Josephine

jo'ze-feen (1763-1814), empress of France. She was the daughter of a French artilleryman and was born on the Island of Martinique in 1763. She was educated in a convent in the arts of singing, dancing, and making embroidery. An aunt resident in France brought about a marriage with the second son of the Marquis of Beauharnais, to whose family she was described as possessing "a fine complexion, beautiful arms and eyes, a sweet voice, and a remarkable taste for music,--altogether well advanced and formed for her age." Her father brought her to Havre and the marriage took place. Josephine and her husband were not particularly happy together. They had two children--a son and a daughter. Beauharnais sat in the constituent assembly. He was among the number executed by order of the Convention in 1790. Josephine paid Napoleon a visit to thank him for sending her son his father's sword. Napoleon was touched by her helpless beauty and later sought her as a wife. They were married March 9, 1796. She accompanied him during his campaigns in Italy, where she became the center of attraction. When Napoleon returned to Paris Josephine was his confidante--the one person who never lost faith in him. Her receptions were thronged by brilliant people and did much to reconcile Paris to Napoleon's ambitious views. When Napoleon was crowned emperor at Notre Dame, Josephine knelt by his side. But they had no children. Napoleon was anxious to found a line of kings. He resolved to divorce Josephine. This he did, in 1809, with much show of devotion. She returned to her country seat of Malmaison on a pension of $200,000 a year, devoting the rest of her years to a study of botany and other branches of natural history. She died in 1814, a well wisher of Napoleon to the end. Napoleon's star of empire set when he put Josephine away. Misfortunes seemed to dog his steps ever after. See Napoleon