Commentary
On the evening of March 9, 1796, a bride-to-be, dressed in white with a tricolour sash, gathered with a crowd of witnesses in a government office in Paris, awaiting the arrival of her future husband. Frustrated by the delay, the mayor left, leaving a deputy, unauthorized to perform weddings, in charge of the proceedings.
When the groom finally arrived, both he and his new bride, an older woman with two children from a previous marriage, falsified their birthdates on the documents to conceal the significant age difference. As midnight approached, Napoleon Bonaparte and Marie-Josèphe-Rose were officially married.
Both Napoleon and Josephine were born in French island territories—Napoleon in Corsica to a minor noble family, and Josephine in Martinique to a bankrupt plantation owner. Josephine, known as Rose before Napoleon’s affectionate nickname, had a tumultuous first marriage to Alexandre, vicomte de Beauharnais. After his execution during the Reign of Terror, Josephine found herself in dire financial straits and turned to a life as a courtesan to support herself.
Despite their unconventional beginnings, Napoleon and Josephine’s marriage proved beneficial for both. Napoleon valued Josephine’s social connections and grace, while Josephine appreciated Napoleon’s rise in power and the stability he provided. However, their marriage was not without its challenges, including Napoleon’s infidelities and Josephine’s financial struggles.
After a brief period of being Empress of France, Josephine’s inability to provide an heir led to their separation and Napoleon’s remarriage to Princess Marie-Louise of Austria. Josephine spent her final years at Chateau de Malmaison, passing away in 1814 while Napoleon was in exile on the island of Elba.
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Please rewrite the following sentence:
Original: The cat quickly ran across the street.
Rewritten: The cat dashed across the street.
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