Person

Joséphine de Beauharnais

1763–1814 · 18th century · Also known as Empress Joséphine

Joséphine de Beauharnais was born at Trois-Îlets on Martinique into a planter family. Widowed when her husband Alexandre de Beauharnais was guillotined in 1794, she married Napoleon Bonaparte in 1796 and became Empress of the French in 1804, until their divorce in 1810. Her circle helped some German princely houses, such as Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen, survive the mediatisation of 1806.

Joséphine de Beauharnais
Image: Baron François Gérard (1770 - 1837) – Painter (French) Born in Rome. Died in Paris. Details on Google Art Project · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Principality of Hohenzollern-SigmaringenColony of Martinique

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Joséphine de Beauharnais. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/josephine-de-beauharnais
MLA
“Joséphine de Beauharnais.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/josephine-de-beauharnais. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Joséphine de Beauharnais.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/josephine-de-beauharnais.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Joséphine de Beauharnais’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/josephine-de-beauharnais (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻