of surrounding Court life, seen through her eyes. Also, the memoirs can be useful as a survey of the first years of the nineteenth century. They illustrate what changes the institution of the Empire caused at Court, and how the life continuously modified to reflect the shifting fortunes of its master. The figure of the Napoleon stands out even though he is presented unsympathetically, since the memoirist was loyal to her mistress in struggles against the Bonaparte family.

An anecdotal, illustrated biography of Napoleon Bonaparte's exotic empress discusses Napoleon's dependence on her sense of style to set the tone of his empire, her patrongage of the arts, and significant events in her life.

Skillfully told from Josephine's point of view by F. W. Kenyon, "The Emperor's Lady" is the riveting tale of an unusually charming woman cast into extraordinary circumstances.

Born on the island of Martinique, the romantic Josephine found herself at the center of events that would forever change the world. In 1856, writer P.C. Headley released the thrilling biography of the famed Joséphine, Empress of the French from 1804-1810, famed romantic, and renowned patron of the arts. After her first husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais, met the guillotine in 1794, the beautiful widow with two children embarked on an unlikely romantic relationship with one of history's most notorious men. This restored edition of Headley's classic features: - Enlarged 7" x 10" pages for easy reading - Author's original page layouts - Classic weathered type font - New retro-style cover design Josephine was a model of character. Headley wrote her biography to make the study of her life more general, and to extend the admiration of her pure beauty in contrast to all the forms of corruption that humanity could present in a period of bloody Revolution. He felt that "The Empress was a greater personage than Napoleon in the elements of moral grandeur, and retained her sovereignty in the hearts of the people, while he ruled by the unrivaled splendor of his genius." "The name Josephine is invested with a romantic and mournful interest. From the quiet life of her island-home, she rose to the splendor of royalty which borrowed lustre from her virtues; then, heart-broken, found retirement where, with a meek resignation that contrasts beautifully with the untamed ambition of the illustrious exile of St. Helena, she lived till her death." Table of Contents: Chapter 1 - Interest of Josephine's History - Birth and Family - Early Years - First Love - Becomes Acquainted with Beauharnais - The Birth of Eugene and Hortense - Domestic Difficulties - Separation from Her Husband - Returns to Martinique Chapter 2 - Fall of the Gironde - Beauharnais Imprisoned - Friends Forsake Her - Infidelity During the Reign of Terror - Josephine's Kindness - Beauharnais Betrayed - Scenes in Prison Chapter 3 - Josephine Undeceived - Her Arrest - Prison Horrors - Last Hours - Execution - Liberation of Josephine Chapter 4 - Bonaparte in Paris - A Glance at his History - Personal Appearance of Napoleon - Napoleon Frequents the Mansion of Madam De Beauharnais - Letters to Josephine Chapter 5 - Departure of Napoleon for Egypt - Parting with Josephine at Toulon - Accident - Rare Qualities of Josephine's Character - Josephine Watched by Secret Enemies - Charges of Infidelity Transmitted to Napoleon - Unfortunate Mistake - His Anger Chapter 6 - Napoleon's Design - Josephine's Political Views - The 18th Brumaire - Murat's Marriage - His Treachery - Escapes Assassination - Battle of Marengo - Relaxation at the Malmaison - Conspiracy and the Infernal Machine Chapter 7 - Josephine and the Bourbon Conspirators - Duke D'Enghien - Josephine's Grief and Sympathy for the Conspirators - Bonaparte's Movements and Ambition - Boneparte Becomes Emporer of France - Royal Court - Incidents - The Coronation Chapter 8 - France and Josephine at the Period of History - Important Events - Tour to Milan - Napoleon Visits Brienne - News of Probable Hostilities - Preparations for War - Napoleon's Victories - The Royal Family - Bonaparte's Habits and Illness - Hatred of Bonaparte's Relatives Towards Josephine Chapter 9 - A New Phase in Josephine's Destiny - Napoleon's Love - His Desire for a Successor - Rumor of the Prince Royal of Holland - Josephine's Grief - Treatment of the Empress - Preparations for a Divorce Chapter 10 - Josephine's Retirement and Sorrow - Her Residence at Malmaison and Navarre - Maria Louisa - National Joy at the birth of Young Napoleon - Congratulations of Josephine - Bonaparte's Campaign to Russia - His Disasters - Letters - Napoleon Abdicates the Throne - Her Last Illness