Even though the movie ‘Napoleon’ by the famous director Ridley Scott has been critically acclaimed, historians disagree. Criticisms that some details in the movie, which focuses on the relationship between Napoleon and his “one true love” Josephine, are incompatible with reality have caused controversy. So what was really going on in the marriage of one of the most famous couples in history? What was behind the scenes of great love?
The famous director Ridley Scott’s signed film “Napoleon” has brought controversy in many countries.
The film centers on the relationship between Napoleon Bonaparte and Josephine, known as his “one true love”. Director Scott said in a statement recently that the Napoleon in the film “conquered the world to win Josephine’s love, but when he failed to do so, he destroyed both the woman he loved and himself.”
The role of Josephine in the movie is played by Vanessa Kirby, who has recently become one of the most acclaimed actresses in her native England.
This casting choice caused a backlash from historians. Kirby is 14 years younger than Joaquin Phoenix, who plays Napoleon. However, historical documents point out that in real life Josephine was 6 years older than Napoleon.
This choice of actor sparked the reaction of historians. Zira Kirby is exactly 14 years younger than Joaquin Phoenix, who played Napoleon. However, historical documents indicate that in real life Josephine was six years older than Napoleon.
Scott told The New Yorker that the age difference between Kirby and Phoenix was a source of controversy, and that the historical inconsistencies in the film had been corrected by the historians saying, “Don’t engage in bad things,” but the age gap between Napoleon and Josephine played an important role in the development of life stories and relationships. How? Let’s take a closer look at the details…
THE MOM OF TWO CHILDREN WAS A LIKE
Josephine, whose real name was Marie-Josephe-Rose de Beauharnais, was a widow with two children. Her husband had been executed with jewelry during the French Revolution. His own family also had sugar farms in Martinique. However, Josephine had neither access to her family’s wealth nor to the inheritance her husband left behind.
At the time, Josephine was in her 30s. I mean, by the standards of those years, he wasn’t young anymore. But he was doing his best to be part of the Paris society, trying to establish and maintain friendship with the leaders of the time.
Napoleon Bonaparte, a young Corsican general, was also on the rise during this period. In love with Josephine, Napoleon did his best to persuade the woman to marry him within a few months.
Avoid a dose of love words
Soon after their marriage, in March 1796, Napoleon was sent to Italy to command the Revolutionary Army.
During his time here, Napoleon wrote many passionate letters to Josephine.
The love words in these letters, which were filled with emotional blackmail between the lines, could at times reach threatening levels.
For example, in one letter, Napoleon used the phrase, “You never write to me; your husband doesn’t even care,” and in another, “I can’t hear from you at all. I’m sure you don’t like me anymore.”
In another letter, “I count your misfortunes every day. I scratch myself with anger not to love you anymore. Hey, don’t I like you any more?” the sentences were attracting attention.
MARRIAGES HAVE CHANGED SHAPE OVER TIME
Josephine finally went to Italy and met Napoleon. At this point, although Napoleon was not as in love as he had been in the early days, he maintained his controlling attitude. He followed his wife’s every step, opening and reading her private correspondence.
Napoleon had seen how useful Josephine’s connections could be, and he admitted that they did not feel the same feelings for each other. By 1797, the tone of his letters had changed considerably, and by 1800 he had begun to use a very cold language. In his letters, he talked about everyday issues rather than his love, punctuating texts with platitudes such as “a thousand touching things”.
No matter how big the problems in their relationship were, Josephine was the wife of a war hero. In this way, he used the power he gained for his own interests, thus trying to resist Napoleon’s domination over the rest of his life.
SKANDAL BROKE OUT DURING THE EGYPTIAN CAMPAIGN
It was not difficult to see the impact Napoleon and Josephine could have when they united their forces. Therefore, some circles, including Napoleon’s family, spread various rumors to tarnish Josephine’s reputation.
The letters Josephine sent to her lover Hippolyte Charles revealed how delicate her situation was. During the Egyptian campaign, evidence had been presented to Napoleon suggesting that his wife was cheating on him. Napoleon wrote a letter to his brother addressing this matter, and the contents of this letter, which fell into the hands of the British and were reported in newspapers, quickly became known in France.
Initially angered by his wife’s affair, Napoleon forgave Josephine upon his return to Paris. In return, Josephine supported political maneuvers that allowed Napoleon to seize political power after the 1799 coup.
JOSEPHINE DID NOT LEAVE NAPOLEON’S SIDE
Napoleon needed the soft diplomatic power of Josephine. Her aristocratic background played a crucial role in overcoming the divisions that prevailed in the post-revolutionary years.
The superiority she gained by assisting Napoleon in creating a new France brought great joy to Josephine. Initially avoiding accompanying her husband on the 1796 Italian campaign, Josephine eventually started going everywhere with Napoleon, aiming to prevent his attention from shifting to younger women.
By 1807, Josephine’s fears had come true. Napoleon, traveling alone to Poland, engaged in a long relationship with a noblewoman named Maria Walewska. According to his letters, he had not completely given up on Josephine, but the possibility of divorce was increasing.
NAPOLEON NEEDED AN HEIR
In the structure Napoleon established in 1804, the imperial title passed from father to son. However, there was no heir who could take his place after Napoleon’s death. Therefore, his family wanted him to have a child. However, Josephine was not in a condition to give birth.
Mademoiselle Avrillion, one of Josephine’s maids, wrote in her memoirs that the distance between the couple had been growing day by day before the divorce. Nevertheless, when the divorce was finalized in 1809, Josephine was devastated.
The couple’s divorce was portrayed to the public as a “sacrifice made for the needs of the nation.” Nevertheless, Napoleon continued to visit Josephine and write letters to his ex-wife until he married Archduchess Marie-Louise of Habsburg.
THEIR LAST MEETINGS WERE IN 1812
When Napoleon’s son was born in 1811, Josephine was one of the first to congratulate him, stating in her message that she would always share her ex-husband’s happiness because their destinies were intertwined.
During those years, Josephine resided at the Malmaison Château just outside Paris. Before embarking on the Russian campaign in 1812, Napoleon visited Josephine. This turned out to be their last meeting because Josephine passed away in 1814 while Napoleon was on the battlefield. After the defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon lived for a while in Malmaison before being exiled to the island of St. Helena.
WE DON’T KNOW EVERY DIMENSION OF THE STORY, BUT…
It is not possible to know all the facts about Napoleon and Josephine’s relationship because very few letters have survived from them. This prevents us from fully understanding Josephine’s side of the story.
Was she in love with Napoleon before they got married? Probably not. Did she come to love her husband over time? Probably yes.
Napoleon had managed to make Josephine stand firm against rumors and resist societal pressures related to her age. Moreover, he had been a good father to Josephine’s children, Hortense and Eugene. However, it can be said that they loved the power their positions provided more than each other in the end. They saw the benefits of collaboration, and through it, they rapidly climbed to the top.
Ultimately, Napoleon’s need for an heir to the throne prepared the end of both the regime and his marriage to Josephine. However, spending time at Malmaison before going to St. Helena showed Napoleon’s continued affection for Josephine. Josephine, in turn, remained loyal to Napoleon until her death.
According to the notes of his faithful aide General Henri Gatien Bertrand, Napoleon mentioned shortly before his death in 1821 that he had dreamed of Josephine. Bertrand stated, “He said he saw Josephine and spoke to her. He hoped they would be reunited shortly.”
Adapted from the BBC Future article titled “Napoleon and Josephine: Was their great love affair a myth?”
