Empress Joséphine
Empress of the French
"It is impossible to say how much I love you and how much I miss you."
Biography
Born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie on the Caribbean island of Martinique, Joséphine was a widow with two children when she met Napoleon Bonaparte in 1795. Their passionate and turbulent marriage shaped the early years of the Consulate and Empire. Napoleon's letters to her from his Italian campaigns are among the most ardent love letters in history, yet she remained largely indifferent to his devotion while he was away. As Empress she became a powerful arbiter of Parisian fashion and culture, transforming Malmaison into a center of art and horticulture — her rose gardens influenced European floriculture for a century. The marriage's great tragedy was Joséphine's inability to produce an heir, leading Napoleon in 1809 to divorce her and marry the Austrian archduchess Marie Louise. Joséphine died at Malmaison in 1814, reportedly whispering 'Napoleon... Elba... Marie Louise.'
Did you know?
Joséphine survived the Reign of Terror, spending several months imprisoned in Les Carmes prison where she expected to be guillotined daily. The fall of Robespierre on 9 Thermidor saved her life.
Life Journey
Timeline
June 23, 1763
🌅 Birth
Born in Les Trois-Îlets, Martinique
March 9, 1796
event
Married Napoleon Bonaparte in a civil ceremony in Paris
December 2, 1804
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Crowned Empress at Notre-Dame by Pope Pius VII
1800–1809
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Creates magnificent gardens at Malmaison
December 1809
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Divorced by Napoleon to enable dynastic remarriage
May 29, 1814
✝️ Death
Died at Malmaison, reportedly murmuring Napoleon's name