Joséphine de Beauharnais 1763 – 1814

Biography

Born on June 23, 1763, in Les Trois-Îlets, Joséphine de Beauharnais came into the world in circumstances far removed from the grandeur she would later inhabit. Her early years shaped a woman of grace and resilience, qualities that would define her through the turbulent decades of revolution and empire that lay ahead.

Joséphine rose to become Empress consort of France, a position she held from 1804 until 1814. During this transformative decade, she witnessed the reshaping of European politics and society, serving as a symbol of stability and elegance during one of history’s most dramatic periods. Her presence at the heart of power made her a figure of lasting historical significance.

On May 29, 1814, Joséphine’s remarkable life came to an end at Rueil-Malmaison, taken by diphtheria at the age of fifty. Her passing marked the close of an extraordinary chapter in French history, leaving behind a legacy woven into the fabric of the Napoleonic era and remembered by those who knew of her dignified bearing and enduring influence.