#Joséphine Bonaparte

[myrcella-lannister]

VANESSA KIRBY AS JOSÉPHINE DE BEAUHARNAIS Costume designers: Janty Yates and David Crossman NAPOLEON (2023)

[yuan-ajian]

cute，，

[illustratus]

Portrait of Joséphine de Beauharnais by Andrea Appiani

[waifu-napoleon]

[the-dorset-ooser]

[michelle-blue]

...I have not spent a day without loving you; I have not spent a night without clasping you in my arms; I have not drunk a cup of tea without cursing the glory and ambition which keep me from the heart of my very being. In the midst of my activities, whether at the head of my troops or inspecting the camps, my adorable Josephine stands alone in my heart, she occupies my mind and fills my thoughts. If I depart from you with the speed of the rushing Rhone, it is only so that I may see you again more quickly. If I get up in the middle of the night to work, it is because this may hasten by some days the arrival of my sweet love...

--

This letter, the fifth which Bonaparte sent to his wife, was published for the first time in 1827 in the second volume of the Mémoires of a contemporary, Ida Saint-Elme.

[venicepearl]

Joséphine Bonaparte (23 June 1763 – 29 May 1814) was Empress of the French as the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I. She is widely known as Joséphine de Beauharnais.

Her marriage to Napoleon was her second. Her first husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais, was guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she was imprisoned in the Carmes Prison until five days after his execution. Through her children by Beauharnais, she was the grandmother of the French emperor Napoleon III and the Brazilian empress Amélie of Leuchtenberg. Members of the current royal families of Sweden, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway and the grand ducal family of Luxembourg also descend from her. Because she did not bear Napoleon any children, he had their marriage annulled in 1810 and married Marie Louise of Austria. Joséphine was the recipient of numerous love letters written by Napoleon, many of which still exist.

A patron of art, Joséphine worked closely with sculptors, painters and interior decorators to establish a unique Consular and Empire style at the Château de Malmaison. She became one of the leading collectors of different forms of art of her time, such as sculpture and painting. The Château de Malmaison was noted for its rose garden, which she supervised closely.

[artdesannonces]

Une magnifique interprétation de Joséphine Bonaparte par le baron François Gérard.

Ces tableaux nous aident-ils pas à bien comprendre l’histoire ?

La vie fascinante et méconnue de Joséphine Bonaparte, première épouse de Napoléon

Dans l'ombre imposante de Napoléon Bonaparte, un nom émerge avec une grâce et une intrigue particulière : Joséphine Bonaparte. Souvent reléguée au second plan derrière les hauts faits militaires de son célèbre époux, la vie de Joséphine mérite d'être explorée pour révéler une histoire fascinante et méconnue.

"France. L'armée. Joséphine." Ces trois mots, prononcés par Napoléon dans un état de délire juste avant sa mort, soulignent l'importance indéniable que Joséphine a eue dans sa vie. Bien que l'histoire commune les ait séparés en raison de l'incapacité de Joséphine à donner un héritier à l'Empereur, leur lien n'a jamais été rompu, laissant une empreinte indélébile dans les pages de l'histoire.

Joséphine de Beauharnais est née en Martinique en 1763. Elle épousa Alexandre de Beauharnais, un général révolutionnaire, avec qui elle eut deux enfants. Cependant, le destin les sépara lorsque son mari fut exécuté pendant la Révolution française. C'est à cette époque que Joséphine rencontra Napoléon Bonaparte.

Leur union en 1796 marqua le début d'une époque impériale qui allait changer le cours de l'histoire européenne. Joséphine apporta une élégance raffinée à la cour impériale et joua un rôle crucial dans la diplomatie, établissant des relations clés avec d'autres puissances européennes. Cependant, son incapacité à concevoir un héritier mâle fut un obstacle insurmontable pour le couple.

En 1809, Napoléon prit la difficile décision de divorcer de Joséphine pour épouser Marie-Louise d'Autriche, dans l'espoir de garantir une descendance impériale. Malgré cette séparation officielle, Napoléon et Joséphine maintinrent une relation étroite et amicale jusqu'à la mort de l'Empereur en 1821.

La vie de Joséphine après le divorce fut marquée par la retraite dans son château de Malmaison, où elle se consacra à sa passion pour la botanique et à la création d'un magnifique jardin. Elle est décédée en 1814, bien avant la chute finale de Napoléon.

L'héritage de Joséphine Bonaparte réside dans sa capacité à transcender les limites de l'époque et à demeurer une figure influente malgré les revers personnels. Son histoire offre un aperçu captivant de la vie en période révolutionnaire et impériale en France, et son rôle dans la vie de Napoléon Bonaparte reste une partie intégrante du récit complexe de l'histoire française. Ainsi, plonger dans la vie de Joséphine Bonaparte révèle une femme remarquable qui a laissé une empreinte indélébile dans les annales du passé.

[empirearchives]

How I look when I post on tumblr dot com:

[xinanigans]

Indulging in the holiday spirit (his ass is very jolly this Christmas season)

[eunikia]

Empress Joséphine as she appears on the inside cover of Lenormand’s ‘Mémoires de l’Impératrice Joséphine’

Portrait of Marie-Anne Lenormand by Jeanne-Philiberte Ledoux

JOSÉPHINE AND THE FRENCH PROPHETESS

Not a name on everyone’s lips these day, but in the Napoleonic era Marie-Anne Lenormand was a major figure at the French court. Born in Alençon in 1772, Lenormand became renowned as a mystic and prophetess. She claimed to have given predictions to a host of prominent individuals, such as author Germaine de Staël, central figures of the French Revolution including Maximilien Robespierre and Jean-Paul Marat, and even Tsar Alexander I of Russia. But it is for her close relationship with Empress Joséphine, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, that she is best remembered.

Empress Joséphine was intensely fascinated by the occult, much to Napoleon’s frustration. She had interests in tarot, necromancy, and other occult arts, but she was so taken by Lenormand that the mystic would become one of her closest confidantes. Through this illustrious connection Lenormand’s fame was secured.

Though she was not to all tastes, and repeatedly found herself imprisoned, if only ever for short periods. Initially incarcerated for attempting to save Marie Antoinette from execution, she is alleged to have successfully foreseen Robespierre’s execution, Louis-Philippe’s rise to the throne, Joséphine’s divorce from Napoleon, and Napoleon’s eventual fall and death in exile. Obviously these predictions ruffled feathers – Napoleon was hardly pleased with the news of his future demise, and his wife’s persistent interest in Lenormand proved a source of conflict in his marriage. One of Lenormand’s short stints in prison occurred whilst Napoleon finalised his divorce from Joséphine in 1809, which she had predicted when she read his palm in 1807, and her prediction of his death in exile was rumoured to be accurate to the day. This renowned accuracy of her predictions led, in 1811, to her even being asked to join the French secret police!

By 1820, however, Lenormand had left Paris and renounced horoscopes, claiming her days as a prophetess were over. She now turned her hand to writing, and began a second career as an authoress, producing a number of works including the Mémoires de l’Impératrice Joséphine (Memoirs of Empress Joséphine). Filling three volumes, the work included anecdotes from Lenormand’s relationship with Empress Joséphine, and even a copy of a letter of support Joséphine wrote to her when Lenormand faced persecution. These memoirs were dedicated to Tsar Alexander I, who sent her a diamond ring in acknowledgement. Lenormand died in 1843, and is now buried in Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris.

[yuan-ajian]

👸

[illustratus]

Portrait of Josephine Bonaparte by Andrea Appiani

[waifu-napoleon]

Napoleon: WHO SPILLED WINE ALL OVER MY MAPS? WHOEVER DID THIS IS GOING TO BE-

Joséphine: I'm sorry, it was me.

Napoleon: -forgiven because everyone deserves a second chance.

Murat: Wow. I’d be fucking dead, had it been me who did this.

[roehenstart]

Empress Joséphine.

[jariv4]