On March 9, 1796, during the Directory, the young General Napoleon Bonaparte married Marie-Josèphe-Rose de Tascher de La Pagerie, better known as Joséphine de Beauharnais, in Paris. The marriage was a civil ceremony, performed without great ceremony before a registrar, just days before Bonaparte left to take command of the Army of Italy. This union marked the beginning of a passionate relationship that would accompany the meteoric rise of the future emperor.
A quick and discreet wedding
When Napoleon and Josephine married, he was only 26 years old while she was 32. The widow of Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais, guillotined during the Reign of Terror, Josephine was already the mother of two children, Eugène and Hortense. The ceremony took place in relative simplicity in Paris, in the presence of a few witnesses close to the government, including Paul Barras, an influential figure of the Directory.
The marriage was rushed by circumstances. Bonaparte had just been appointed commander-in-chief of the Army of Italy and was due to leave the capital a few days later to rejoin his troops. The couple even went so far as to alter their ages on the marriage certificate to reduce the age difference between them: Josephine shaved a few years off her age while Napoleon aged himself slightly.
A union at the heart of Napoleon's rise to power
From the very first weeks of their marriage, Napoleon displayed an intense passion for his wife. From Italy, he sent her numerous fervent letters filled with love, jealousy, and anxiety. Josephine, remaining in Paris within high society, was often less demonstrative, which sometimes irritated her husband.
With each victory in the Italian campaign, Bonaparte's fame grew considerably. Josephine took advantage of this rise to strengthen her position in Parisian society and cultivate relationships in political and diplomatic circles. When Napoleon seized power after the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799, she became one of the central figures of the new regime, before being crowned empress at the coronation in 1804.
Despite the deep affection that bound them, their marriage would not survive the political demands of the Empire. Unable to provide Napoleon with an heir, Josephine finally accepted a divorce in 1809, ending thirteen years of a union as passionate as it was famous in French history.
