Joséphine de Beauharnais

Early life and marriage

Born on the Caribbean island of Martinique into a Creole planter family, she moved to France as a young woman. She married Alexandre de Beauharnais and had two children, Eugène and Hortense. Her husband was arrested and guillotined during the Reign of Terror, leaving her a widow before she met Napoleon.

Role as consort and empress

Joséphine married Napoleon in 1796, and her social skills helped consolidate his position. As Empress she presided over court ceremonies, set fashions, and hosted salons that became centers of political and cultural life. Although she did not produce an heir with Napoleon, her two children from her first marriage were integrated into the Bonaparte family’s politics; Eugène and Hortense held important public and dynastic roles.

Patronage, tastes and Malmaison

Joséphine is widely remembered for her interest in the arts, fashion and botany. She acquired and developed the Château de Malmaison, where she created extensive gardens and collected rare plants and animals. Her patronage supported painters, designers and musicians and influenced the elegant styles associated with the early Empire.

Divorce, later life and legacy

Because Napoleon sought a dynastic heir, the couple divorced in 1810; Napoleon remarried in pursuit of succession. After the separation she retained an honored household and lived at Malmaison until her death in 1814. Her name endures in cultural memory through fashions, horticulture, and several commemorations in literature and the decorative arts.

Notable facts

• Children: Eugène de Beauharnais and Hortense de Beauharnais.
• First wife of Napoleon and first Empress.
• Widowed when Alexandre de Beauharnais was guillotined during the Reign of Terror.
• Renowned patron of the arts and creator of the gardens at Malmaison.