"Josephine, don't be disappointed. ”
It was the last time he called the name. On May 5, 1821, Napoleon was at the end of his rope. Outside, the enemy is closing in. Inside, his wife was separated, and the country was ruined. In the midst of the predicament, he picked up a long sword, dressed in military uniform, and fought bloodily on the battlefield.
In the midst of the raging storm of the French Revolution, a woman named Josephine uses her wisdom and charm to weave a brilliant and complex love story. The protagonists of the story are her and Napoleon Bonaparte - a military genius and later emperor of the French Empire. Their love is full of passion, betrayal, and immortal loyalty.
Marie-Josephine was born into a family of sugar planters in Martinique and was forced to marry the French nobleman Alexandre de Beauharnay as a teenager. At the beginning of the marriage, Alexander's love affair disgusted her, but this unhappy marriage soon ended in the flames of the revolution - Alexander was executed in the Reign of Terror.
The widow Josephine regained her footing in Parisian society, and with her beauty and intelligence she quickly attracted the attention of a range of politicians, including the powerful Paul Barras. In this vortex of power, she learns how to use her charisma to protect herself and her children. She uses the ball as a place of release. Each time, she dressed boldly, and her dress loomed in a way that was addictive. Aristocratic men loved this stunner the most. Under Josephine's pomegranate skirt, countless ministers gradually appeared. These include the powerful, wealthy businessmen, and journalists.
However, what really changed her fate was her encounter with an obscure petty officer, Napoleon Bonaparte.
Napoleon fell in love with Josephine at first sight. Although Josephine initially dismissed the lowly officer, even deriding him as a "puss in boots," Napoleon's persistence and caresses for her children eventually won her heart. In 1796, they were married, and Napoleon frantically gave her jewels and fine clothes, and bought the castle of Malmeçon for Josephine.
Subsequently, Napoleon's military career also took off. Despite Napoleon's many years of war, he never forgot to write letters to Josephine, which were full of enthusiasm and affection for her.
It reads:
"I need to do nothing but love you, and I need to think about nothing but to pour out my love for you, and to prove to you the pleasure of love. ”
"Good luck to you, Josephine, whom I adore. I'm going to throw myself into your arms and give you a thousand intimate kisses. ”
"I only love my kind, coquettish little Josephine......"
There are 11 letters like this that have been handed down alone.
However, Josephine was not content to be the wife of a mere military general. Her private life was equally colourful, and she even had an affair with the young cavalry officer Hippolyt Charles during Napoleon's expeditions.
The documentary "Napoleon's Favorite - Empress Josephine" puts it more bluntly: "Josephine stayed in Paris and did what he did best: splurge, see men and fall in love."
Napoleon was furious when he learned of his wife's affair in 1798, but Josephine's clever reassurance kept their marriage alive. However, the rift in this relationship has not been fully repaired. Napoleon himself began his own emotional game, and his mistresses included Pauline Freys, the wife of an officer.
Despite this, Josephine always seemed to be in control of Napoleon's heart. Napoleon wrote in 1804: "My mistress does not touch my feelings...... My lover is power. In this year, they were crowned Emperor and Empress of France. However, on the eve of the coronation, Josephine discovered that Napoleon was having an affair with one of her maids, Elisabeth de Vaudé, which strained their relationship again.
Although Napoleon and Josephine's emotional entanglement has always been complicated, Napoleon's dependence on her and emotional connection have always been deep. However, the need for politics and power is often brutal and unforgiving.
Josephine's failure to produce a direct heir for Napoleon became an insurmountable obstacle to their marriage. After the death of Napoleon's nephew and designated heir in 1807, the issue of fertility became even more urgent. What's worse is that his mistress, Mary Valeus, is pregnant!
This meant that Josephine could not have children, a big thing that Napoleon could not bear.
Thus, in 1809, the marriage of Napoleon and Josephine officially ended. Still, during the divorce ceremony, both read statements expressing lasting love and gratitude for each other, which made everyone present feel the depth of their emotions.
After the divorce, Josephine retired to live at Malmaison Castle, where she became nervous, often talking to herself, and was rumored to be suffering from depression. However, she maintained a good relationship with Napoleon, and even after Napoleon's failed abdication, she continued to care for him emotionally.
On May 29, 1814, Josephine contracted pneumonia after attending a banquet and died shortly thereafter, to Napoleon's deep grief when he learned of the news in his penal colony. And in the last moments of Napoleon's life, he muttered several words including "Josephine", showing his obsession with the complex and deep love of this former empress.
If this is the so-called great love, a love that transcends the influence of the world, then it is really deeply moving: between love and non-love, it turns out that everything is just a change between a thought. This relationship has crossed the long river of time, reflecting not only the sincerity and contradiction of emotions, but also the complexity and mystery of human nature. In the story of Napoleon and Josephine, we see that even the greatest figures in history have an emotional world full of unknowns and variables just like ordinary people!