Hortense / Makers of History Series

This biography recounts the life of Hortense de Beauharnais, from her aristocratic birth and early trials during the Revolution through her marriage into the Bonaparte circle, the divorce of Josephine, years of exile, and devoted motherhood that shaped her son. It follows her personal losses, public roles at court, and steady influence abroad as she prepared her son for a political return. Organized chronologically, the narrative emphasizes themes of resilience, maternal duty, shifting fortunes under revolutionary and imperial politics, and the private sorrows behind a public life, concluding with her death and her son's eventual rise to power.