Saturday, June 30, 2012

Josephine De Beauharnais aka Marie Tascher










Where was Josephine born?

    West Indies. Josephine was born on the Caribbean island of Martinique in the West Indies where she grew up on a slave plantation called Trois-Ilets. Josephine was one of three girls and often referred to herself as the bejeweled slave.
Before being called Josephine, what name did she go by?
    Rose. Marie Josephe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie was born to Joseph and Rose-Marie Tascher in 1763. When Napoleon married her, he began calling her Josephine.
Was Josephine supposed to marry Alexandre de Beauharnais in 1779?
    n. Josephine's sister, Catherine, was supposed to marry Alexandre, but she died before the marriage could take place so Josephine's father accompanied Josephine to France for the marriage. She was sixteen when she married Alexandre de Beauharnais. Josephine and Alexandre had a son named Eugene and a daughter named Hortense. Eugene eventually became Viceroy of Italy and Hortense became Queen of Holland.
Josephine was put in prison during the Reign of Terror.
    t. In 1794, Josephine was sentenced to prison for a short time during the French Revolution, however, Alexandre was sent to the guillotine. While in prison, Josephine had an affair with a man named Lazare Hoche. It was only because of the downfall of Robespierre that Josephine was released from prison and not beheaded.
Who introduced Josephine to Napoleon Bonaparte?
    Barras & Paul Barras. General Paul Barras was political director at Toulon when he first met Napoleon. At the time he introduced Josephine to Napoleon, Paul was looking at a way to get rid of Josephine because of her accumulating debts.
How many times were Napoleon and Josephine married?
    2. Josephine and Napoleon were married for the first time on March 9, 1796 and again in a religious ceremony before he became Emperor of France. As a wedding present, Napoleon gave Josephine a gold medallion with the inscription 'To Destiny' on it.
At first, did Josephine want to marry Napoleon?
    n. Josephine thought that Napoleon was strange when he was around women and hesitated before eventually marrying him.
Who had the marriage annulled?
    Napoleon. Napoleon had the marriage annulled because Josephine was allegedly infertile.
Where did Josephine live after Napoleon annulled their marriage?
    Malmaison. Josephine returned to their home in Malmaison after the annulment. While they were still married, Josephine bought the château outside of Paris while Napoleon was in Egypt.
When did Josephine die?
    May 29, 1814. Josephine Bonaparte died of a chill she received while walking in her gardens. 

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