NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE
THE RISE OF THE EMPIRE
BY WALTER GEER
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION:
A Historical Sketch
NAPOLEON THE FIRST:
An Intimate Biography
NAPOLEON THE THIRD:
The Romance of an Emperor
RECOLLECTIONS OF THE REVOLUTION AND EMPIRE:
Translated and adapted from the Journal d’une Femme de Cinquante
Ans by the Marquise de La Tour du Pin
[Illustration: JOSÉPHINE]
NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE
THE RISE OF THE EMPIRE
BY
WALTER GEER
AUTHOR OF “THE FRENCH REVOLUTION,”
“NAPOLEON THE FIRST,” “NAPOLEON THE THIRD,” ETC.
_ILLUSTRATED_
[Illustration]
_NEW YORK : BRENTANO’S_
_1924_
COPYRIGHT, 1924, BY
WALTER GEER
_All rights reserved_
THE PLIMPTON PRESS
NORWOOD·MASS·U·S·A
FOREWORD
In the popular estimation the Empress Joséphine is crowned with
a halo of goodness which makes the task of her biographer one of
peculiar difficulty. The aversion which many feel towards Napoleon
is not a little due to what they conceive to be the cruelty with
which he treated the woman who for fourteen years was the companion
of his glory. The writer of this book holds no brief either for the
prosecution or the defence. He wants to draw a portrait--not to
pronounce a judgment: his object is to depict Joséphine as she was, and
he leaves the reader to decide as to her goodness.
WALTER GEER
NEW YORK, October, 1924.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
1763–1779
EARLY YEARS OF JOSÉPHINE
PAGE
The Island of Martinique--The Tascher Family--François
de Beauharnais--Madame Renaudin--Birth of Alexandre de
Beauharnais--Birth of Joséphine--A Confusion of Dates--M.
Beauharnais in France--Death of His Wife--Misfortunes of
the Taschers--Childhood of Joséphine--Her Education--Her
Appearance and Character--Alexandre de Beauharnais--His
Early Years--His Education--Madame Renaudin’s Interest in
Him 3
CHAPTER TWO
1779–1790
MARRIAGE AND SEPARATION
Alexandre de Beauharnais Enters the Army--Madame
Renaudin Plans for His Marriage--The Marquis Writes
M. de la Pagerie--Joséphine Takes Her Sister’s
Place--She Arrives in France--The Contract Signed--The
Marriage--Life in Paris--Birth of Eugène--Alexandre
Sails for Martinique--Birth of Hortense--Alexandre
Repudiates Joséphine--He Returns to France--Refuses a
Reconciliation--A Separation Arranged--Joséphine’s Sojourn
at the Panthémont--Residence at Fontainebleau--Voyage to
Martinique 14
CHAPTER THREE
1789–1794
THE REVOLUTION
Beauharnais Elected to the States-General--Joséphine
Returns from Martinique--Alexandre, President of the
Assembly--Flight of the Royal Family--End of the
Constituent Assembly--Alexandre Rejoins the Army--Promoted
and Made Commander of the Army of the Rhine--His
Disgraceful Failure--His Resignation Accepted--Joséphine at
Paris and Croissy--Alexandre at Blois--Both Arrested and
Confined in the Carmes--Execution of Alexandre 27
CHAPTER FOUR
1794–1795
AFTER THE TERROR
Paris During the Terror--The Fall of Robespierre--Joy
of the Prisoners--Joséphine Set Free--Her Behavior in
Prison--She Returns to Croissy--Her Relations with
Hoche--Her Financial Difficulties--Her Banker, Emmery--Her
Love of Luxury--Her Intimacy with Madame Tallien--Their
Similar Tastes--Thérésia Abandons Tallien--Joséphine’s New
Home--She Places Her Children in School--Paul Barras--His
Political Prominence--His Liaison with Joséphine--His Court
at the Luxembourg 36
CHAPTER FIVE
1796
THE CITIZENESS BONAPARTE
The 13 Vendémiaire--The Parisians Disarmed--Eugène Reclaims
His Father’s Sword--Joséphine Meets General Bonaparte--Her
Appearance at That Time--She Writes the General--One of
His Love Letters--He Decides on Marriage--Joséphine’s
Hesitation--Her Final Consent--The Contract--The Civil
Ceremony--Bonaparte Leaves for Italy 48
CHAPTER SIX
1796
THE VICTORY FESTIVALS
Bonaparte en Route for Italy--His First Letter to
Joséphine--Her Indifference--His Second Letter--Brilliant
Opening of the Campaign--Bonaparte’s Proclamation--He
Writes Joséphine to Rejoin Him--Presentation of the Battle
Flags--Description of Joséphine’s Appearance--Victory of
Lodi--The Fête Given by the Directory 55
CHAPTER SEVEN
1796–1797
JOSÉPHINE IN ITALY
Bonaparte Enters Milan--Joséphine’s Life at Paris--She
Finally Starts for Italy--Her Regret in Leaving--Arrival
at Milan--The Palace Serbelloni--Her Ennui--Letter to
Madame Renaudin--Her Delayed Honeymoon--End of the
Campaign--Napoleon’s Letters--The Court of Montebello--The
Bonaparte Family Reunion--Joséphine’s Aid to Napoleon’s
Policy--The Peace of Campo-Formio--Bonaparte Leaves for
Rastadt--His Return to Paris 62
CHAPTER EIGHT
1798–1799
THE PURCHASE OF MALMAISON
Joséphine Returns to Paris--The Talleyrand Fête--Purchase
of the Hôtel Chantereine--Bonaparte’s Tour of
Inspection--His Sudden Return--Napoleon’s Fortune--He
Leaves for Toulon--The Fleet Sails--Joséphine at
Plombières--She Buys Malmaison--Fortunes of the
Bonapartes--Joséphine’s Indiscretions--Napoleon Hears the
Reports--His Liaison with Madame Fourès 72
CHAPTER NINE
1799
THE RETURN OF BONAPARTE
Bonaparte Leaves Egypt--He Lands in France--Joséphine Fails
to Meet Him--Their Reconciliation--His Generous Pardon--He
Pays Her Debts--Her Rôle in the Coup d’État--She Invites
Gohier to Déjeuner--The Two Days of Brumaire--Bonaparte,
First Consul--They Move to the Luxembourg 82
CHAPTER TEN
1800
THE CONSULAR COURT
The Luxembourg--Important Rôle of Joséphine--Her Devotion
to Napoleon--Secret of Her Power--Her Royalism--Assistance
to the Émigrés--Importance to Napoleon’s Policy--Marriage
of Caroline and Murat--The Tuileries--Life There--The New
Society--Visits to Malmaison--The Château--Napoleon at His
Best 88
CHAPTER ELEVEN
1800
THE QUESTION OF HEREDITY
The Season of 1800 at Paris--Problems of the First
Consul--Success of His Administration--His Reception
after Marengo--The “Conspiracy of Marengo”--Part Taken by
Lucien and Joseph--The Meeting at Auteuil--Alliance of
Fouché and Talleyrand--Joseph in Italy--Napoleon Answers
the Pretender--Decision to Amend the Constitution--Alarm
of Joséphine--The “Parallel”--Disgrace of Lucien--Louis
Chosen--Joséphine’s Plan 96
CHAPTER TWELVE
1800–1802
MARRIAGE OF HORTENSE
Louis Bonaparte--His Early Years--Change in His
Character--His Life at Paris--He Avoids Marriage--Hortense
de Beauharnais--Her Appearance and Character--Love
of Her Mother--Pride in Her Father--Early Dislike of
Bonaparte--Fancy for Duroc--The Infernal Machine--Narrow
Escape of Napoleon and Joséphine--Public Demand for an
Heir--Joséphine’s Dismay--Louis Goes to Spain--Joséphine’s
Visit to Plombières--Return of Louis--His Marriage to
Hortense 104
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
1802–1803
THE CONSULATE FOR LIFE
Bonaparte Made Consul for Life--He Takes Possession
of Saint-Cloud--His Apartment in the Château--Court
Etiquette Established--Trip to Normandie--Joséphine at
Forty--Her Life at Saint-Cloud--A Scene of Jealousy at the
Tuileries--Marriage of Pauline and Borghèse--Unfortunate
Connection of Lucien--Jérôme Marries Miss Patterson 114
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
1803–1804
THE ROYALIST PLOTS
Rupture of the Peace of Amiens--The Celebrated Scene
with the English Ambassador--The Visit to Belgium--An
Unfortunate Episode at Mortefontaine--First Suggestions
of the Empire--Magnificent Reception at Brussels--The
Royalist Conspiracies--Cadoudal and Pichegru Reach
Paris--Joséphine’s Pacific Counsels--Petty Vanity of Madame
Moreau--Her Husband’s Jealousy of Bonaparte--Arrest, Trial
and Exile of Moreau--Deaths of Pichegru and Cadoudal--The
Execution of the Duc d’Enghien 125
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
1804
EMPRESS OF THE FRENCH
The Empire Proclaimed--The Ceremony at
Saint-Cloud--Joséphine Hailed as Empress--Dissatisfaction
of the Bonapartes--Chagrin of Caroline--Napoleon
Yields--Joséphine’s Attitude--Eugène de Beauharnais--The
Fête of the 14 July--Visit to the Banks of the Rhine--A
Letter from Napoleon--The Court at Mayence--Return to
Saint-Cloud 139
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
1804–1805
THE CORONATION
Cardinal Fesch Sent to Rome--The Pope Consents to Go to
Paris--Astonishment of Madame Mère--Joséphine’s Triumph
Over the Bonapartes--Preparations for the Ceremony--The
Pope Arrives at Fontainebleau--Joséphine’s Confession--The
Excitement at Paris--Isabey’s Ingenious Idea--Religious
Marriage of Napoleon and Joséphine--The Procession to the
Cathedral--The Ceremony at Notre-Dame--Joséphine Crowned
by the Emperor--Her Joy--A Series of Fêtes--Baptism of
Napoleon-Louis 148
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
1804–1809
DAILY LIFE OF THE EMPRESS
Joséphine’s Places of Residence--Her Apartments at
the Tuileries--Her Frequent Alterations--Her Rooms
at Saint-Cloud--Her Daily Routine--Her Personal
Attendants--Her Toilette--Her Lingerie and Robes--Her
Lavish Expenditures--Her Debts Paid by the Emperor--Her
Life at the Tuileries 158
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
1805
ITALY AND STRASBOURG
The Journey to Italy--Grand Review at Marengo--Napoleon’s
Reconciliation with Jérôme--The Coronation at
Milan--The Emperor’s Satisfaction--Eugène, Viceroy
of Italy--Joséphine’s Grief--Napoleon’s Attachment
to His Wife--The Fêtes at Genoa--Hurried Return to
France--Joséphine at Plombières--The Austerlitz
Campaign--Joséphine’s Sojourn at Strasbourg--Her Life
There--Napoleon’s Letters During the Campaign 169
CHAPTER NINETEEN
1805–1806
MARRIAGE OF EUGENE
Joséphine Leaves Strasbourg for Munich--Napoleon’s
Letters from Austerlitz--Joséphine’s Selfishness--The
Emperor Arrives at Munich--He Plans Three Family
Alliances--Princesse Augusta of Bavaria--Prince Charles
of Baden--Opposition to the Emperor’s Projects--Duroc
Presents the Official Demand--The Elector Finally Obtains
His Daughter’s Consent--Napoleon Summons Eugène--The Young
Couple--The Marriage--Its Success--Napoleon’s Reception
at Paris--Marriage of Prince Charles and Stéphanie de
Beauharnais 183
CHAPTER TWENTY
1806
QUEEN HORTENSE
Louis Proclaimed King of Holland--Hortense’s Unhappy
Married Life--Birth of Napoleon-Charles--Louis Buys
Saint-Leu--Birth of Napoleon-Louis--Louis and Hortense
at The Hague--Joséphine at Mayence--The Campaign of
Jena--Napoleon’s Letters--The Emperor at Berlin--The
Hatzfeld Episode--Prussia Overwhelmed--The Emperor in
Poland--He Refuses to Allow Joséphine to Join Him--Battle
of Pultusk 198
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
1807
MADAME WALEWSKA
Napoleon’s First Meeting with Marie Walewska--Beginning of
Their Long Liaison--The Emperor Orders Joséphine to Return
to Paris--The Terrible Battle of Eylau--Napoleon Tries to
Minimize His Losses--Headquarters at Osterode--Napoleon’s
Letter to Joseph--His Brief Letters to Joséphine--The
Empress Returns to Paris--Her Cordial Welcome--Her
Loneliness--Birth of Her First Granddaughter--Napoleon
Moves to Finckenstein--He Is Joined by Madame Walewska--The
Emperor Dictates Regarding Joséphine’s Friends 213
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
1807
DEATH OF NAPOLEON-CHARLES
Birth of Napoleon’s First Child--Death of the Crown-Prince
of Holland--Grief of Hortense--Joséphine Goes to
Laeken--She is Joined There by Hortense--Napoleon’s
Letters to His Wife and Daughter--His Apparent
Indifference--Joséphine Writes to Hortense--The Emperor’s
Letters after Friedland--The Peace Conferences at
Tilsit--Napoleon Declines the Queen’s Rose--His Return to
Paris 225
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
1807
THE COURT AT FONTAINEBLEAU
Talleyrand Appointed Vice-Grand-Électeur--Fête of the
Emperor--Marriage of Jérôme and Catherine--Return
of Louis and Hortense--New Quarrels--Louis Departs
Alone for Holland--Napoleon’s Power--The Court Goes to
Fontainebleau--Napoleon at Thirty-eight--The Emperor’s
Program of Entertainment--Life of Joséphine--Ennui of
the Emperor and His Guests--The Gazzani Affair--Jérôme’s
Flirtation with Stéphanie--Illness of Hortense--She Refuses
Any Reconciliation with Louis 237
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
1807
PROJECTS OF DIVORCE
The Question of Divorce First Seriously
Considered--Napoleon Asks Joséphine to Take the
Initiative--She Refuses--Fouché’s Letter to the
Empress--Napoleon Pretends Ignorance--He Writes Fouché to
Cease Meddling--Talleyrand’s Attitude--Fouché Influences
Public Opinion--End of the Fêtes--Death of Joséphine’s
Mother--Napoleon’s Trip to Italy--His Interview with
Lucien--He Adopts Eugène--His Letters to Joséphine 249
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
1808
THE EMPRESS AT BAYONNE
Joséphine’s Fear of Divorce--Irresolution of the Emperor--A
Remarkable Episode--Marriage of Mlle, de Tascher--The
Spanish Crisis--Abdication of King Charles--Murat Enters
Madrid--The Emperor Goes to Bayonne--His Sojourn at
Marrac--Letters to the Empress at Bordeaux--Birth of
Louis-Napoleon--Joy of Napoleon and Joséphine--Charles
Cedes the Spanish Crown--Joseph Appointed King--The Baylen
Disaster--Return of the Emperor and Empress 261
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
1808–1809
A YEAR OF ANXIETY
The Erfurt Conference--Joséphine Left at Paris--Napoleon
Opens His Heart to Alexander--Talleyrand Instructed to
Begin Negotiations for an Alliance--Napoleon’s Letters
to Joséphine--He Leaves for Spain--The Peninsula
Campaign--Pursuit of the English--Bad News from Paris--The
Emperor’s Correspondence--His Return to Paris--Scene
at the Tuileries--The Succession Plot--Joséphine’s
Revelations--She Accompanies Napoleon to Strasbourg--The
Emperor Wounded at Ratisbon--His Letters During the
Campaign--End of the War--Napoleon Leaves for Fontainebleau 271
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
1809
RETURN OF THE EMPEROR
Napoleon Arrives at Fontainebleau--He Informs Cambacérès of
the Coming Divorce--His Cold Reception of Joséphine--She
Finds the Door of Communication Closed--Hesitation of the
Emperor--Joséphine at Forty-six--Napoleon Breaks the Fatal
News--The Scene of the 30 November--A Comic Episode--The
Verdict of History--Napoleon’s Sincere Regret--His
Interview with Hortense--The Final Fêtes--An Unfortunate
_Contretemps_ at Grosbois 285
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
1809
THE DIVORCE
Eugène Reaches Paris--His Difficult Position--He Arranges
a Final Conference--Refuses the Crown of Italy--The
Family Council at the Tuileries--Address of the
Emperor--Joséphine’s Touching Reply--Eugene’s Address to
the Senate--Napoleon Leaves for the Trianon--Joséphine’s
Departure from the Tuileries--Annulment of the Religious
Marriage--The Legend of Joséphine 296
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
1809–1810
JOSEPHINE AT MALMAISON
Dowry of the Empress--Napoleon’s Liberality--Her Debts
Paid--The First Days at Malmaison--Napoleon’s Visits
and Letters--Christmas Dinner at Trianon--Joséphine
Tires of the Country--Her Interest in the Austrian
Marriage--Napoleon Arranges for Her Return to Paris--Her
Arrival at the Élysée Palace 306
CHAPTER THIRTY
1810
THE CHATEAU OF NAVARRE
Napoleon’s Preference for a Russian Alliance--The Matter
Discussed in Conference--The Archduchess Marie-Louise
Favored--The Marriage Arranged--The New Empress Arrives
at Paris--Joséphine Goes to Malmaison--The Emperor Gives
Her Navarre--She Takes Possession of the Château--Its
Dilapidated Condition--Joséphine’s Letter to Hortense--The
Empress Worried Over the Paris Gossip--Her Letter to
Napoleon and His Reply--The Emperor Agrees to All Her
Plans--Joséphine Returns to Malmaison 319
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
1810
AIX-LES-BAINS AND GENEVA
Joséphine’s Court at Malmaison--Her Anxiety About
Hortense--A Call from the Emperor--Joséphine Goes to
Aix-les-Bains--Her Life There--A Visit from Eugène--The
Emperor Announces the Abdication of Louis--Joséphine’s
Narrow Escape from Death--Arrival of Hortense--Joséphine’s
Tour of Switzerland--She Is Upset by the Reports Regarding
Marie-Louise--Advice of Madame de Rémusat--Joséphine’s
Return 331
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
1811–1812
NAVARRE, MALMAISON AND MILAN
The Monotonous Life at Navarre--Joséphine’s Health
Improved--Visits from Hortense and Eugène--Joséphine’s
Fête-Day--News of the Birth of the King of Rome--Napoleon
Again Pays Her Debts--She Plans for a New Château at
Malmaison--Napoleon Exchanges Laeken for the Élysée--A
Winter at Malmaison--Visit to Milan--Sojourns at
Aix-les-Bains and Prégny 342
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
1813–1814
THE FALL OF THE EMPIRE
The Malet Conspiracy--What It Revealed--Joséphine’s
Anxiety--Return of the Emperor--Joséphine and the King
of Rome--Eugène Commands the Grand Army--Napoleon’s
Errors in 1813--Hortense at Aix--Her Sons at
Malmaison--Recollections of Napoleon the Third--A Doting
Grandmother--Death of Mme. de Broc--Louis Returns to
France--Eugène’s Fidelity--Napoleon’s Suspicions--He Asks
Joséphine to Write Her Son--Her Despair--She Leaves for
Navarre 353
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
1814
THE LAST DAYS AT MALMAISON
Joséphine at Navarre--Arrival of Hortense--The Emperor
at Fontainebleau--The Treaty of the 11 April--Provisions
for the Family--Joséphine Returns to Malmaison--Hortense
Arrives--The Czar Calls--Eugène Leaves Italy--He Is
Called to Paris--Hortense, Duchesse de Saint-Leu--Eugène
Received by the King--Joséphine’s Fears--Her Final Illness
and Death--How Napoleon Received the News--His Visit to
Malmaison 364
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
1763–1814
JOSÉPHINE’S PERSONALITY
Her Connection with Martinique--Her Statue at
Fort-de-France--Her Legend--Her Claims to Beauty--Her
Intellect--Her Prodigality--Her Personal Magnetism--Her
Affections--Her Desire to Please--Her Falsehoods--Her Final
Deception--Her Succession--Fate of Her Homes--Napoleon’s
Last Visit to Malmaison--The _Souvenir de Malmaison_ 375
BIBLIOGRAPHY 385
INDEX 389
ILLUSTRATIONS
PAGE
Joséphine _Frontispiece_
General Bonaparte 58
Joséphine at Malmaison 78
Napoleon, First Consul 88
Château of Malmaison 94
Château of Saint-Cloud 114
Napoleon 154
Facsimile of Letter of Napoleon 186
Louis, King of Holland 198
Queen Hortense 226
Château of Fontainebleau 240
Fouché, Duc d’Otrante 252
Empress Joséphine 288
Facsimile of Letter of Joséphine 334
Eugène de Beauharnais 356
NAPOLEON AND JOSÉPHINE
THE RISE OF THE EMPIRE
CHAPTER ONE
1763–1779
EARLY YEARS OF JOSÉPHINE
The Island of Martinique--The Tascher Family--François
de Beauharnais--Madame Renaudin--Birth of Alexandre de
Beauharnais--Birth of Joséphine--A Confusion of Dates--M.
Beauharnais in France--Death of His Wife--Misfortunes of the
Taschers--Childhood of Joséphine--Her Education--Her Appearance
and Character--Alexandre de Beauharnais--His Early Years--His
Education--Madame Renaudin’s Interest in Him
On the outer rim of the Caribbean Sea, in the middle of the chain of
the Lesser Antilles, between the British possessions of Dominica and
St. Lucia, lies Martinique, the birthplace of Joséphine. The island
is only forty miles long, by twenty wide, and its area of less than
four hundred square miles makes it about a third the size of the
smallest state in the Union. A cluster of volcanic mountains in the
north, a similar group in the south, and a line of lower heights
between them form the backbone of the island. The deep ravines and
precipitous escarpments, culminating on the north in the _massif_
of Mont-Pelé, are reduced in appearance to gentle undulations by the
drapery of the forests. The few miles of country between the watershed
and the sea are traversed by numerous streams, of which nearly
fourscore are of considerable size, and in the rainy season become
raging torrents.
At the southerly end, a lateral range, branching from the backbone of
the island, forms a blunt peninsula bounding on the south the beautiful
low-shored bay of Fort-de-France, on which is located the city of the
same name, formerly known as Fort-Royal, the capital of the island. On
this peninsula, directly across the bay from the capital, is the little
hamlet of Trois-Îlets, where Joséphine was born.
By some authorities, Martinique is said to have been discovered by
Columbus in 1493, the year of his second voyage, but it was not until
1635 that possession was taken by the French _Compagnie des Îles
d’Amérique_. During the next hundred years, Martinique had a full
share of wars. It experienced several revolutions of different kinds,
and was attacked on numerous occasions by the British and the Dutch,
but always without success. It was finally captured, however, by Rodney
in 1762, and was only returned to France, by the Treaty of Paris, in
the following year, a few days before the birth of Joséphine. Like
Napoleon, therefore, she had a narrow escape from not being born under
the French flag.
In 1726, there landed in Martinique a noble of Blois, named
Gaspard-Joseph Tascher de la Pagerie, who, like many others, came
to seek his fortune. He belonged to an old family which could trace
its origin back at least to the middle of the fifteenth century. His
great-grandfather had established himself in Blois in 1650, after
having sold his _seigneurie_ of la Pagerie, of which, however,
his descendants continued to use the name. His grandfather, retired
with the grade of captain of cavalry, exhausted his last resources,
in 1674, in recruiting a squadron of the noblesse of Blois. He left
only one son, Gaspard, who, in spite of his good marriages, did not
succeed in restoring the family fortunes. Gaspard left two sons, of
whom the younger rose to considerable prominence in the Church. The
elder, named Gaspard-Joseph, after his grandfather, was a _mauvais
sujet_. To escape a life of genteel poverty at home, he decided
to try his fortunes in the New World. Little is known of the early
years of his life in Martinique, but four years after his arrival,
he presented to the Council a request to have his titles registered,
in order to preserve his rights and privileges as a member of the
noblesse. On account of the many formalities, and the delays in hearing
from France, this matter dragged along over a period of fifteen years.
In the meantime, in 1734, he married a young woman of good, if not
noble, family, who brought him a considerable dot. He was not at all
successful in his business ventures, however, and was finally obliged
to take a clerical position. By his marriage, he had five children, two
sons and three daughters; but we are only interested in the elder son,
Joseph-Gaspard, and the eldest daughter, Désirée.
In 1752, Joseph-Gaspard, who was then seventeen years of age, left
Martinique to take a position as page in the household of the Dauphine,
Marie-Josèphe of Saxony, the mother of the future King Louis the
Sixteenth. This place had been secured for him by the Abbé de Tascher.
After passing three years in France, he returned to Martinique with a
brevet commission as sous-lieutenant in the Navy.
At this time, thirty years after the arrival of Gaspard-Joseph on the
island, the family was living in a state of abject misery, without
money or social position.
In April 1755, in a period of entire peace between the two nations, an
English fleet of ten vessels, under the command of Admiral Boscawen,
captured two French battle-ships near the south coast of Newfoundland.
It soon became evident that plans had been laid by the British
Government to attack all the French colonies. In this emergency the
King, Louis the Fifteenth, had need in the Islands of an officer of
force and intelligence, and on the first of November 1756 he appointed
François de Beauharnais as governor and lieutenant-general of all the
French possessions in the West Indies.
The new governor, although only forty-two years of age, had a
record of twenty-seven years of distinguished service in the Navy.
Notwithstanding the fact that most of this period was passed at
Rochefort, his native place, and that he had seen no active service, he
was very highly esteemed for the efficiency with which he had always
discharged the duties of his various positions.
Monsieur de Beauharnais, (who was not made a marquis until eight years
later), belonged to a family of the _noblesse de la robe_, rather than
of the sword. He was the eldest son of a naval captain, Claude, and of
a Mlle. Hardouineau, whose mother had married for her second husband
the then Marquis de Beauharnais. As nephew of one and grandson of the
other he was later to bear the title and to succeed to the hôtel in the
Rue Thévenot, in Paris, where the marquis died in 1749.
When François de Beauharnais landed in Martinique, as governor, in May
1757, he was accompanied by his young wife, whom he had married six
years before. She was his cousin, and had brought him a large dot.
He also had a small income of his own which he had inherited from
a bachelor uncle. They had had two sons, of whom only one was then
living--François, born the previous year.
What possible point of contact could there be between this _grand
seigneur_, arriving as master in Martinique, rich with his income of
100,000 and his salary of 150,000 livres, and these Taschers living in
misery in a corner of the island?
As above stated, Gaspard-Joseph had three daughters, and in some
unknown way he was successful in obtaining for the eldest, Désirée,
a position in the household of the governor, as an upper servant or
_demoiselle de compagnie_. Once installed in the mansion it did
not take her long to secure a dominating influence over the governor
and his wife, and her favor was in no way diminished by her marriage
to an ordonnance officer of M. de Beauharnais, Alexis Renaudin, a
young man of good family and connections. But it required all of the
authority of the governor to arrange the matter, as the Renaudins
objected strongly to the match--not so much on account of the lack of
dot, as because of the general discredit of the Taschers. Finally, M.
Renaudin _père_ died, and the mother gave a reluctant consent.
After her marriage the power of the young Madame Renaudin seemed to
increase from day to day. A good husband was found for one of her
younger sisters, a command in the militia for her father, and a place
on the governor’s staff for her brother.
The administration of M. de Beauharnais proved a failure. Charges of
such gravity were made against him in France that he was recalled
from his government, and only saved from disgrace by the influence
of powerful friends at home. By this time his infatuation for Madame
Renaudin was so great that he was reluctant to leave Martinique, and
the interesting condition of his wife served as an excuse. On the 28
May 1760, another son was born, who received the name of Alexandre.
Still M. de Beauharnais lingered on the island, and it was not until
the month of April in the following year that he and his wife finally
sailed for France, with the inseparable Madame Renaudin in their suite.
In order not to expose the young Alexandre to the hazards of the
voyage, he was left behind, in charge of Madame Tascher _mère_.
Before the departure of M. de Beauharnais, he arranged yet another
marriage for the Tascher family, and on the 9 November 1761,
Joseph-Gaspard, the former page of the Dauphine, led to the altar Mlle.
Rose-Claire des Vergers de Sannois. She was descended from the old
noblesse of Brie, and belonged to one of the most highly considered
families in the colony. Rose-Claire, who was born in August 1736,
had already passed her twenty-fifth birthday, and was very glad to
find a husband. The marriage, which was celebrated before the curé of
Trois-Îlets, was not honored by the presence of any of the dignitaries
of the colony. Even the father of the groom was not present, for some
unknown reason.
From this marriage there was born on the 23 June 1763, a daughter, who
five weeks later received in baptism the names of Marie-Joseph-Rose:
this was Joséphine.
During the three following years, Mme. de la Pagerie had two more
daughters: Désirée, born the 11 December 1764, who died at the age of
thirteen; and Françoise, born the 3 September 1766, who died at the age
of twenty-five.
At this point we find a confusion in the records which it is not easy
to explain. Under date of the 5 September 1791, there is an entry
of the burial of Marie-Joseph-Rose. There is also in existence a
document of questionable authenticity from which it would appear that
a demoiselle Tascher gave birth the 17 March 1786, to a daughter who
was adopted by Mme. de la Pagerie, and was given a dot of 60,000 francs
by the Emperor Napoleon twenty-two years later, on the occasion of her
marriage. In the certificate of baptism of this child, the mother may
have borrowed the name of her sister Joséphine, who was certainly in
France at that date, and the same name quite naturally might be used in
her burial certificate. In any case, there is no possible doubt as to
the personality of Marie-Joseph-Rose, nor as to the date of her birth.
But this confusion of names and dates enabled Joséphine, when she
wished to appear younger at the time of her second marriage, to claim
that she was born in 1766.
The Treaty of Paris, which ended the struggle between England and
France, was signed on the 10 February 1763, but the news did not reach
Martinique until the end of the following month. The French fleet,
charged with taking possession of the island, arrived the middle of
June, and the white banner of the Bourbons was hoisted once more, just
a week before the birth of Joséphine.
In the meantime, in France, M. de Beauharnais, through the support of
powerful friends at Court, had succeeded not only in having suppressed
the record of his unsuccessful administration, but in securing a
pension of 12,000 livres, the rank of chef d’escadre, and the title of
marquis. At the same time he also obtained a small pension for M. de la
Pagerie.
Madame Renaudin, after passing a short time in a convent, openly took
up her residence with the marquis, both in the city and the country,
and his wife, who seems for a long time to have been blind to their
relations, left Paris to live near her mother at Blois. From time to
time, she made short visits to the city, and it was on one of these
occasions that she died, in October 1767.
Madame Renaudin was now in full control of the situation, and to
consolidate her power she began to lay plans for the future.
The pension of 450 livres which M. de la Pagerie had obtained from the
Court proved very useful when he was practically ruined by the great
storm of August 1766, which, combined with an earthquake, devastated
Martinique, throwing down houses and destroying plantations. On the
Tascher estate nothing was left standing except the sugar refinery,
to which the family fled for shelter. In this building, altered so
as to make it habitable, the family continued to live for the next
twenty-five years. Aubenas visited the place in the middle of the last
century, when it was not much changed since the days of Joséphine’s
childhood. The village Trois-Îlets then contained about fifty frame
houses, and a small church, in which was the family vault of the
Taschers. The plantation was located about a mile beyond the town, and
the description of Aubenas is interesting:
The homestead is situated on a slight eminence, surrounded by larger
hills, only a few steps from the sea, although it is out of sight, and
even out of hearing. From the extent of the buildings still standing,
and the ruins which the eye can make out, it is possible to judge
the former importance of the estate, one of the largest in this once
flourishing quarter of the island. The dwelling-house, originally
constructed on a large scale, has become since the storm of 1766 a
simple wooden structure. Next comes the sugar-mill with its circle of
heavy pillars and its huge roof of red tiles of native manufacture.
A few paces from the mill is the refinery, a large building, over
forty yards long by twenty wide. On looking at the monumental solidity
of this structure it is possible to understand how it withstood the
terrible storm. During the years which followed, the building was
adapted to shelter the Tascher family. A low gallery was added on the
southern side, and rooms were fitted up in the upper part until a new
dwelling-house could be erected. Built on the slope of the hill were
the huts of the negroes, and round about were the sheds and other
buildings used in the manufacture of the sugar.
Amid such surroundings the future empress and queen passed the years
of her childhood, with no society except that of the slaves, and no
culture intellectual or moral. When she was ten years of age she was
sent to the school of the Dames de la Providence at Fort-Royal, where
she remained four years. Her education was then thought to be complete,
and she returned to Trois-Îlets. In fact she had received little more
than a primary-school training, with a few lessons in music and dancing.
At this time Joséphine was far from being the finished coquette that
she became later on. She had a good complexion, fine eyes, pretty
hands and feet; but her face was full, without marked traits, her nose
_relevé_ and ordinary, her figure heavy and ungraceful. Her mind
was hardly cultivated, but to the convent she owed at least quite an
elegant penmanship, with an orthography not much worse than that of
most of her contemporaries. She had a slender voice, and sang to the
accompaniment of a guitar. In character, she was very sweet, submissive
to authority, very amiable, always ready to do any one a favor; and
such she remained all her life.
While Joséphine was passing her childhood at Trois-Îlets, the boy
Alexandre de Beauharnais was living at Fort-Royal with the elder Madame
Tascher. It was not until two years after the death of his mother,
towards the end of the year 1769, that his father arranged to have
him brought back to France. At that time he was over nine years of
age. There is a record of his baptism, under date of 15 January 1770,
on the parish registers of the church of Saint-Sulpice at Paris. His
godmother was the “_haute et puissante dame Marie-Euphémie-Désirée
Tascher de la Pagerie, épouse de M. Renaudin, écuyer, ancien major de
l’île de Sainte-Lucie_.”
In order to complete his education, which had been much neglected,
Alexandre was placed with his brother in the Collège du Plessis,
founded by the great Cardinal Richelieu, which at that time was the
rival of Louis-le-Grand at Paris. Later the boys were sent for two
years, with their tutor Patricol, to the University of Heidelberg to
learn the German language.
In 1774, François entered the army, and Patricol was engaged by the
Duc de La Rochefoucauld as preceptor for the two sons of his sister,
Rohan-Chabot, and he took Alexandre with him. It thus happened that the
most impressionable years of the boy’s life were passed in the ducal
château of Roche-Guyon.
During all these years Madame Renaudin never lost sight of him. She
made every effort to secure over the son the same influence which she
exercised over the father. In the plans which she had formed for the
future, Alexandre held the principal rôle. The resources of the marquis
were very limited, and the expenses of the household were paid largely
from the income of the fortune which the boy had inherited from his
mother. This money Madame Renaudin intended if possible to keep in the
family.
CHAPTER TWO
1779–1790
MARRIAGE AND SEPARATION
Alexandre de Beauharnais Enters the Army--Madame Renaudin Plans
for His Marriage--The Marquis Writes M. de la Pagerie--Joséphine
Takes Her Sister’s Place--She Arrives in France--The Contract
Signed--The Marriage--Life in Paris--Birth of Eugène--Alexandre
Sails for Martinique--Birth of Hortense--Alexandre Repudiates
Joséphine--He Returns to France--Refuses a Reconciliation--A
Separation Arranged--Joséphine’s Sojourn at the
Panthémont--Residence at Fontainebleau--Voyage to Martinique
When Alexandre de Beauharnais was sixteen years of age, in December
1776, he received through the favor of the Duc de La Rochefoucauld a
commission as sous-lieutenant in his regiment of the Sarre-infanterie.
At this time he abandoned the courtesy title of chevalier, then given
to the younger sons of noble families, and assumed that of vicomte, to
which he had no valid claim. Dressed in his handsome new uniform of
white cloth, with facings of silver-gray, the young vicomte proceeded
to Rouen, where his regiment had just arrived in garrison. Here he went
through his military exercises, and perfected himself in mathematics
and horsemanship. At this time he was far from thinking of marriage,
but he did not know the plans of that “high and mighty dame,” his
godmother.
When he returned home to pass a six months’ leave of absence, Madame
Renaudin played her cards so well that Alexandre readily assented
to her ideas, in order more quickly to enjoy his fortune. On the 23
October 1777, the marquis wrote the following letter to M. de la
Pagerie:
“Each of my children has at present an income of forty thousand livres.
It is in your power to give me one of your daughters to share the
fortune of my chevalier. The respect and attachment which he has for
Madame de Renaudin make him ardently desire to be united to one of her
nieces. I assure you that I only acquiesce in his wishes in asking you
for the second, whose age is the most suitable for him.
“I deeply regret that your eldest daughter is not a few years younger:
she certainly would have had the preference, for I have formed an
equally favorable opinion of her; but I must admit that my son, who
is only seventeen and a half years old, thinks that a young lady of
fifteen is too nearly of his own age. There are occasions when sensible
parents are forced to yield to circumstances.”
As Alexandre, besides the income of 40,000 livres from the estate
of his mother, had expectations of 25,000 more, the marquis did not
request M. de la Pagerie to furnish any dot. He only asked that the
father make haste to bring his daughter to France; or, if he could not
come himself, to send her with a trustworthy companion, by a commercial
vessel, as “she would have a more comfortable and agreeable voyage.”
When this letter of the marquis reached Martinique, the second daughter
of M. de la Pagerie, Désirée, was dead, of a malignant fever, at the
age of thirteen; and the youngest daughter, Françoise, was not yet
twelve years old. In January, the father writes that, in default of the
second daughter, he is willing to offer the third, but that it would
be better to accept the first. He says that she (Joséphine) has a very
fine complexion, and very beautiful arms, and that she is very anxious
to go to Paris.
Madame Renaudin’s plan was that Alexandre should marry _one_ of
her nieces: she did not care whether it was the youngest or the oldest.
Therefore, without wasting time in vain regrets over the death of
Désirée, she wrote her brother, in March 1778, “Come with one of your
girls, or two; whatever you do will be agreeable to us. _We must have
one of your children._”
In reply to this letter, M. de la Pagerie wrote, the last of June, that
his youngest daughter had been ill for three months, and was in no
condition to travel, and that he would bring Joséphine. When received,
in September, this information was communicated to Alexandre, who
was then stationed with his regiment near Brest, and he accepted the
substitution with good grace, though with little enthusiasm.
Before M. de la Pagerie could sail, however, France and England were
again at war, and his departure was delayed for more than a year.
Finally, in October 1779, Madame Renaudin received a letter from her
brother, announcing that he and his daughter had arrived at Brest,
after a terrible voyage, and that he was detained there by illness. She
at once set out with Alexandre to join them.
This was the first encounter between Alexandre and Joséphine since
their childhood days, as she was only six years old when he left
Martinique. To judge by his letters to his father at this time, he was
far from enthusiastic over his Creole fiancée. He said that she was not
as pretty as his father might expect, but that the sweetness of her
character surpassed anything that had been said of her.
The party of four travelled slowly to Paris, where they arrived the
middle of November, and joined the marquis in his hôtel, Rue Thévenot,
where he was just installed. The banns had already been published
three times in Martinique in April, and they were now published again
in Paris. Madame Renaudin at once occupied herself with ordering the
trousseau, for which she expended the large sum of twenty thousand
livres.
On the 10 December the contract was signed at the hôtel of the marquis
in the presence of all the male members of the family, no ladies being
present! Of the family of the bride, there was present, aside from M.
de la Pagerie and his sister, only a very distant cousin.
As Alexandre had so large an income, the marquis did not make any
settlement on him at the time of the marriage. The dot of the bride was
furnished by her aunt. Besides the trousseau, already mentioned, Madame
Renaudin gave her a house at Noisy-le-Grand, in the vicinity of Paris,
which she had purchased in October 1776, for the sum of 33,000 livres,
and had furnished at a further cost of about 30,000 livres. To use
the expression commonly employed by ladies in those days (and perhaps
since), when they did not care to state from what source their money
was derived, these funds were doubtless the “proceeds of her diamonds.”
Three days after the signing of the contract, on the 13 December 1779,
the marriage was celebrated in the church at Noisy, in the presence of
nearly the same persons who witnessed the signing of the contract. No
woman signed the register!
Immediately after the marriage, the young couple took up their
residence in the sombre hôtel of the marquis in Paris. For the
young Creole it was a sad change from the brilliant sunshine, the
entire liberty, and the _dolce far niente_ of the Antilles. The
Beauharnais had few friends in Paris, and Joséphine had not even an
acquaintance. In the spring, Alexandre returned to his regiment at
Brest, and Joséphine remained in Paris with her father-in-law, her
aunt, and her father, who was still ill.
Returning to Paris, when his regiment was ordered to Verdun, Alexandre
made no effort to introduce his wife in society. He thought her awkward
and ignorant: even worse, she seemed to him plain, devoid of grace and
_tournure_, with ridiculous ideas of conjugal love, tenderness and
jealousy. He had married to be free to enjoy his fortune, and he had no
intention of being tied down to his wife. It was difficult enough to
secure entry to the Court for himself alone, and he owed his position
there mainly to the fact that he was a fine dancer. He could never hope
to introduce a wife who had neither money, nor friends, nor social
position. In fact, despite the legends to the contrary, Joséphine was
never presented at the Court of Marie-Antoinette.
While Alexandre visited from château to château, his wife continued
to lead the same quiet, uneventful life at Noisy or at Paris. On the 3
September 1781, she gave birth in the hôtel, Rue Thévenot, to a son,
who the following day was baptized in the church of Saint-Sauveur, and
received the name of Eugène.
The first of November, Alexandre left Paris for a trip to Italy, from
which he did not return until the end of July. For a short time after
his return, he was more attentive to his wife, but the improvement in
their relations did not last long. One who knew him well has said that
he was “d’une grande coquetterie avec les femmes,” and such he remained
until the end of his life. Joséphine was naturally of a jealous
temperament, and she certainly had reason enough to “faire des scènes.”
Alexandre was hardly back a month in Paris before he was thinking of
leaving again. At that time M. de Bouillé, the governor of the Windward
Islands, was in France with the object of persuading the Government to
authorize an expedition against the English. Warmly supported by his
old patron, M. de La Rochefoucauld, Alexandre tried, but in vain, to
secure the position of aide de camp to Bouillé. He was so determined to
leave, however, that on the 26 September 1782 he sailed for Martinique
as a simple volunteer, having obtained an indefinite leave of absence
from the Minister of War. He arrived at the island in the month of
November, but found no chance to distinguish himself, as the war was
drawing to a close. The preliminaries of peace were signed the 20
January 1783, and all hostilities ceased in the Antilles as soon as the
news was received.
On the 10 April 1783 a daughter was born to Joséphine in the new hôtel
of the marquis, Rue Saint-Charles, and was baptized the following day
as Hortense-Eugénie. In the certificate the father is described as
“Vicomte de Beauharnais, Baron de Beauville, capitaine au régiment de
la Sarre, actuellement en Amérique pour le service du Roi.”
At that time it took at least two months for a letter to go from Paris
to Martinique, and Alexandre did not receive the news before the middle
of June. After waiting three weeks, he wrote Joséphine as follows:
“If I had written you in the first moment of my anger, my pen would
have burnt the paper ...; but for more than three weeks I know, at
least in part, what I wish you to understand. In spite then of the
despair of my soul, the rage which suffocates me, I shall know how to
restrain myself; I shall know how to tell you coldly that you are in my
eyes the vilest of human beings; that my stay here has enabled me to
learn of the abominable life you led here; that I know, in the fullest
particulars, your intrigue with M. de B., officer of the Régiment de la
Martinique, also that with M. d’H....; I know finally the contents of
your letters and I will bring with me one of the presents you made....
I do not ask you for repentance: you are incapable of it; a person
who, while making her preparations to depart, could receive her lover
in her arms, when she knows that she is destined for another, has no
soul; she is lower than all the _coquines_ on earth.... What
can I think of this last child, born more than eight months after my
return from Italy? I am forced to accept it, but I swear by the Heaven
which enlightens me that it belongs to another, that it is the blood
of a stranger which flows in its veins.... Make your own arrangements
accordingly; never, never, will I put myself in a position to be abused
again, and as you are a woman to impose on the public if we live under
the same roof, have the goodness to retire to a convent, as soon as you
receive my letter; it is my last word, and nothing on earth can make me
change it. I will go to see you on my arrival in Paris, once only: I
wish to have a talk with you and to give you something.”
It is impossible to read this letter without feeling that Alexandre at
the time sincerely believed that he had been wronged by Joséphine both
before and after their union. During his stay in Martinique, he had
begun, as usual, to “courir les femmes,” and had formed a liaison with
a young woman who was an enemy of the Taschers, jealous of the fine
marriage which Madame Renaudin had arranged for her niece, and ready to
employ all means to disturb the peace of the family. It was from her
that Alexandre obtained the information as to Joséphine’s early love
affairs.
After arranging to meet his mistress in Paris, Alexandre sailed the
middle of August, and arrived in France six weeks later. He found
awaiting him at the port letters from his father and Madame Renaudin,
attempting to bring about a reconciliation. En route for Paris he
wrote Joséphine that he was surprised to learn that she was not yet in
a convent, and that his decision was unalterable. On receiving this
letter at Noisy, Joséphine rushed to Paris, to meet her husband on his
arrival, but Alexandre did not go to his father’s house.