Chapter 5
Josephine!
In This Chapter
Meeting Napoleon’s early loves
Checking Josephine’s background
Creating the great love story
Facing their future together
T he love story of Napoleon and Josephine is perhaps the aspect of Napoleon’s life best known to the general public. It is a modern-day rival to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
As is so often the case, image does not necessarily reflect reality. Their relationship was certainly magical, but beneath the glitter lay a less enchanting reality. In this chapter, I show you the glitter but also some of their problems. I tell you about Napoleon’s earlier loves, how he met Josephine, and their marriage.
In later chapters, I check in on the two lovers to see how they are doing. In Chapter 20, I present the sad ending to their story.
Learning about Love
Napoleon did not have a great deal of romantic experience before he met Josephine, but he wasn’t a complete novice, either. As a student, Napoleon was dedicated to his learning and didn’t have much time for romance. Of course, he was only 9 when he first went to military school in France (see Chapter 2), and most 9-year-old boys have limited romantic experience (except, possibly, with snakes and frogs!). Napoleon was in school through his teenage years, but his poverty and the rigors of his education seem to have kept him plenty busy.
When Napoleon graduated from the Military School of Paris and was assigned to the La Fère Regiment in Valence, things changed. He was no longer strictly confined to a barracks, no longer involved in a 24/7 educational experience, and no longer completely broke (though still quite poor). And, you may add, he was no longer too young for romantic thoughts.
As a dashing young man in a spiffy uniform, he attracted the attention of more than one young lady. While in school, Napoleon had been something of a loner, shy and not very likely to socialize. Free of the constraints of school (and of the indignities he suffered at the hands of some snobbish cadets), he began to socialize more.
Wooing Caroline du Colombier
While in Valence, Napoleon befriended a woman named Madame Grégoire du Colombier, who had a daughter named Caroline. Napoleon escorted Caroline to dances and apparently was quite taken with her.
Alas, as is so often the case with young love, Napoleon’s feelings were not reciprocated. Caroline was being wooed by more than one dashing young officer, and she eventually married Captain Garembel de Bressieux. Napoleon was not a sore loser, though. When he became emperor, he gave Caroline and Garembel nice positions, eventually making Garembel a baron.
Learning about feminine charms in Paris
When Napoleon was 18, he was still quite inexperienced in the ways of love — and of sex. On a trip to Paris, he evidently decided to take a step forward in his education. After an evening at the theater, Napoleon took a stroll near the Palais-Royal. The area was home to many cafés and other cheerful places of entertainment — and to ladies of, ahem, easy virtue.
Napoleon was somewhat prudish all his life, but for some reason he seems to have been taken by the opportunities presented to him in abundance that evening. He struck up a conversation with one young lady, whom he fancied to be a cut above the others of her trade. She was soft-spoken and slight of build. They talked, and she told him her tale of woe. Napoleon was touched, and later he continued his education in his room and her arms.
After this educational interlude, Napoleon seems to have withdrawn a bit from his pursuit of love. He certainly met women when he attended various social functions, but there is precious little information available on his love life for the next several years. But things would change dramatically after the siege of Toulon (see Chapter 4), when Napoleon became a brigadier general.
Courting Désirée Clary
Other than his two wives, the woman with whom Napoleon is most associated is Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary. Napoleon met her and her sister Julie when he was stationed in Marseille after his success at Toulon.
In 1793, the French Revolutionary government had imprisoned a number of people suspected of being traitors. One of them was Étienne Clary, brother to the two women. Napoleon’s brother, Joseph, was instrumental in getting Clary released, which led to Joseph’s being a regular visitor to the Clary residence. The head of the household, François Clary, was ill and died in 1794, but he had been a wealthy merchant so both ladies would come with a sizable dowry.
Joseph was initially interested in Désirée, but he switched his affections to the older sister, Julie, when he learned that Napoleon was interested in Désirée. (We know her as Désirée, though Napoleon insisted on calling her Eugénie.) Joseph was a hero to the family, so there were no objections on either side when Joseph proposed marriage. Joseph and Julie were married in August 1794.
Napoleon continued to court Désirée, and he talked of marriage. Désirée, though only 16, seems to have been determined to marry him as well. She was convinced that she was in love and that Napoleon was the one for her. Her wealth would certainly have been a big boost to the Bonaparte family, but before things could progress further, Napoleon was transferred to the Italian front to fight the Austrians. Distracted by his duties, he seems to have cooled a bit in his ardors for Désirée. (This may have been quite fine with Désirée’s mother, who is said to have remarked that one Bonaparte in the family was quite enough.)
Transferred again, this time to Paris, it seems that Napoleon’s interest in marrying Désirée was rekindled, but her letters to him began to taper off. Napoleon, meanwhile, discovered that Paris offered an abundance of romantic opportunities. As the hero of Toulon, he was very much in demand at social functions. The women there were closer to his age and more sophisticated than Désirée. Napoleon even asked for the hand of an older woman who had been a long-time friend, a widow named Panorier Permon. She was in her 40s and used her age as an excuse to decline the unexpected offer.
When Désirée moved to Genoa with her family shortly thereafter, Napoleon began to shut down the relationship. Désirée swore she would always love him, but her allegiance didn’t last long, and she was soon dealing with other suitors. As he was known to do with his own family members, Napoleon tried to arrange a suitable marriage for his former girlfriend. She rejected his nominees and in 1798 married General Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte. (Bernadotte would accompany Napoleon on many of his campaigns but would eventually betray him. In 1818, Bernadotte and Désirée became the king and queen of Sweden, taking the names of King Carl XIV Johan and Queen Katerine.)
A Rose by Any Other Name
Napoleon’s next, and greatest, love would come from the Caribbean island of Martinique. Napoleon never went there, but this woman’s father, Joseph Gaspard Tascher de la Pagerie, owned a sugar plantation, complete with slaves, on the island. The family had significant wealth and power, and the children led a very comfortable life in an idyllic location.
Growing up and getting wise
Josephine was given an education in a local convent. As was the custom, her family arranged a marriage for her. It was a promising union, as her husband, 19-year-old Alexander de Beauharnais, was a well-educated and quite wealthy viscount. Well-connected at court, he was also considered one of the best dancers in Paris. Alexander seems to have been a little disappointed in his Rose, but she was elated with the match. The two were married in Paris on December 13, 1779. She was 16.
Josephine’s future foretold?
Many stories surround the romance of Napoleon and Josephine. Some of them may be true; others are more questionable. This one may very well have happened.
Throughout history, many people have believed in the power of prophesy, of one’s future being foretold by fortunetellers. In 1777, when she was 14, Josephine and some friends went to the local fortuneteller to see what lay in store for them. What she was supposedly told may make believers of us all!
Josephine was told that she would have two marriages, the first unhappy and the second to a man who would claim great glory and make Josephine “greater than a queen.” But, the fortuneteller went on to say, she would die unhappy, regretting the loss of her easy life on Martinique.
Various historians have questioned if this story is fact or fable, but Josephine mentioned it before she was ever empress, and I’d bet money that it happened.
They had two children, Eugène in 1781 and Hortense in 1783, but the marriage was less than happy. Josephine was a bit plump and was not the elegant lady preferred by high society, while Alexander was every bit the dashing dancer that had so attracted Josephine. Soon, his eyes began to wander, and in 1783 he deserted his wife and returned to Martinique, where he was less than faithful. He was hoping to become involved in the American War of Independence, and he took his mistress along with him to the United States. Over the years, he would father several illegitimate children.
Josephine soon understood the situation. Now, it wasn’t all that unusual for a nobleman to have a mistress, but Josephine was not amused; she applied for and received a legal separation, complete with a nice income. She spent some time in a convent, which is not as severe as it may sound. The convent was home to many ladies of the highest social class, and Josephine learned a great deal from them. Later, she stayed with relatives at the chateau of Fontainebleau. She became active on the social scene, which is to say that she had a long string of affairs, some with rather important men.
In 1788, Josephine returned to Martinique, where she spent two years. Among other things, she witnessed a relatively minor slave uprising: All was not well in what she remembered as her idyllic homeland. She returned to Paris, where she had something of a reconciliation with Alexander, though the two never really reunited. Her social life continued, as did her habit of spending far beyond her means. As a result, she was always in financial difficulty.
Josephine’s home on Martinique today
Josephine’s family lived in a rather nice home on Martinique. Unfortunately, the home was destroyed by a hurricane in 1766. All that is left is the relatively small building that used to be the kitchen, as well as the foundations of the main building. You can also see some of the family’s sugar factory down the road; the factory and the kitchen are set in a beautiful park.
The kitchen from the original homestead has been made into a museum, which is full of artifacts from Josephine and her family. The first exhibits remind you that the family’s wealth was built on the backs of its slaves. You can then see the bed in which the young Josephine slept, numerous other items of hers, and some of her letters from Napoleon. There is a nice gift shop in what used to be part of the sugar mill.
Nearby, you can visit the church where Josephine was baptized, the church of the Trois-ilets, which also contains the tomb of her mother.
The Savane Square in the center of the nearby town of Fort-de-France has a large statue of Josephine. She is holding a plaque that shows the coronation of she and Napoleon as empress and emperor. A quick inspection of the statue reveals that it is missing its head! Most of the island’s inhabitants are black descendents of slaves, some of whom were owned by Josephine’s parents. It seems that they have taken out their unhappiness with their familial history on the statue.
Facing the guillotine
Alexander had become a true supporter of the Revolution and had risen to be the president of the National Assembly (see Chapter 3). Later, he was given some important assignments, including command of the Army of the Rhine. But in 1794, to be a nobleman was to be in trouble. As I explain in Chapter 4, the Terror was well underway, and the guillotine was busy separating heads from shoulders.
In March 1794, Alexander was arrested and thrown into prison. To her credit, Josephine did all she could to secure his release. Warned that she was also in danger, she continued her efforts and was put into jail in April. In those days, jail was essentially a way station on a trip to the guillotine. The husband and wife were reunited in prison, though we don’t know if they actually reconciled. (Some people believe that while in prison Josephine had an affair with General Louis Lazare Hoche, and it is entirely possible that she did.)
Starting over
Reunited with her children, Josephine set to starting her life over. To do so, she turned to her many friends. One of them was Thérèse Tallien, who had been her friend during Josephine’s years of separation from her husband. Another was Paul Barras. One of the best ways to describe Barras would be “survivor,” as he had managed to ride out the storm of the Revolution, the Terror, and the fall of Robespierre to emerge as one of the most powerful men in France.
Without question, Josephine’s friendship with Barras was the best thing she had going for her. Of course, it seems likely that she was far more than his friend; most historians believe that she was his mistress. The two of them were in a position to help each other out in their various business dealings as well. Josephine had had some really good connections, and some of them were even still alive!
Josephine had beauty and charm, and she knew how to survive — in style. But as all who knew her would eventually discover, one thing that she was really good at was spending money, whether or not she had it to spend.
Meeting and Marrying
There are varying accounts of how Napoleon and Josephine met. Napoleon was a national hero with an up-and-coming career, so he was in great demand for parties all over Paris. He knew Paul Barras and other social luminaries, and it is quite likely that he met Josephine in 1795 at one of the many social functions he attended. Napoleon himself said as much.
Following the riots on the 13th Vendémiaire a law was passed forbidding any private citizen to have weapons in his house. My brother, unable to bear the thought of surrendering the sword that had belonged to his father, hurried off to see General Bonaparte, who at that time was in command of the troops stationed in Paris. He told the General he would kill himself rather than give up the sword. The General, touched by his emotion, granted his request and at the same time asked the name of his mother, saying he would be glad to meet a woman who could inspire her son with such ideals.
As the legend continues, Josephine decided to visit Napoleon to thank him for his kindness toward her son. Napoleon, who was busy with his maps (as usual), saw Josephine and fell head over heels in love with her.
This story is unlikely, but the fact remains that Napoleon was interested in taking a wife and soon decided that Josephine was the woman for him. Now, I must note that Josephine was not completely honest with him. She allowed him to think that she was a bit younger than she was, and of more substantial means. On the plus side, she was a woman of some significant experience, particularly sexual experience. Napoleon, who had very little experience along that line, was probably quite impressed with her charms.
Falling in love
I awake full of you. Your image and last evening’s intoxication have left my senses no repose whatever.
Sweet and incomparable Josephine, what a strange effect do you produce upon my heart! Are you vexed? Do I see you sad? Are you troubled? . . . My soul is crushed with grief, and there is no repose for your lover; but is there any the more when, abandoning myself to the profound emotion which masters me, I draw from your lips, from your heart, a flame which consumes me? Ah! It was last night I really understood that your portrait was not you!
You are leaving at noon; I shall see you in three hours. Meanwhile, mio dolce amor, a thousand kisses; but do not give me any, for they burn my blood.
Napoleon was deeply in love, but Josephine wasn’t so sure. She had a pretty good deal going — she was involved in a number of business and other affairs and was maintaining a, ahem, close relationship with Paul Barras. Barras, on the other hand, may well have been anxious to move his rather expensive plaything on to someone else. Indeed, it seems that he arranged for Napoleon to be appointed commander of the French army in Italy in exchange for Napoleon’s marrying Josephine.
It’s a bit hard to understand why Josephine was interested in Napoleon at all. Sure, he was a young hero, but he was also penniless and fairly lacking in social graces. Josephine, on the other hand, had pretty much made it by the time she met him. She had climbed to the very top of the social ladder and was involved in all sorts of interesting things.
Questioning her future
Josephine was also not convinced that marrying this young general was the best decision she could make. Marrying a general may sound like a good deal to you and me, but generals have a tendency to be sent to far-away places where they can end up being killed. In addition, generals were still very political, and if they fell out of favor they could find themselves at the very least out of a job. Napoleon had already discovered how easy it was to suddenly be on half pay (see Chapter 4). Josephine, who was involved in military supply dealings, was well aware of the downside to military careers.
Josephine’s friends counseled against the marriage. Of greater importance was the opposition of her daughter, Hortense. But Josephine may well have figured that any daughter would fear losing her mother to a man who would not be her real father. As it happened, Napoleon was an excellent stepfather to both of Josephine’s children.
And then there was the little matter of General Hoche, whom Josephine had met, so to speak, while in prison (see the earlier section “Facing the guillotine”). Not only was Josephine not in love with Napoleon; she had hoped that General Hoche would leave his wife and marry her. (She finally realized that he would never do so, which may be why she eventually agreed to marry Napoleon.)
It seems that Napoleon was not the greatest lover in the world, either. Though Josephine was adept in such matters and taught Napoleon a great deal, his approach was similar to his military strategy: He offered little in the way of preliminaries, preferring a quick attack with the fastest possible victory.
Not in love and faced with the opposition of friends and his family, Josephine stalled when Napoleon asked her to marry him. His passion worried her, as she was unable to match it. Besides, any fire can cool quickly, so Josephine made Napoleon wait through the winter of 1795–1796. Finally, faced with her increasing age, diminishing prospects, and Napoleon’s persistence, Josephine relented and agreed to marry him.
Marrying their future
Napoleon and Josephine agreed to a civil ceremony at 8:00 p.m. on March 9, 1796. Josephine was there early, wearing Napoleon’s famous gift to her, an enameled medallion engraved “To Destiny.” (They could not have possibly imagined how significant those words would be.) Barras, serving as a witness, was on time, as were other members of the wedding party. Only one person was missing: the groom!
Anyone can be a little late, even to his own wedding, but as the minutes dragged on into first one hour and then two, emotions must have been on edge. The official who was to marry them left, and an underling was on hand for the ceremony, even if the groom was not. You can only imagine what thoughts were going through the various minds there assembled.
Nothing about the wedding was normal. Josephine lied about her age on the marriage certificate, claiming to be 4 years younger, and Napoleon added 18 months to his age. The end result was that they appeared to be roughly the same age.
If the wedding was unusual, the wedding night was downright bizarre. Okay, lots of folks are really tired on their wedding night, and it may not really be the best possible time for an evening of wild sexual abandon. Still, Napoleon’s passion and Josephine’s inclinations would suggest that some kind of activity was likely. But upon coming to bed, Napoleon discovered that he was expected to share his wedding bed with another male!
Josephine’s children had been apprehensive about their mother’s marriage to this young general. True, Napoleon had treated her son with kindness in the matter of his father’s sword (if that story is really true), but like any children, they worried about how their stepfather would relate to them.
The day after the wedding, the newlyweds went to visit her children. Napoleon was at his most charming and generous. He arranged to send his own younger brother Jérôme to go to school with Eugène, visited their school, and generally did whatever he could to make them feel comfortable with him. By the end of the visit, Josephine’s children knew that they had a new father they could trust — and love.
Napoleon and Josephine were married. One of the greatest love stories in history had begun. But it didn’t start out very promising. Within a couple days, Napoleon was off to Italy and glory, while Josephine was to stay home where she would . . . well, more on that subject in Chapter 6.