. In the footsteps of Napoleon, his life and its famous scenes. el-ing the pangs of jealousy. With the arrival of Eugene, the formal arrangements for hismothers divorce were entered upon. The son had anticipatedthe situation, and had written to her a month before that ifthe Emperor believed his happiness and the interests ofFrance required him to have children, no consideration shouldbe permitted to oppose him, and he invited Josephine, in eventof divorce, to live with him in Italy. Finally, it fell toEugene to make the first public announcement of the is necessary for the happiness
. In the footsteps of Napoleon, his life and its famous scenes. el-ing the pangs of jealousy. With the arrival of Eugene, the formal arrangements for hismothers divorce were entered upon. The son had anticipatedthe situation, and had written to her a month before that ifthe Emperor believed his happiness and the interests ofFrance required him to have children, no consideration shouldbe permitted to oppose him, and he invited Josephine, in eventof divorce, to live with him in Italy. Finally, it fell toEugene to make the first public announcement of the is necessary for the happiness of France that the founderof this fourth dynasty should grow old, surrounded by hisdirect descendants as a guarantee to us all, he told the tears that his resolution has drawn from the Emperorsuffice for my mothers glory. Neither the Empress nor her children could have asked formore generous terms than Napoleon volunteered. He pro-posed that she should retain her imperial rank as crownedEmpress, have the Elysee palace in Paris, as well as her cher-. THE DIVORCE 297 ished abode at Malmaison and the chateau of Navarre for herresidences, and receive an allowance of $600,000 a year. It was agreed that the divorce should be lawfully pro-nounced by mutual consent in a family council in strict ac-cordance with the provisions of the Code Napoleon. At ninein the evening of December 15, Josephine entered the throneroom to take part in her last function at the Tuileries. Theact of divorce was read, and the Empress, drying her eyes,rose to read her speech in a voice surprisingly composed. Shebegan bravely enough: With the permission of our august and dear spouse, I declarethat, since I have no hope of bearing children who can satisfy therequirements of his policy and the interests of France, it is mypleasure to give him the greatest proof of attachment and devotionwhich ever was given on earth. Now her voice trembled and utterly failed her. As shesank weeping into her chair, she
Size: 1318px × 1895px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectnapoleo, bookyear1915
