HORTENSE
When Napoleon married Josephine she was a widow with a 14 year old son Eugène and 12 year old daughter Hortense. (As Emperor ten years later, he officially adopted both children, who were adults at that stage.)
Shortly before she met Napoleon, Josephine had sent her daughter Hortense and her cousins to the exclusive girls’ school in Saint-Germain-en-Laye which had been set up the year before by Madame Campan,* former lady of the bedchamber for Marie-Antoinette. It was there Hortense’ talent for music and art became evident. Napoleon later sent his sister Caroline to the same boarding school and the two girls became good friends.
During the French Revolution Madame Campan’s sister, who was also a lady of the bedchamber for Marie-Antoinette, was terrified of being guillotined and threw herself out of a window. Madame Campan had to raise her sister’s three daughters. She set up a girls’ boarding school at Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Hortense became close friends with the youngest of Madame Campan’s nieces, who married one of Napoleon’s military commanders Marshal Ney and became a lady-in-waiting to both Josephine and Marie-Louise.
Napoleon had been impressed by what he had seen at the school. Normally girls were educated at
convents but these had been closed by the French Revolution.
When Napoleon decided to set up schools for girls he started with Madame Campan who became
responsible for a boarding school for daughters, granddaughters and great granddaughters of men
who had been awarded the Legion of Honour. It was the first of a number of schools for girls he set
up.
Napoleon and Josephine had been married for five years without having a child. Napoleon decided to
marry Hortense to his brother Louis. Josephine figured the pressure would be off her because Hortense
and Louis could have a son who could become Napoleon’s heir.
Hortense went along with her mother’s wishes even though she had no desire to marry Napoleon’s
younger brother. She was 19 and Louis was 23. The same year their first son was born. He was named
Napoleon Charles. Two years later Napoleon Louis was born.
The marriage was not at all happy. Napoleon knew it had been a political alliance and he did not blame
Hortense. He knew his brother was quite difficult. He also suffered from ill health, apparently regularly
having seizures.
After they had been married four years, Napoleon made Louis King of Holland. Hortense was now a queen. The following year her four year old son died and Hortense was allowed to return to France, leaving her husband in Holland. Two months after the death of their son, they met up in Toulouse. The brief meeting left Hortense pregnant. When the child was born prematurely, Louis initially refused to accept the child was his. Once again Napoleon took Hortense’ side.
Hortense continued to maintain her position in the imperial court in spite of Napoleon’s divorce of her
mother Josephine.
Hortense and Louis were once again together two years later at Compiègne to greet Napoleon’s new wife Marie-Louise. Three months later Louis was forced to abdicate as King of Holland. He sought asylum in Austria and did not attend his son’s baptism four months later at Fontainebleau Napoleon was the child’s godfather and Marie-Louise was the godmother. (The child would become Napoleon III in 1852.)
In the meantime, Hortense had taken up with a lover, the handsome Comte de Flahaut.
Charles de Flahaut was two years younger than Hortense and the polar opposite of her husband. He was tall, athletic and the ladies loved him—including two of Napoleon’s sisters. He had an affair with Hortense’ schoolfriend Caroline causing her husband General Murat to reassign him.
Napoleon couldn’t understand the women. He agreed he was handsome, but couldn’t see how being a good singer made him a good soldier. Hortense, being a musician did not share his opinion.
Hortense’18 month long affair resulted in a pregnancy. She managed to hide her pregnancy when she had to attend the christening of Napoleon and Marie-Louise’ son. Shortly after she left Paris, “needing to travel to see her brother “. He and Josephine were aware of the situation. Hortense gave birth to a baby boy in Switzerland. Josephine had one of her officers, Auguste Demorny and his wife register the birth of “their” baby in Paris a month later.
The child was brought up by the Count de Flahaut’s mother. Hortense saw him only once but she paid for his education. The Count de Flahaut continued to serve in the army with Napoleon. He was there at
Waterloo and prepared to follow him into his final exile on St Helena.
When Hortense’ son became the President of France in 1848 and then Emperor from 1852 until 1870, he recognised his half brother, who was involved in the government. Napoleon III made him the Duke of Morny.
Napoleon III
Duke de Morny
When Napoleon was exiled the first time, thanks to Josephine’s lobbying, the Russian Tsar
Alexander became Hortense’ protector (some say lover).
He forced the new Bourbon King Louis XVIII to make her property at Saint Leu a duchy so that
she would be a duchess in the new court.
Napoleon returned to France and he was not happy with the situation, but he remained fond of Hortense and he forgave her. Josephine had died during his first exile.
When he lost at Waterloo, Hortense hosted Napoleon for his last few days at Malmaison before going
to Saint Helena. Hortense also had to leave France. She settled in a chateau she bought in Switzerland.
She died there twenty years later, having no idea her son would become Emperor Napoleon III and that
one of her many musical compositions would become the French national anthem under his rule.
Hortense knew she was dying in Switzerland (she was 54 and had cancer of the uterus). She requested that her body be returned to France to be with her mother at the Saint-Pierre and Saint-Paul church at Rueil Malmaison.
A year later the French government granted permission and her body was returned to France, to the church as she wished.
