NAPOLEON AND JOSEPHINE
THE RISE OF THE EMPIRE
BY
WALTER GEER
AUTHOR OF “THE FRENCH REVOLUTION,”
“NAPOLEON THE FIRST,” “NAPOLEON THE THIRD,” ETC.
ILLUSTRATED
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.