Among the most awaited Hollywood movies of the year, Napoleon was released in theaters on November 24, 2023 (in India) and ever since then, it has become the talking point among fans on social media. Starring Joaquin Phoenix as Napoleon Bonaparte, Vannessa Kirby as Empress Josephine, Tahar Rahim as Paul Barras, Rupert Everett as Arthur Wellesley, and more in the leading role, Napolean is a historical epic drama. Helmed and Produced by Ridley Scott, Napolean is a true story based on French emperor and military commander Napolean Bonaparte who rose to prominence during the French Revolution. While Ridley Scott's movie has depicted multiple sagas of the French emperor, Napolean and Empress Josephine's divorce and romance is among the talking points.
Who was Empress Josephine?
As per History TV, Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Joséphine de Beauharnais' relationship has been hailed as a love affair for the ages, but it was anything but a perfect picture of selfless devotion. Although it is true that Napolean's countless letters to Josephine overflow with intense declarations of infatuated love, their relationship was marred by frequent adultery and their marriage ultimately ended in divorce.
Talking about who was Josephine, her real name was Marie-Josèphe-Rose Tascher de La Pagerie. Josephine name was given by Napoleon based on her middle name. Josephine had grown up on a plantation in the French Caribbean colony of Martinique. When she was in her teens, her family married her off to a minor French noble, Alexandre de Beauharnais, a philanderer whose multiple affairs resulted in the couple’s court-ordered separation.
Now moving fast forward to Napolean-Josephine's divorce reason, the French Emperor divorced her and remarried once he realized she wouldn't be able to provide him with children.
What happened to Empress Josephine?
After her divorce from Napolean, Empress Josephine lived at the Chateau de Malmaison, near Paris, and stayed on good terms with her former husband. Napoleon learned that Empress Josephine died due to pneumonia in May 1814 while he was in his first exile in Elba.