Not Tonight, Josephine... Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rose or Marie Rose

Joséphine was born with the name Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie. Although she is said to have been born in Martinique in 1763, there is some question about this, since there is evidence suggesting she was born in St. Lucia on 23rd June of that year and was then christened in Martinique. (St Lucia changed hands from being British to French 14 times over 150 years, and records were lost, but there is a newspaper article suggesting the family lived on St. Lucia after the "peace of 1763".)

Either way, she definitely did live on Martinique with her family. She was the eldest daughter of Joseph Gaspard Tascher (1735-1790), an impoverished aristocrat who had a commission in the navy, and Rose-Claire Tascher (formerly des Vergers de Sannois). Joséphine's parents owned a sugarcane plantation on Martinique, which later became a museum. When Napoleon met Rose/Marie Rose, he made no secret of the fact that he didn't like the name Rose or Marie Rose. Instead he called her "Joséphine", a play on her middle name. She ended up adopting this name and calling herself it for the rest of her life.

Answer: The Reign of Terror

Joséphine she was just 16 when she left Martinique to travel to France to marry Alexandre de Beauharnais. He had also been born in Martinique and was 19 years old when they married. They had two children, Eugène, who was born on the 3rd September 1781; and Hortense, who was born on the 10th April 1783.

Their marriage wasn't a happy one and in 1789 Joséphine returned to Martinique for two years. When she returned to France in 1791, Alexandre de Beauharnais was in midst of a dazzling and fast-changing political career. He became President of the Constituent Assembly and then in 1793, was named General-in-Chief of the Army of the Rhine.

However, just a year later, in 1794, he was accused of poorly defending Mainz against the Prussians and Austrians during the siege of '93. France was at this point in the "Reign of Terror". Spearheaded by Maximilien Robespierre, this reign ran from roughly September 1793 to July 1794. Alexandre, a victim of this reign, was found guilty and beheaded on 23rd July 1974 at what is now the Place de la Concorde in Paris. In a case of unfortunate timing for Alexandre, Maximilien Robespierre was himself beheaded just a few days after him. (These guillotine beheadings were held at the same place that King Louis XVI had been executed just a year before.) Joséphine herself was also arrested and imprisoned for "political plotting" but was released from prison just days after the fall of Robespierre.

Answer: So they would appear the same age

Joséphine was six years older than Napoleon. Since she was 32 and Napoleon 26 when they married, Joséphine felt slightly touchy about this and as a result, insisted that the marriage certificate state she was 28 and Napoleon 27, so they appeared roughly the same age.

Also, Joséphine was even more sensitive about her age as she was not well liked by Napoleon's family. They were shocked that he intended to marry an older woman, and a widow at that, who already had two children. In addition, Napoleon's mother and his sisters felt clumsy and unsophisticated in Joséphine's presence which made them resentful of Joséphine.

Answer: The Notre Dame

When they first met, Joséphine was lukewarm to Napoleon since he was quite an introvert and she was more fun-loving. He, on the other hand, was quite obsessed by Joséphine. However, two days after their marriage, Napoleon was obliged to leave Paris to lead a French army into Italy. Being lonely, Joséphine plunged into an affair with a handsome Hussar. When Napoleon heard of Joséphine's affair, he is said to have been absolutely infuriated. He too, went on to have several - quite famous - affairs. Despite this, Napoleon said there was never any question he would leave his wife, he loved her passionately - and as such, the pair had their coronation at the Notre Dame in Paris on Sunday, December 2, 1804.

The ceremony was a sacred one that was held in the presence of Pope Pius VII. Napoleon didn't want the coronation to replicate past king's coronations though, and so brought together various different customs that combined both French and Roman influences into a new rite, unique to the occasion.

Also unprecedented was that Napoleon and Joséphine had each of the coronation steps performed jointly. So rather than Napoleon being completely crowned and then Joséphine being crowned, she was anointed immediately after Napoleon, and each item of coronation regalia was given to Joséphine immediately after being given to Napoleon. It is believed Napoleon partly did this to show his rejection of the clergy as the main power in Europe.

Answer: None

Unfortunately for Joséphine, even though she had had two children by her first husband, she was unable to produce an heir for Napoleon. It is believed that Josephine's secondary infertility was due to tubal factors, probably acquired after the births of the children from her first marriage.

It is also thought that her age and her time in prison during the Reign of Terror did not help matters.

Answer: He died of croup, aged 4

Napoléon Charles Bonaparte (born 1802) was the eldest son of Louis Bonaparte (Napoleon's brother) and Hortense de Beauharnais (Joséphine's daughter from her marriage to Alexandre de Beauharnais). Louis Bonaparte was, at that time, King of Holland and it was here that Louis, Hortense, and the young nephew and heir to Napoleon, lived. Unfortunately young Napoleon was just four years old when he died of croup in May 1807.

This was extremely upsetting to Napoleon Bonaparte as, at this time, he had neither his own offspring nor a declared heir.

Answer: Austrian

At dinner on 30th November 1809, Napoleon gently told Joséphine that - in the interest of France - he really had to have a wife who could produce an heir. After quite a lot of crying and hysterics, Joséphine agreed to a divorce and this took place on 10 January 1810. Both read a statement of devotion to the other at the ceremony, and were extremely emotional while doing so, with Joséphine breaking down completely before finishing her statement.

Nevertheless, Napoleon did marry the 19 year-old Marie-Louise of Austria by proxy at a ceremony that took place at the Louvre in April 1810. Rather unkindly for poor Marie-Louise, Napoleon once remarked that he was "marrying a womb". She did, in fact, produce an heir for Napoleon though, giving birth to Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte (Napoleon II) on 20 March, 1811. Also, although Napoleon married Marie-Louise of Austria to have an heir, he also grew to love her and apparently spared no pains to please her. He also reportedly said after his heir was born: "I had rather never have any more children than see her suffer so much again". During this time he remained close friends with Joséphine, which, rather understandably, did upset Marie-Louise. As a result, Napoleon would often visit Joséphine in secret.

Unfortunately Napoléon François Joseph Charles Bonaparte (Franz) died of tuberculosis at Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna in 1832 at the age of 21. As he had no children, the Napoleonic claim to the throne went to his cousin, Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte. (He was the brother to the heir that died of croup, and the second child of Hortense and Louis.)

Answer: True

After their separation, Napoleon insisted that Joséphine should retain the title of Empress. He wrote: "It is my will that she retain the rank and title of empress, and especially that she never doubt my sentiments, and that she ever hold me as her best and dearest friend." Napoleon also provided Joséphine with a generous settlement that included a property called Malmaison. This property - which sits about twelve kilometres west of Paris - was Joséphine's pride and joy. A magnificent property, she had had the garden cultivated with botanical specimens from all over the world.

Despite his generosity, both Napoleon and Joséphine admitted that the only thing that ever came between them was Joséphine's debts. She not only entertained lavishly, and dressed exquisitely, but she also equiped Château de Malmaison with a heated orangerie that was big enough for 300 pineapple plants; added a greenhouse that was heated by nearly a dozen coal-burning stoves, and had gardens that were home to kangaroos, zebras, emus, black swans, gazelles, a seal, ostriches and chamois (goat-antelopes). She also apparently enjoyed the 30 million euros worth of jewellery which would be eventually be bequeathed to her children.

Answer: 50 years old

After Napoleon abdicated the throne on 6th April 1814, Joséphine formed a friendship with the 35 year-old Russian Tsar, Alexander I. The two forged this friendship partly because Alexander said he wanted to transfer the friendship he had once cherished with Napoleon, to her. When Alexander visited Joséphine on the 27th May to have dinner with her, he discovered that Josephine had been ill and was sick in bed. By the next day, Alexander was deeply concerned for Josephine's welfare. He sent for his physician who thoroughly examined Joséphine. The physician determined her condition was "grave".

The following day, which was Whit Sunday, Joséphine's children, Eugène and Hortense, realised that their mother's death was imminent and went to her bedside. At noon, after sacraments were administered, Josephine died. According to legend, her last words were "Napoleon ... Elba!" Her body lay in state for three days in a chamber lit by candles while reportedly "all of Paris mourned".

Answer: True

Napoléon conclusively lost the Napoleonic Wars in 1814, and as such, the victorious powers forced him to abdicate. He was exiled to Elba - a little island 12 miles off the coast of Tuscany in Italy. His wife Marie-Louise, was forced to take refuge with their son, a boy Napoleon loved to bits, in Austria. Meanwhile Joséphine pleaded to be allowed to join Napoleon on Elba, but her request was refused. She died very shortly afterwards. When Napoleon read about Joséphine's death, he was apparently devastated and refused to come out of his room for an entire two days as he was in such deep melancholy.

Napoleon escaped from Elba in 1815 to fight in Belgium. However after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo, he was again exiled, this time onto Saint-Helena, which sits in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He died in 1821 of stomach cancer and some say his last words were "France, the Army, the Head of the Army, Joséphine!"