First wife of Napoleon, Josephine de Beauharnais was a popular Empress and faithful spouse to Napoleon. Throughout their marriage, Josephine was one of Napoleon's closest advisors and he divorced her for political rather than personal reasons. Josephine was a glamorous and well-connected socialite, and was regarded as a good mother who remained strong and graceful, despite her many hardships.
Josephine was chosen to replace her recently deceased sister as wife of Alexandre de Beauharnais in order to save her family from poverty. While the marriage was not a happy one, she did bear him two children, Hortense and Eugene de Beauharnais. During the Reign of Terror in France, Alexandre was killed by the guillotine while Josephine was shut away in prison for retaining counter-revolutionary acquaintances. Five days after her husband’s death, Reign of Terror initiator Maximilian Robespierre was executed and she was released.
Now a widow, Josephine began having intimate relationships with several political leaders, among them Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon proposed one year after their first encounter, and they were wed shortly thereafter. He continued to keep several mistresses, though, which tarnished the lovers’ relationship. She nearly separated from him before their coronation when she caught him with another woman, but the two were reconciled and Josephine became Empress of France. Napoleon divorced her so that he could marry into a royal family and produce an heir for his