Joséphine—first Joséphine de Beauharnais, then Empress Joséphine—embodied many lives in one extraordinary woman. Who was this captivating figure who brought Napoleon Bonaparte to his knees? Drawing from historical accounts, here's the story.
Born in 1763 in Martinique as Marie-Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie, her first marriage brought her to France. It soured quickly. In 1779, she wed Viscount Alexandre de Beauharnais, a spendthrift and unfaithful husband, with whom she had two children. The couple separated six years later. Joséphine thrived as a Parisian socialite but soon faced creditors. During the Revolution, she narrowly escaped the guillotine—unlike her ex-husband. She then became the mistress of the ambitious young conqueror, Napoleon, marrying him in 1796.
She wielded significant influence over him. Even after Napoleon repudiated her in 1809 for failing to produce an heir—declaring, "I let it be known that I have put an end to the common life that I shared with my Joséphine,"—the Treasury granted her an annual pension of 2 million francs. This is a concise historical overview; for deeper insights, read Memoirs on the Empress Joséphine by Georgette Ducrest. Now, let's examine how she seduced France's strongest man.
Author Robert Greene classifies Joséphine as a "coquette," whose power lies in creating "emotional slavery long after the first arrows of desire." Freud termed this the "narcissistic woman"—self-focused yet irresistibly alluring. Paradoxically, this self-absorption draws admirers in deeply.
Freud observed: "Such women love, strictly speaking, only themselves, about as intensely as the man loves them."
She perfected the adage: "Flee me, and I pursue; pursue me, and I flee." After intimacy, she turned cold and elusive, destabilizing her suitor. Napoleon, consumed by doubt, yearned to prove his desirability.
As lovers, she sometimes granted visits, other times shut the door—infuriating him. A passionate letter the next day drew him back. This defiance against a battlefield conqueror was masterful. It persisted in marriage. Campaigning in Italy, she delayed joining him and evaded meetings. He wrote: "I arrive in Milan, I rush to your apartment, I left everything to see you, to hold you in my arms; you weren't there: you roam the towns with parties, you move away from me when I arrive, you no longer worry about your dear Achille… The unhappiness I feel is incalculable." Imagine his generals' surprise as he abandoned strategy for her.
1. Freud links it to childhood narcissism, a self-sufficient phase evoking innocent charm. The coquette revives this lost bliss subconsciously.
2. Her autonomy posed a challenge; men sought to win her dependence, but her emotional independence thwarted them.
Distinguish healthy narcissism from self-absorption. Seductive coquettes exude self-confidence, autonomy, and selective generosity. They master pleasure-giving followed by playful denial—the hot-cold dynamic. In moderation, it's flirtatious spark; excessively, it's manipulative and draining. Use wisely to kindle passion.
*Read: The Art of Seduction by Robert Greene, Leduc.s Éditions.
