Life was a roller coaster ride for the beautiful Josephine.
                Born in the West Indies as Marie-Rose de Tascher de la
                Pagerie, she married into nobility and had two children
                by Vicomte Alexandre Beauharnais, Eugene and
                Hortense.

                Her noble life was shattered by the Revolution and her
                husband executed during the Terror. 

                A socialite without equal, Josephine was mistress to
                several leading political figures and left a young General
                Napoleon Bonaparte completely smitten on their first
                meeting. 

                They married in 1796 and while Bonaparte was a fine
                stepfather to her children, Josephine had regular
                dalliances with other men. 

                Her affairs almost led to divorce in 1799. However,
                despite Bonaparte's love for her, the emperor needed
                children of his own to secure succession to the crown
                and when she was unable to give him any he finally
                divorced her in 1809. 

                Painful though it was, divorce allowed Josephine to
                devote time to gardens and her love of botany and her
                last years at Malmaison were productive. 

                She died in 1814, a woman much loved by the people. 

                Bonaparte never got over having to divorce her and his
                last words were: "France, the army, Josephine." 

Source:    Napoleonic Guide 1999-2002