Eugene Beauharnais, Bonaparte's stepson
Bonaparte's stepson Eugene (Eugene) Beauharnais in our country as a commander is known much less than Ney, Davout or Murat. Meanwhile, his services in military service were highly appreciated by his contemporaries. A. Jomini, for example, characterizes our hero as follows:
"Brave, cold-blooded, understanding military affairs, he knew how to surround himself with skilled people and listen to their advice."
And even opponents then often called Eugene Beauharnais "Bayard of the XIX century". Recall that in France and other Western European countries, Pierre Terral de Bayard is considered an example of a brave knight loyal to his duty.
Some historians express bewilderment, reporting that Beauharnais never became a marshal. They believe that Eugene deserved this no less than some other generals who received the marshal's baton from Napoleon.
At the same time, Eugene Beauharnais was a good manager and administrator. Goethe, who was personally acquainted with him upon learning of his death, wrote:
“He was a big man. Such people are less and less common. Now humanity has become poorer by one more outstanding personality. "
The authority and reputation of Bonaparte's stepson were so high that Emperor Alexander I seriously considered his candidacy for the role of the new monarch of France. It is curious that Beauharnais himself reacted negatively to this prospect, saying that he could only accept the crown from Napoleon.
Even Louis XVIII, who was enthroned by the allies to the French throne, offered Beauharnais the title of prince and the position of constable.
Many memoirists finally note the modesty of Beauharnais, who accompanied Bonaparte in all his campaigns from 1796 (then he was 16 years old) to 1805. At the same time, he did not even try to take advantage of the closeness to his stepfather. Napoleon himself noted in one of his letters that Eugene never “not a hassle».
In general, many men would probably like to have a son like this. Napoleon became his stepfather.
The Beauharnais family
In France, the genus Beauharnais has been known since the XIV century. One of its representatives (Jean de Beauharnais) entered the history as a witness for the defense at the trial of the Maid of Orleans. Others took part in numerous wars during the reigns of Francis III, Henry IV and Louis XIV. In 1764, Beauharnais received the title of Marquis.
The father of our hero, Alexander François Marie de Beauharnais, Viscount de la Ferte, was the youngest son of the governor of Martinique. According to an agreement between the heads of the two families, from childhood he was betrothed to the daughter of a local planter - Catherine Tachet de la Pagerie. Alas, his fiancee died of some kind of illness at the age of 12. However, the desire of the families to become related was so great that the young man had to marry the older sister of the deceased - Marie Rose Joseph.
Alexandre Beauharnais, portrait by an unknown artist, second half of the 1790s
Abraham Constantine. Portrait of a young Marie Rose by Joseph Tachet de la Pagerie
As a child, this girl, a dark-skinned slave, guessed that she would become "more than a queen"- and was not mistaken. The second husband of Marie Rose was Napoleon Bonaparte, she is known all over the world as Josephine - "Little Joseph" (as Bonaparte affectionately called her).
But back to the newlyweds. This accidental union was not a happy one. The spouses did not agree in character and after 6 years (in 1785) they divorced. But they had good children and "went far." Son Eugene (Eugene, born in 1781) became Viceroy of Italy, daughter Hortense (Hortense, born in 1783) - Queen of Holland and mother of Emperor Napoleon III.
In 1789, the nobles of the city of Blois elected Alexandre de Beauharnais as a deputy of the States General convened by Louis XVI. Despite his origin, he joined the deputies of the Third Estate, voted for the abolition of class privileges and equality of all before the law (but his older brother Francis adhered to the extreme right-wing views).
For some time, Alexander even served as secretary and chairman of the National Assembly. And then he began service in the republican army, completing it as commander of the Rhineland army (1793).
A friend of Alexander Beauharnais was Louis Lazare Gauche - the only general whom Bonaparte considered his equal. Later, Napoleon will say about Gaucher:
"In the end, there were two of us, but one was needed."
And more:
"If Ghosh met on my way, I would have to either retreat or break him."
General Ghosh
But Louis Lazare Gauche died before he was 30 years old - in 1797, clearing the way for the ambitious Corsican.
Josephine (or rather, while still Marie Rose Joseph) became Gauche's mistress, and her son Eugene became the adjutant of this general ("Belle France", nothing can be done).
However, back to Alexandre de Beauharnais. He was offered the post of Minister of War, but he refused. And then the nobles were forbidden to serve in the republican army, and Alexander left for his estate. He did not manage to hide from denunciation: the former republican general was arrested and executed on July 23, 1794 - a few days before the fall of Robespierre. His ex-wife was also arrested. And the children of this couple were given “for re-education”: a 12-year-old boy was apprenticed to a carpenter, a 9-year-old girl to a sewing workshop.
The family was reunited after the Thermidorian coup (July 27, 1794). It was then that the 13-year-old Eugene, under the patronage of his mother, became the adjutant of her lover Gauche and went with him to the rebellious Vendee. Returning, he entered the Saint-Germain military school. It was during this time that he met for the first time with Napoleon, who had recently put down a royalist rebellion (earning the nickname "General Vandemier"). The fact is that the Parisians were then ordered to surrender weapon, and the boy came to Bonaparte to ask him to return his father's sword. Bonaparte returned the sword, but not to him, but to his mother.
Let's not be distracted by the story of the adventures of the “merry divorcee” Marie Rose Joseph and her friend, the shameless “socialite” Teresa Talien. Let's just say that, in the end, on March 9, 1796, the Creole married a little-known General Bonaparte, who was 6 years younger than her, only 11 years older than her son, and 14 years older than her daughter. And here this woman made a fatal mistake: in the marriage contract, she reduced her age by 4 years (and Bonaparte added 2 years to himself). The fact is that, according to the laws of France, it was impossible to divorce a woman over 45 years old. In 1809, Josephine was already 46, but her age was calculated according to the marriage contract. And Napoleon was able to marry the daughter of the Austrian emperor - Maria Louise. But that was still a long way off. In the meantime, we note that Napoleon's relationship with his stepson and stepdaughter was very good, especially with Eugene.
Bonaparte's stepson
Together with his stepfather, Eugene Beauharnais took part in two Italian campaigns and an Egyptian expedition. At the same time, he did not sit out at the headquarters at all. In 1796, 15-year-old Lieutenant Eugene Beauharnais receives his first combat wound at the Battle of Rovereto (Northern Italy). The second time he was wounded in the spring of 1799 in Egypt - during the siege of the fortress of Saint-Jean-d'Acr.
In the fall of 1799, 18-year-old Eugene becomes a captain and takes part in the coup of 18 Brumaire. After that, he receives under the command of a squadron of horse rangers of the Consular Guard.
Eugene Beauharnais in the form of horse rangers
In 1800, at the Battle of Marengo, he supported the famous Dese attack, which turned the tide of the battle. During this battle, his squadron lost 105 out of 150 soldiers killed. After the Battle of Marengo, Napoleon writes to Josephine:
“Eugene is rapidly moving towards immortality: he covered himself with glory in all battles. In time, one of the great commanders of Europe will emerge from him. "
The young man at that time was 18 years old. Eugene will soon be promoted to colonel.
On May 27, 1804, Napoleon became emperor, Josephine became empress, and the status of her children was significantly increased.
Onfrey de Breville. Napoleon and Josephine at the coronation rehearsal
General Eugene Beauharnais
First, Eugene Beauharnais received the rank of brigadier general, on February 1, 1805, Napoleon bestowed upon him the title of Prince of the Empire, in July he was appointed Viceroy of Italy. In the same year, Napoleon officially adopts his stepson, who has since been called Eugene-Napoleon of France. And then, in January 1806, the emperor marries him to the daughter of the Bavarian king Maximilian Augustus - Augusta Amalia, previously betrothed to Prince Karl of Baden.
Francois-Guillaume Menaggeau. "Wedding of Prince Eugene with Amelia of Bavaria in Munich"
This marriage turned out to be a happy one, the couple had seven children, six of whom reached adulthood. The eldest daughter, Josephine, married the Swedish king Oscar I - the son of Bernadotte (former Marshal of France) and Desiree Clari (Napoleon's first bride). The descendants of this daughter, Eugene Beauharnais, still rule Sweden. The youngest son Maximilian married the daughter of Nicholas I, Maria. Other children also entered into dynastic marriages, ending up in different parts of Germany, Portugal and even Brazil.
Busy with the management and organization of affairs in Italy, in the campaigns of 1805-1807. Beauharnais did not participate. Bonaparte was pleased with the results of his activities and in 1807 declared Josephine's son his heir in Italy, giving him the title of Prince of Venice (before the birth of a son to Napoleon and Maria Louise in 1811, Eugene was also considered as a contender for the French throne).
Austrian campaign of Beauharnais and Macdonald
In 1809, during the war with Austria, 28-year-old Eugene Beauharnais, being formally the commander of the Italian army, acted "under the supervision" of an experienced 44-year-old General Etienne Jacques MacDonald, who began military service in the royal army in 1784.
Andrea Appiani. Eugene Beauharnais, 1810
Paul Girardet. Equestrian portrait of General MacDonald. We will talk about him in one of the following articles.
After the first failure in the battle of Salil (April 16, 1809), the army of Beauharnais and MacDonald, having received reinforcements, went on the offensive and drove the Austrians out of Italy. Then there were victories in Illyria and the movement to Vienna, at the walls of which the Italian army joined with the troops of Napoleon. Here she acted as the right wing of the French troops, winning a number of victories in Hungary. During the battle of Wagram, which became general (November 5-6, 1809), the troops of Beauharnais found themselves in the center of the French battle formations. The decisive blow in that battle was the blow of MacDonald's reserve corps. As a result, this general received the marshal's baton from Napoleon right on the battlefield. Then Eugene Beauharnais was sent to suppress the anti-French uprising in Tyrol. Finally, in 1812, he led the IV Corps of Napoleon's Grand Army, which included Italian military formations.
1812 Campaign
Albrecht Adam. Ferry of the Italian corps of Beauharnais across the Neman on June 30, 1812
During the first period of the war, Eugene Beauharnais also exercised general leadership of the movement of the central corps of the Grand Army. During the Battle of Borodino, he commanded the left flank of the Great Army, which attacked Kurgan Hill and the Rayevsky battery located on it. At the end of this battle, Beauharnais personally led one of the regiments (9th line). The French managed to take the height, but the forces were no longer to develop the success.
Beauharnais was also noted during the battle at Maloyaroslavets, where he also led the Italian guards and soldiers of the Pino division in the attack.
At Vyazma, Beauharnais deployed his troops to help Davout's corps, allowing him to get out of the encirclement. Then, on the way to Dukhovshchina, Beauharnais, with great difficulty, managed to ferry his troops across the Vop River. At the same time, 64 guns and almost the entire train were thrown.
During the battles near Krasny, the Brusier division, which was part of his corps, was killed almost in full force. At Orsha, Beauharnais turned back again to help out the remnants of Ney's corps.
He fought, as always, bravely, but the result was the most deplorable: Berezina had barely 3 thousand people in his corps.
At the same time, during the entire campaign of 1812, Beauharnais himself did not receive a single wound. The legend connects this with the intercession of Savva Storozhevsky, who allegedly promised the French general a safe return home if he spared the monastery he founded in Zvenigorod.
Appearance of the Monk Sava to Prince de Beauharnais
After the Berezina, Napoleon left the army, transferring command to Murat. The Neapolitan king did not appreciate the trust and, referring to illness, went to the solar Campania. Later, Beauharnais, learning that Murat had spent only two weeks on the road, caustically praised him:
"Not bad for someone seriously ill."
Battles in Europe
After the departure of Napoleon and Murat, it was Eugene Beauharnais who brought the remnants of the army out of Russia and brought them to Magdeburg and Dresden. During the first battle of 1813 - at Lützen (April 20), Beauharnais commanded the left wing of the French army. This battle ended with Bonaparte's victory. Then, by order of Napoleon, he went to Italy to form new units. Here he had to wage a stubborn war against the superior forces of Austria. The Italian army left Illyria with battles and entrenched itself on the banks of the Adigi River. But soon the situation deteriorated sharply, since from February 27, 1814 Beauharnais had to fight with the army of the Kingdom of Naples. No one expected the betrayal of Murat, who was married to Napoleon's sister Caroline. But he became the second after Bernadotte, Marshal of France, who openly opposed Bonaparte. However, by that time Bernadotte had already been struck off the list of marshals, so that Murat could be considered the first traitor.
Soon the British landing troops landed on the coast of Italy, but Beauharnais continued to fight, even achieving sometimes local successes.
However, given that Russia, Austria, Prussia, England, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Bavaria, Württemberg and the Kingdom of Napoleon came forward against Napoleon in the VI coalition, there was no doubt that Bonaparte's empire was doomed.
On March 31, 1814, Paris was surrendered to the Allies without a fight. After that, Napoleon's marshals actually refused to obey him, forcing him to sign the abdication of the throne. Resistance in Italy has become meaningless.
In April 1814, Eugene Beauharnais left Italy and went to his father-in-law - in Bavaria, where his family was already. Having learned about the serious illness of his mother, he visited Paris, but left it immediately after her death.
In the painting by Hector Vigee we see Alexander I, Empress Josephine, Eugene and Hortense Beauharnais, as well as the future Emperor Napoleon III in Malmaison
By the way, the house in Paris, where Eugene Beauharnais once lived, is currently occupied by the German Embassy.
After the abdication of Napoleon, Eugene de Beauharnais showed amazing apathy, repeatedly refusing the extremely lucrative offers that rained down on him from all sides. It was as if a rod had been pulled out of Bonaparte's stepson, and he did not even want to discuss the possibility of becoming the ruler of France or Genoa, rejected offers to move to Russia and refused the honorary service of Louis XVIII. The money received in exchange for giving up the rights to the Italian throne (5 million francs) was transferred to his father-in-law.
He promised never to enter the war on the side of his stepfather - and refused to support him during the "100 days" (but he also did not fight against Napoleon). An active politician and an experienced brave general seemed to be replaced. Satisfied with the principality of Eichstadt handed over to him (the entire population of which is 24 thousand people) and the little meaningful title of the Duke of Leuchtenberg, until his death he led the life of an ordinary European aristocrat. Eugene Beauharnais died in Munich from a stroke (apoplectic stroke) - February 21, 1824. At the time of his death, Bonaparte's stepson was only 42 years old.
Tomb of Eugene Beauharnais, Munich, St. Michael's Church
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