|
|
Article: Social-climbing Rose; Rewriting her history: Empress Josephine and Napoleon.
- Article from:
- Daily Mail (London)
- Article date:
- October 6, 2008
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Solo Syndication Limited. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Byline: Charles Legge
QUESTION Should Napoleon really have said: 'Not tonight, Rose'? MARIE Josephe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, born on June 23, 1763, on the Caribbean island of Martinique, was known to her family and friends including her first husband, Alexandre de Beauharnais as Rose.
In the turbulent times of the French Revolution, she survived both the execution of her husband and imprisonment to marry Napoleon Bonaparte when he was a promising republican general, after which his rapid rise saw her elevated to Empress of France.
It was Napoleon who insisted she be called Josephine, using this name in his letters to her.
It's ...