Josephine Bonaparte – an unlikely empress – Women and Power through the Ages (2025)

Josephine Bonaparte – an unlikely empress – Women and Power through the Ages (1)

Josephine, born Marie-Josèphe-Rose, was the eldest child in a plantation-owning family of Tascher de la Pagerie in Martinique. At the age of 15, she and her two friends had their fortunes told by a local witch. What she was told was nothing short of legendary; she would marry a man who would cover the world with glory and make her greater than a queen [1]. It is impossible to say whether this account is truthful, or if Josephine shared her husband’s affinity for creating a greatnarrative of his life, likening himself to Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar. Yet, her narrative is so entangled with her husband’s that instead of her given name, or Yeyette as her family called her, she would forever be known to history as Josephine, the name Napoleon had given her. Nevertheless, hers is still an impactful tale of a will to survive and an extraordinary ability to win people over.

A Drinker of Blood

Josephine Bonaparte – an unlikely empress – Women and Power through the Ages (2)

The head of Josephine’s first husband would roll into a basket after an unfortunate encounter with the guillotine during Robespierre’s Reign of Terror, a fate suffered by many that had been branded enemies of the state for one threadbare reason or another. Josephine was not far from following the same way as her husband. Kept prisoner due to hypothetical crimes linked to her husband’s and having been a widow only for six days, her end was signaled by the removal of her bed from her cell. There would be no need for it soon. Yet, during the same day, the most auspicious news reached her ears. Robespierre was dead – guillotined. Josephine was among the first to be freed because of her personal connections to the leaders of the new government.

Josephine might have been spared by sheer luck, but she had also done everything in her might to ensure her survival. She had kept her head low during the first years of the revolution, adopted a modest appearance, and littered her apartment with patriotic letters before it was raided. Yet, it was her ability to tie beneficial connections that was her greatest tool. She had endured after her first husband had cast her out through patronage from wealthy men she had enchanted, and even in prison she was able to attach herself to a high-ranking prisoner, General Hoche who might have been able to provide her a way to freedom. After the Terror, Josephine continued her affair with Hoche and became the established mistress of one of the leaders of the succeeding government, Barras. He would bitterly lament later that she would have drunk gold from the skull of her lover [2]. Josephine, it seemed, chose her lovers based on who could maintain her and her two children.

Josephine Bonaparte – an unlikely empress – Women and Power through the Ages (3)

If anything, she knew how to play the game to ensure both survival and comfort. She saw great effort to maintain the men who funded her even after her health had been ruined in prison, spending a fortune on her appearance. It was her beauty and charm that first attracted her to Napoleone di Buanaparte, Barras’ Corsican protegee who would later gallicize his name. He was immediately consumed by his desire to win Josephine for himself. “My waking thoughts are all of thee,” he wrote in a letter to her, calling his feelings a “flame that burns him up [3].” For years after, his idolatry of her would prove so conspicuous that his officers and even complete strangers would mark on it. Josephine would eventually master the skill of keeping this flame burning that would prove a necessity to prevent being ousted from her home once again.

Madame Bonaparte

Josephine’s feelings for Napoleon did not appear as passionate as his for hers, even characterized as lukewarm in one letter [4], and she told Barras she could do better than him [5]. Nevertheless, she married him as neither Hoche and Barras would, and her expensive lifestyle had her in debt that would eventually reach 1.2 million francs or 20 million modern dollars [6]. What followed was two decades of alternating passion, jealousy and hatred. They were both unfaithful to one another, but Napoleon had an advantage over her as a man, threatening divorce countless times. Josephine had to adopt a mellow and congenial manner to keep her husband happy. Napoleon’s infamous 1804 civil code gave the order that “the wife [owes] obedience to her husband [7],” and that is exactly the picture Josephine was determined to give.

As Napoleon himself acknowledged, he owed much of his rise to power to Josephine’s ability to win hearts [8]. It was thanks to her connections he was introduced to the right people and thanks to her diplomacy he gained useful allies. Perhaps the greatest testament to her ability to bend anyone to her will, no matter how powerful, was Pope Pius VII. Teary-eyed, she requested a private audience with the man who had arrived in Paris to conduct the coronation of her husband to the emperor of France. She revealed that she and Napoleon had only been married in a dubiously legitimate civil ceremony. The pope demanded they would be married in a proper religious ceremony or the coronation would not take place. After Josephine had gotten what she had wanted, she demanded written proof that the wedding had taken place. As always, she fought for survival. However, the price to pay was being crowned an empress – something she had expressed reluctance about. What Josephine seemed to have always strived for was a comfortable, even lavish existence, but her ambition ended there. All she wanted was her gardens at their place in Malmoison, something that was taken from her as Napoleon forced the move to more royal accommodation.

Josephine Bonaparte – an unlikely empress – Women and Power through the Ages (4)

In the end, however, the annulment of their marriage was inevitable. Napoleon wrote to his close companion that he perceived his power would never be firmly established until he had a child [9]. Josephine, who had suffered a pelvic injury, harsh imprisonment and was 8 years his senior, would be unlikely to provide him with one. Yet, even after securing the divorce, his love for her did not seem to cease. He insisted she keep the title of empress, gave her leave to live in Malmaison by her beloved gardens, and he kept writing to her, ending his letters with assurances such as this: “Never doubt the whole truth of my affection for you; it will last as long as I,” or “Adieu, dear; I again thank you as affectionately as I shall always love you” [10].

Yet, that love had not been enough. Without a clear imperial heir, the country that had already seen multiple violent coups, dissolutions of the government and regicide would have descended into chaos had Napoleon not survived all the assassination attempts made to his life. At that time, patrimonial transfer of power equaled stability. Napoleon chose stability, and perhaps his family who had never approved of Josephine, someone they considered a mere courtesan. Even some historians do not seem to understand the appeal of Josephine, or condone her rise to an empress, claiming that she had only “imposed on history” because she had “imposed on Napoleon [11].” If this is true, one thing is certain; no one made imposing on history look as artful as her.

NOTES

[1] Williams, 2014 p. 18

[2] Williams, 2014 p. 69

[3] Bonaparte, 1796

[4] Williams, 2014 p. 84

[5] Williams, 2014 p. 79

[6] Williams, 2014 p. 149

[7] The Napoleon Series

[8] Williams, 2014 p. 151

[9] Williams, 2014 p. 179

[10] Bonaparte, 1810

[11] Walsingham, 1923 p. 372

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Bonaparte, Napoleon. Napoleon Bonaparte to Empress Josephine, 23 February 1796. In Napoleon’s Letters to Josephine. Edited by Henry Foljambe Hall. 1901. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37499/37499-h/37499-h.htm

Bonaparte, Napoleon. Napoleon Bonaparte to Empress Josephine, 28 April 1810. In Napoleon’s Letters to Josephine. Edited by Henry Foljambe Hall. 1901. https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37499/37499-h/37499-h.htm

The Napoleon Series. “Code Napoleon.” Accessed 11, 2025. https://www.napoleon-series.org/government/code-napoleon.

Sergeant, Philip Walsingham. The Empress Josephine: Napoleon’s Enchantress. Doran, 1923.

Williams, Kate. Ambition and Desire: The Dangerous Life of Josephine Bonaparte. McClelland & Stewart, 2014.

DUTIES

Writer: Emilia Julmala

Proofreader: Emma Sahi

Media editor: Oona Wallenius

Citation editor: Christian Berbos

Layout: Selma Nykänen

Josephine Bonaparte – an unlikely empress – Women and Power through the Ages (2025)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Last Updated:

Views: 5396

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (59 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rev. Leonie Wyman

Birthday: 1993-07-01

Address: Suite 763 6272 Lang Bypass, New Xochitlport, VT 72704-3308

Phone: +22014484519944

Job: Banking Officer

Hobby: Sailing, Gaming, Basketball, Calligraphy, Mycology, Astronomy, Juggling

Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.