Joséphine de Beauharnais, wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. From a painting by Prudhon.
 At the time of his marriage, Napoleon was about to start on his Italian campaign. Joséphine was a general favorite, and her husband once acknowledged her helpful tact with the remark, "I win battles, but Joséphine wins hearts."
In later years, however, after he became emperor, he divorced Joséphine and married an Austrian princess. Joséphine and Napoleon were married from 1796 until 1810.
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Joséphine de Beauharnais (1763-1814) was a French noblewoman who became the first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and Empress of the French. Born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie in Martinique, she grew up on a sugar plantation before moving to France for an arranged marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais, a wealthy aristocrat. Though their marriage was unhappy and ended with Alexandre's execution during the Reign of Terror, Joséphine narrowly escaped the guillotine herself.
In 1796, she married Napoleon Bonaparte, an ambitious young general. Their relationship was passionate but tumultuous, marked by infidelities on both sides. Despite this, Joséphine played a crucial political role, using her charm and social connections to bolster Napoleon's rise to power. When he became Emperor in 1804, she was crowned Empress beside him in a grand ceremony.
However, their marriage faced strain due to Joséphine's inability to produce an heir. In 1809, Napoleon divorced her to marry Marie Louise of Austria, though he ensured she retained her title and financial security. Joséphine retired to Château de Malmaison, where she cultivated a renowned garden and hosted intellectuals. She died in 1814, just after Napoleon's first abdication. Remembered for her elegance and influence, Joséphine remains a key figure in Napoleonic history.
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