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REALROYALTY, all one word, when you sign up. Now, on with the show. (gentle music) (cheerful music) - [Narrator] She will
be empress of France, Josephine, Napoleon
Bonaparte's great love. - [Interpreter] Josephine was one of the women people called the Celestials, during the Directory, one of those women who
was a hit with the men. - [Narrator] She's the it
girl of revolutionary Paris. (crowd chattering)
(cheerful music) - [Interpreter] There was
dancing and drinking everywhere, and, of course, the more money you had, the more lavish the parties were. - [Narrator] Napoleon Bonaparte
sets out to conquer Europe. At his side, the beautiful Josephine. Did she hold his stirrup as he made his way to the
French imperial throne? - [Interpreter] She is born
into a new life with him, an epic, an adventure. She becomes Josephine. (upbeat music) - [Narrator] The year is 1796, seven years after the outbreak
of the French Revolution. Everyone in Parisian society knows the beautiful and elegant
Viscountess Rose de Beauharnais. The rich and powerful at the
time mingle in her salon, but she is destined to become
famous under a different name. - [Interpreter] Napoleon was the one who started calling her Josephine. He was a romantic, and he gave new names
to the women he loved. - [Narrator] The
revolutionaries' Reign of Terror has just ended. Tens of thousands die on the
scaffolding during this period. - [Interpreter] She had
barely escaped the guillotine, and she met Napoleon when he was still a
relatively unknown figure. - [Narrator] A general,
six years her younger, at the beginning of his career. - [Interpreter] Napoleon
Bonaparte falls madly in love with her, besieging her little palace in Rue Chantereine
relentlessly day and night. - [Narrator] During this period,
no one could have imagined that the Corsican general would
one day write world history. - [Interpreter] The Parisians
always had their own way of doing things. When an outsider arrives who
doesn't really know French, he's automatically viewed as a half moron, and Napoleon had a Corsican accent and made all of the related mistakes. - [Narrator] The odd couple
marry on the 9th of March, 1796. The cosmopolitan woman,
charming, elegant, popular, and the small, inconspicuous,
awkward military man. - [Interpreter] After all,
she was a very wasteful woman who liked to spend her money on clothes, jewelry, and other things. She came from the lower nobility, but in the last phase of the Revolution, she had very good relations with the inner circles
of the revolutionaries. Some people from the
nobility played a role in what happened, of course,
and that fascinated him. - [Narrator] What is Josephine up to? - [Interpreter] She realizes that she's not all that young anymore, that she has two children, that
she's in financial trouble. (shoes clacking) She knows that she needs
more than just a protector, she needs a husband. - [Narrator] All just cold calculation, she's only known this man a few months. Is she simply taking advantage
of his love and passion? What is she thinking? - [Interpreter] It's a
lightning fast wedding. She always dreamed of
having a devoted husband, and she feels that with him. He's completely in love, makes her laugh, writes beautiful letters. They are among the most beautiful in all of French love literature. (cannons booming)
(dramatic music) - [Narrator] "Good God, how I
long to be with you tonight," writes the new groom from the front. And Josephine? - [Interpreter] She was
glad her husband was gone, and she could devote herself to her luxury shopping and so on. And he enjoyed himself on the battlefield and devoured himself with passion for her. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Josephine stays in Paris and devotes herself to what she does best, luxury, men, and love. (gentle music) Jubile Imperial, that is the name of the French folk festival
being celebrated here in September, 2017, at
Chateau de Malmaison. It's Josephine's country
palace at the gates of Paris. (crowd applauding) Thousands of visitors come to
honor Napoleon and Josephine. (gentle music) They're resurrecting a
great era in French history, one in which Napoleon's
soldiers carried the ideas of the Revolution throughout Europe. (gentle music) Participants in the Jubilee wear dresses of the Directory and the empire. Scenes from Napoleon and
Josephine's lives are reenacted. - [Interpreter] I can feel
that the people love her. It's unbelievable, 200 years on. She has the same effect
on people as Lady Di. She was very popular. (upbeat music) - [Narrator] Today,
Chateau de Malmaison is a French national museum. Josephine lives here
whenever her schedule allows. She personally selects and
buys all of the treasures in the halls and rooms at the chateau. - [Interpreter] She loved
luxury, her pleasure. She was smart. It was prophesied to her in Martinique that she would become
more than just a queen. (gentle music) - [Narrator] Josephine was born Marie-Josephe-Rose Tascher de La Pagerie on the Caribbean island of Martinique on the 23rd of June, 1763. Her parents are of lower nobility and own a plantation
on the Antilles island. (insects chirping) - [Interpreter] Josephine's
childhood was not like Scarlett O'Hara's
in "Gone with the Wind." At the age of three, everyone has to flee. Her plantation is
devastated by a hurricane, and life is marked by brutal slavery. Josephine will never
look back on her homeland with nostalgia. She loves the colors,
the clothes, the customs, but she will never talk about the island. She won't find herself longing for it. (dramatic music)
(birds chirping) - [Narrator] At the age of 16, Josephine sails from
the Antilles to France. She's promised to one
Viscount de Beauharnais. One of Josephine's aunts
has arranged the marriage. - [Interpreter] It's a great
match for the Taschers. The Beauharnais are a rich family. Her father immediately gives
his blessing to the marriage. She is looking forward
to getting to know Paris and the nobles who she has heard such
wonderful stories about. She's happy to leave the remote island on the very edge of the French territory. She is now entering the
heart of the ancient regime. (gentle music) - [Narrator] Alexandre de
Beauharnais is a young viscount who comes from an old and
highly-respected family. Josephine dreams of a life
of luxury and splendor, but her marriage to the viscount
will be a disappointment. - [Interpreter] Alexandre
was a beautiful man. He loved women and was
incredibly intelligent, but he never really loved Josephine. - [Interpreter] Beauharnais
was a typical representative of his class. He was a scoundrel. He was a playboy, as we
would say these days. He cheated on Josephine
right from the start. He gave her two children, but otherwise didn't take care of her. He always had girlfriends and affairs with other people's wives, but that was considered
normal among the nobility. - [Narrator] He leaves
beautiful Josephine alone much of the time. Her son Eugene is born in 1781. When their daughter Hortense
is born two years later, Alexandre is far away in the
French overseas colonies. - [Interpreter] There he
meets one of his former lovers who wants him back. She slanders Josephine, convinces him that Hortense
is not his daughter. The couple don't see each other much. How could he have two children? - [Narrator] This is not how Josephine had imagined her life. She lives in her in-laws' palace in Paris. Alexandre is mostly
traveling, wasting his money, but is she unfaithful to him? Alexandre, at least, is
convinced that she is. - [Interpreter] When
Alexandre returns to France, he throws Josephine out. She has to leave the house. That's how the laws worked at that time. But she defends herself,
demonstrating her true character. She hires a lawyer, fights
against Alexandre, uses the law, and manages to prove
that she was slandered. She wins the case. - [Narrator] Josephine receives alimony, is allowed to keep her title, continues to live in the palace in Paris, and decides to take care
of herself from now on. - [Interpreter] She won a fight
and she managed to do a lot, but social life is difficult for her. Nevertheless, she can't
return to the limelight as the viscount's wife. Even though she still is a viscountess, she's excluded from the
company of the ancient regime and is never received in Versailles. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Josephine is 27 years old, a beautiful woman, the
mother of two children, and all alone. - [Interpreter] She
doesn't stay down for long. One event changes everything, their lives, France, Europe, the world, the French Revolution. (tense music)
(guns firing) - [Narrator] With the storm
on the Bastille in 1789, a hurricane begins sweeping across France. (guns firing) The rule of feudal society
is coming to an end, and the monarchy is doomed. (guns firing) - [Interpreter] The
revolutionaries had no blueprint, no idea what they actually
wanted to achieve. They all started out as monarchists. They didn't intend to
cut the king's head off. Nobody was dreaming of doing that, not even a character like Robespierre or any other of the blood-thirsty fellows who then arose had dreamed of regicide. That was ultimately the result
of further developments, because the King Louis
XVI was such an idiot. After all, a very important part of the Revolution was undertaken by people who belonged
to the upper classes. - [Narrator] One of those people is Alexandre de Beauharnais,
Josephine's husband. - [Interpreter] He's an
intelligent man, this womanizer, and he quickly adapts to the new era. On the night of the 4th of August, 1789, he votes for the abolition of the privileges of the nobility, and Josephine benefits
from her husband's new role even though he isn't her husband anymore. - [Narrator] Josephine begins to bask in the glory associated
with the name Beauharnais. - [Interpreter] Josephine
is not a politician with a program. She's a networker. She wants influence. One could say that she lives
through the gaze of others, her influence on others, and she tries to expand that
influence in all directions. But the problem is that the
Revolution is progressing. During the Reign of Terror, it was not advisable to have
moved in all social circles. That will be her downfall and
will even land her in prison. - [Narrator] Gradually, the
radicals are gaining ground. Ludwig and Marie Antoinette
will die on the guillotine. France's bloodiest months are beginning. 17,000 people will be executed in the course of a year and a half. - [Interpreter] The
Reign of Terror was such that everyone who was
suspected of anything at all was sent to the guillotine. Among them was Beauharnais, who had sat on his country
estate and hadn't budged. - [Narrator] His service to the Revolution no longer matters. - [Interpreter] Her husband
Alexandre is arrested for outrageously petty reasons. They want to make an example of him. He is arrested very soon after the beginning of
the Reign of Terror. She tries to help him, but she
also comes under suspicion. People know that she has
friends that are royalists. Ultimately, she is also arrested and sent to the same prison. Soon afterwards, Alexandre is beheaded. (tense music) - [Narrator] By the end of July 1794, Josephine's life hangs by a thread. - [Interpreter] One morning, there's a roll call in the prison. It's usually the sign to get on the cart that's headed to the guillotine. When she hears her name, she faints. But on that day, thank God, the call was for her to be released. The Reign of Terror had ended. Robespierre had been overthrown. (tense music) - [Narrator] Josephine's
contacts are paying off. - [Interpreter] She was
very lucky in two senses. Not only did she survive it, but she was freed by Madame Tallien. Many who were still languishing
in prison were freed by Madame Tallien. She was married to Jean-Lambert Tallien, an influential man in the
government after Robespierre. He had the power to release people. He could just say let them out and so on, and they made sure that the
Beauharnais got out as well. And Josephine then became a good friend to Monsieur and Madame Tallien. She was in their salon and was then immediately in the company of the French Directory. (upbeat music) [Narrator] It is the
time of the Directory. Balls and fireworks have replaced prisons and welfare committees. At the middle of these festive events, stands Josephine and her new girlfriend. - [Interpreter] That time
came after the period of virtuous modesty that had
been shaped by Robespierre. It was, so to speak, the
counter swing of the pendulum. The time had come for debauchery. There was dancing and drinking everywhere, and, of course, the more money you had, the more lavish the parties were. And the Tallien threw some
of the most lavish parties, and Josephine was always there. (upbeat music) - [Narrator] Josephine is already over 30, but she's still beautiful,
charming, and exciting. She becomes what is nowadays
known as an it girl. - [Interpreter] Josephine loved fashion. She was one of the women
people called the Celestials during the Directory, one of those lightly dressed women who was a hit with the men. That was all the more important for her as she was already relatively old, and she had to make herself
up very well to please them. (calm music) - [Narrator] The men loved Josephine, and Josephine loves
and listens to the men. Military officers and
politicians become her friends and have affairs with her. - [Interpreter] Josephine was a success because of these friendships. She's a very intelligent woman and benefits from the many opportunities that exist after the Reign of Terror, especially for beautiful women who know how to deal with powerful men. I'm thinking of Barras,
one of the Directors. - [Narrator] Paul de Barras
is the most powerful man in the French Directory. He helps Josephine to get
her husband's fortune back. - [Interpreter] For a long time, people thought Barras
was Josephine's lover. Thanks to him, she could
return to high society. It's the same old story. It wouldn't have been
possible without a man. Barras was most likely gay. Many testimonies point to that. In truth, it was a friendship, a kind of noble alliance established within the circles of power. Nothing else. - [Narrator] The high
society of Paris thinks they are a couple. - [Interpreter] Of course,
Josephine uses Barras. She has influence over him and
expects something in return, just as he expects something
from her for his services. It was a give and take. - [Narrator] It is a life of luxury. People know Josephine far
beyond her own social circles. - [Interpreter] She has
advanced quite quickly in the circles of power,
gaining influence. Her salon is in. And so she quickly becomes a
public figure in the press. Many political attacks are beginning to be launched against her. - [Narrator] The Celestial Beauharnais and her salon are now famous and infamous. (calm music) - [Interpreter] Attacks are being levied against their morals and are aimed at discrediting the regime. They are decreed as debaucherous, people who regularly engage in orgies. - [Narrator] Josephine doesn't care. Her life of luxury costs a lot of money, and she's always short on cash. - [Interpreter] Josephine did
not come from a rich family. She had become accustomed to high society and did not want to fall
back into the anonymity of the low nobility of Martinique. She was determined to
maintain a certain status. She had this need for possessions, wanted to surround herself
with beautiful things. It was also the need to create a world in which she could find
protection from the dangers of the political circumstances
she had experienced. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] It's a politically
troubled time in Paris. Leftist Jacobins want to take
down the ruling Directory, and royalists are regaining power. In order to safeguard their rule, the Directors rely on a young man who had become a general at the age of 24, Napoleon Bonaparte. - [Interpreter] In Paris, I suspect, nobody saw anything in him other than a competent military man, and as such they actually
only wanted to use him. They did not want to
use him as a politician but as a capable man
who strikes decisively when he is ordered to strike. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] In the bloody
years of the Revolution, the young Corsican Napoleon
Bonaparte is called to Paris. (soldiers shouting) Napoleon was 26 years old in October 1795. Barras and his colleagues instruct him to put down a right-wing uprising. In gratitude for his success, Bonaparte is appointed
domestic commander-in-chief. - [Interpreter] After
the royalist uprising, all weapons were confiscated in Paris, even Viscount Alexandre
de Beauharnais' saber. His son, Eugene, asks
Bonaparte to return the saber, and Napoleon, already the
head of the state army, gives it back. Josephine comes to thank him. - [Narrator] Thus begins
the odd couple's affair. Napoleon is small, inconspicuous, and socially inexperienced. Josephine is the queen of high society that he has been looking for. - [Interpreter] For a long
time, it has been claimed that Josephine did not
actually want to marry him, but that's not true. She organized everything, chose the notary, drew up
the prenuptial agreement. She was the driving force. (gentle music) - [Narrator] To the surprise
of their social circles, Josephine and Napoleon
marry in March 1796, only five months after
their first meeting. It's a short civil
ceremony, but why the rush? That remains unclear for a long time. - [Interpreter] There
are various hypotheses. First of all, her affection
for him was surely growing, and the war also leads them
to decide to marry quickly. And then there's something else. She thinks she's pregnant,
feels the symptoms. "Maybe there will be a baby," she says. So they have to marry quickly before he goes to war in Italy. - [Narrator] "What is your strange power, my incomparable Josephine?" Napoleon writes her before the wedding. "I know that if we would fight, I would be denying my heart my conscience. You have seduced them. They are yours always." Bonaparte is head over heels in love. (gentle music) Josephine, on the other hand,
is looking for security. She probably also
suspects that the general, six years her younger,
will rise even further. - [Interpreter] When
Napoleon marries Josephine, he did so without talking to his family, but they were very close. He'd always discussed
everything with them. The clan was very devoted. - [Narrator] Napoleon's
mother, his four brothers, and three sisters, his whole family is
financially dependent on him. They hope to advance socially
by riding on his coattails. - [Interpreter] Napoleon's
family were poor, one might say peasants. I mean, the father was a lawyer, but basically they were
social nobodies in Corsica. They were poor devils. He does not tell his mother
or his older brother Joseph, presenting them with a fait accompli. They think it's Josephine's fault. They will never accept it. - [Narrator] Shortly before the wedding, Napoleon Bonaparte is
appointed as supreme commander for a campaign against
Austria in Northern Italy. Josephine remains in Paris. It soon becomes apparent
that she is not pregnant. - [Interpreter] As Napoleon
did not yet have a child, for a long time they did not know which of the two wasn't fertile. - [Narrator] Only two
days after their marriage at the registry office, Napoleon must say adieu
to his beloved Josephine. The Austrians are waiting
for him in Northern Italy. The Habsburgs had first declared war on revolutionary France
four years earlier in 1792. Napoleon is now tasked with
helping the troubled Directory. It will be a triumph. - [Interpreter] The Italian campaign was a singular succession of victories, undertaken with a defeated army that was inferior in every respect. Ill-equipped, unpaid,
ragged, poorly armed, Napoleon bested the
Austrians at every turn. Northern Italy belonged
to Austria at the time. Even with an inferior army, his strategic and tactical
genius was simply too much for them. (upbeat music) - [Narrator] At home in Paris, Josephine apparently
continues her old life. Rumors soon arise of men
receiving the new bride. Word gets around to Napoleon's camp. - [Interpreter] People claim
that she had affairs in Paris because she did not go to Italy immediately after the wedding. We are mainly talking about the
notorious Hippolyte Charles, but people believe all
kinds of stories about her. - [Narrator] The young officer
Hippolyte Charles is seen in Josephine's company. - [Interpreter] In Italy,
Napoleon is very jealous. He puts Josephine under surveillance, orders her letters to be
opened, has her followed. - [Narrator] "If only I could, I would throw you into prison in my heart and lock you in there forever,"
Napoleon writes to her. She receives imploring
letters nearly every day. "No letter from you. How that worries me. I expect a courier with news every day. The happiness of my life depends
on you, dearest Josephine. Napoleon." Josephine does not withhold her response. She writes that she must recover, but she hopes for a
pregnancy and, and, and. She stays on in Paris
too long for Napoleon. Her bad reputation haunts her to this day. - [Interpreter] We mustn't forget that Josephine is the
successor of Marie Antoinette. She follows her in history, but she is also her successor
in our imaginations, and that image hasn't always
served Josephine well. - [Narrator] The
debaucheries in Versailles during the Ancien Regime are legendary, but is Josephine as reckless
as Marie Antoinette? - [Interpreter] I'm personally convinced of at least one thing. She was not an idiot. She wouldn't have jeopardized
her marriage to Bonaparte for a stupid fling. - [Narrator] Josephine at least manages to convince her dear
Napoleon of her innocence. - [Interpreter] But the
relationship has changed. Napoleon was almost submissive at first. Now he dominates. It doesn't just balance out. He's the boss now. After all, he becomes the person we know, the general who accumulates victories, the politician who makes
decisions, the diplomat. He is becoming Napoleon. - [Narrator] The campaign
in Italy lasts 13 months. Still under 30 years of age,
Napoleon returns a rich man. - [Interpreter] These
victories enabled Napoleon to impose tributes on the conquered lands, which flooded the coffers in Paris. But of course it wasn't only money. He also plundered the areas
that his army overtook. - [Narrator] Josephine
now nurtures a new dream, owning her own castle. (birds chirping) - [Interpreter] Chateau de Malmaison is Josephine through and through. It was love at first sight. - [Narrator] Josephine
discovers Malmaison in 1799. Although it is expensive,
she desperately wants it. (calm music) - [Interpreter] For Josephine,
it was love at first sight, and they make an offer. Then Bonaparte leaves for Egypt, and lets Josephine conduct
the negotiations by herself. He does, however, give
her a financial limit. - [Narrator] Josephine buys Malmaison and starts spending money. Starts spending a lot of money. Over the next 15 years, she will invest many millions
of francs in her chateau for furniture, paintings,
lamps, precious vases. Money is no object. - [Interpreter] Napoleon was often angry and threatened to chase
away the delivery men, because she had run up such high debts. - [Narrator] Until her death, Napoleon will admonish
Josephine in his letters to not always spend so much. In these early years of
her marriage, however, she employs other means
to obtain the money that she so urgently needs. - [Interpreter] She
was indeed very clumsy. She consorted with peculiar people in her husband's absence,
with businessmen. They were high-level investors, who were especially interested in providing the army with supplies. Josephine benefited from that. - [Narrator] Napoleon is fighting in Egypt and constantly needs new weapons. The investors can supply them,
but at a very high price, and Josephine greases the
wheels for a cut of the profits. When Napoleon finds out,
he hears about new lovers. He writes to his brother Joseph, "All feelings are withered. The glory tastes bland. I just want to be alone." - [Interpreter] It is
true that at that time, Bonaparte believed the rumors that Josephine had betrayed him. He was on his campaign in Egypt, but there was also a lot of
malice behind those rumors. They benefited the members
of the Bonaparte family who disliked Josephine, and they also benefited
General Bonaparte's opponents who knew that this kind
of information was bound to destabilize him. - [Narrator] Napoleon makes
a surprise return to Paris. Josephine knows about the accusations
being levied against her. - [Interpreter] They had a house on what was later known
as the Rue de la Victoire. Napoleon hid himself inside, and she came and noticed
that the door was locked. And then she stood there the
whole day and half the night in front of the locked door with her two children
from her first marriage and screamed with sorrow and lamentations until Napoleon's heart softened, and he pulled her into the house. And then the next day, the two lay together
peacefully united in bed when Napoleon's brother
Joseph appeared and thought, "Now I can see everything, how
everything has fallen apart." Napoleon had wanted to
send Josephine packing, and there they lay
peacefully united in bed. He saw that things had
fundamentally gone wrong. - [Narrator] "I love you as
I did on the day we met," he will write to her later. Napoleon needs Josephine, because he wants to be
more than just a general. - [Interpreter] His wife was,
of course, a great help to him due to her social relationships. Napoleon was a general but
still a Corsican yokel. She knew the people that
he needed to connect with. She had social skills and
knew how to set it up. It gave him a polish
that he didn't have yet. - [Narrator] At the end of 1799, he successfully seizes power
in France with a coup d'etat. - [Interpreter] He put an
end to the form of government that was in place, the Directory. He abolished them, the Directors, and established himself as First Consul. That is to say he
appointed himself dictator, and the rest is Napoleonic history. - [Narrator] A mere 3 1/2
years after their wedding, the little Corsican general is in charge, and Josephine is now first lady. - [Interpreter] There's a
problem, the lack of offspring, and it's fairly certain
that there won't be any. How can you create a
dynasty without heirs? A different solution must be found. Another attack is launched
by the Bonaparte clan, calling for him to divorce the empress who cannot bear him children. That sends Napoleon into a rage. He doesn't want to hear about it. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] Pills, tinctures, juices, and cures prove fruitless. Josephine cannot give Napoleon
his heart's desire, a son. - [Interpreter] She looks for a solution and persuades her daughter Hortense to marry Napoleon's brother Louis. She and Napoleon are hoping
the couple will have children, a son that Napoleon could adopt. - [Narrator] Josephine's daughter Hortense and Louis Bonaparte reluctantly obey. They marry in 1802 and have three sons. - [Interpreter] Thus there is a second Bonaparte-Beauharnais wedding. The children come from both families, and through adoption, would
thus become heirs to the throne. - [Narrator] The heirs of a dynasty, because Napoleon wants to become emperor. - [Interpreter] He plans a
great ceremony in Notre-Dame on the 2nd of December, 1804,
to legitimize his regime. - [Narrator] Napoleon arranges everything. He even orders the pope to come to Paris. And Josephine? The Bonapartes are trying to prevent her from becoming an empress. At 41, they claim, she is simply too old. - [Interpreter] Josephine
almost wasn't crowned. Shortly beforehand, Napoleon had once again
considered divorce. His brothers and sisters
were already cheering. - [Narrator] Napoleon's
doubts only last for a moment. "There is nothing that compares to my love for little
Josephine," he writes. Her influence is unbroken. - [Interpreter] Then
she had a cunning idea to force Napoleon to
marry her in the church. He wanted to be crowned
and anointed by the pope, as would befit an emperor. But he and Josephine had only been married in a registry office. So Josephine went to
the pope for confession and told him that she lived, so to speak, as a concubine with Napoleon
in the eyes of the church. That is, that she was not married, because the church did not
recognize civil marriage. So she confessed that to him. That was, of course, a glorious piece of
information for the pope, because he could then take it and use it to blackmail Napoleon and say, "Friend, you will not be
anointed emperor by me if you don't marry in the church." - [Narrator] Josephine hopes
to use the church's blessing to make an impending divorce due to childlessness more difficult. (gentle music) During the ceremony, Napoleon himself crowns
his Josephine as empress. (gentle music) He stands by her, turns
against his family. - [Interpreter] Worse still, he orders his sisters to carry the train as they enter Notre-Dame. For the sisters, who hate Josephine even
more than their brothers do, it's completely humiliating. - [Narrator] Josephine barely
escaped the guillotine, has an often difficult marriage,
is already 41 years old, and, yet, she's the empress of France. - [Interpreter] And really,
the 2nd of December, 1804, is the day of glory for Josephine. She's at the very top. It is reported that she beamed that day. It was probably the
happiest day of her life. (upbeat music) - [Narrator] It is in Paris, not in the old coronation city of Reims, that Napoleon places the
crown on Josephine's head. It is her city, the one that she had dreamed
of since she was a child and which she will always love. Josephine only shops at the
finest establishments in town, the most exclusive jewelers. For her, the best is just good enough, especially now that she
can call herself empress. She sets the tone. - [Interpreter] Josephine
is a French personality through and through. She's the epitome of a
highest level Parisian, a fashion icon, a fashion
victim, role model, and source of inspiration. (upbeat music) This woman has enriched art, and she has brought great
craftsmanship back to life. She shapes a century. Napoleon wanted his court to
be as dazzling as possible, so that marshals and ministers would have a lifestyle worthy of their rank. - [Narrator] But the empress
remains the best customer of courtiers and jewelers. She makes them rich, spends
3.2 million francs on jewels. At the end of her imperial rule, she has more than 900
dresses and 500 lace tops. - [Interpreter] Many historians agree. It wasn't so much about
loving possessions, it was about buying them. Josephine loves to buy new things. She's constantly renewing her wardrobe. (slow music) - [Narrator] The emperor pays,
albeit often reluctantly. - [Interpreter] First of all, let's not forget that Napoleon
was a household tyrant. It wasn't always easy being
Napoleon Bonaparte's wife, certainly not, but she
accepted all of that. It was all about the project,
about serving the emperor, not for what he represented,
but for who he really was. (suspenseful music) - [Narrator] She knew
it from the beginning. Napoleon is a military genius. He strides from victory to victory and now rules over almost all of Europe. He writes to his wife in 1805, "The Battle of Austerlitz
was the most beautiful of all battles. I wish I could keep you
in my heart forever." - [Interpreter] Napoleon
takes care of the country, fights wars continuously. He only ever stays a
few hours at the court. She does the full-time job. She is the sovereign. - [Narrator] Napoleon fights wars. Josephine wants to be
the center of attention. She wants splendor, not power. - [Interpreter] She stayed out of it. So politically she didn't tell him, you have to fight this or that battle, or release him or her, or throw this or that person in prison. She didn't do that. - [Narrator] Josephine's power comes from this ruler's love for her. - [Interpreter] Napoleon
wouldn't let anyone tell him what to do. She was the only one who could
talk to him at eye-level. She managed to ease tense situations. The court was aware of
her influence, her power, turned to her, trusted her. People tried to tell
her what he should do. They knew that she was the only person who could do anything. She was the only one in Napoleon's life who was capable of
affecting him like that. (guns firing) - [Narrator] Napoleon reaches
the zenith of his power in 1807. He writes to Josephine from Tilsit, "If you are reading these lines, peace has been established
with Prussia and Russia." But the frequent separations
are a burden on their marriage. - [Interpreter] Empress
Josephine's life is no cakewalk. She and Napoleon don't
see each other much. He has his chambers and she has hers. Napoleon has affairs. She knows about it, suffers from it. At the same time, political
attacks are being launched because of the lack of an heir. And in 1807, Hortense and
Louis' first son dies. Their hope for a dynasty
dissolves into nothing. (dramatic music) - [Narrator] One of
Napoleon's many mistresses is a Polish countess, Marie Walewska. - [Interpreter] When Marie
Walewska bears the emperor a child in 1809, it becomes
clear he is not infertile. He knows his political
interests require a direct heir, one of his own children,
not an adopted one. - [Narrator] "God knows that this decision has been difficult. I have only found the courage to make it because I'm convinced that it serves France's best interests," Napoleon announces publicly. He still loves Josephine,
but he wants a divorce. - [Interpreter] Napoleon has a weakness. He cannot attack a beloved, weak person, especially not when she bursts into tears and is on her knees begging him. Then he doesn't dare, and Josephine is a fighter who
won't give up her position. - [Narrator] But Josephine's fight for her marriage
eventually comes to an end. Napoleon will not be deterred and decides to establish
a dynasty without her. (dramatic music) The empress ultimately has
to sign the divorce papers in December 1809. - [Interpreter] She doesn't have to worry about anything material. Her situation and her position are secure. But her purpose in life has gone, and she falls into a deep depression, and Napoleon for his part has
lost his closest confidant. (somber music) - [Narrator] Three
months after his divorce, Napoleon marries the Habsburg
princess Marie-Louise. She will give him the son
he has been longing for. Josephine retires to
her beloved Malmaison. (calm music)
(birds chirping) Marie-Louise will never meet Josephine, but her contact with Napoleon
does not come to an end. "Never doubt the sincerity
of my feelings for you," writes Napoleon. "They will last as long as I live." - [Interpreter] Napoleon visits Josephine without Marie-Louise. Their relationship is good. They don't fight. The tone remains tender, but she's on the sidelines,
which is hard for her to bear. She can go anywhere but to Paris, the city that had always been
at the heart of her dreams. (suspenseful music) - [Narrator] Napoleon's
Russian campaign in 1812 ends in a military catastrophe. The Grande Armee is crushed. - [Interpreter] Around 1809, 1810, Napoleon's star begins to
fade and finally burns out. She gets very worried
about the Russian campaign and then Germany. Until then, Napoleon
had impressed the world and destroyed everyone, and now these difficulties in
Spain, Russia, and Germany. (suspenseful music) - [Narrator] Napoleon's defeat
in the Battle of Leipzig in October 1813 is followed
by his exile to Elba in April 1814. - [Interpreter] Like any good Corsican, Napoleon was incredibly
superstitious, you know, and he believed in his lucky star, which he once saw at Malmaison
before he was emperor. At Malmaison, he saw his star shining through the branches of
a tree, and he thought, "My star, my lucky star,
that shone upon me, has departed from me with Josephine." (gentle music) - [Interpreter] Napoleon
writes loving letters to his Josephine until the very end, inquiring about her health, admonishing her not to despair, and to believe in the future. - [Interpreter] Josephine's
story is a fascinating one. She picks herself up after every failure. She did that often. That was also true at the end of her life when the empire collapsed, when the czar came to Paris. (gentle music) - [Narrator] The czar and the Prussian king pay their respects to the former empress in Malmaison. Josephine doesn't really have to worry. An appanage from the victors allows her to maintain her lifestyle. Her children are also provided for. - [Interpreter] The
czar was a gallant man, and she not only received the czar, she also received the Prussian king. Stories of her beauty had reached as far as St. Petersburg and Berlin, and of course they wanted to have a look at this magical creature. She was an attraction. - [Narrator] Her new
life doesn't last long. On May 29th, 1814, Josephine
dies at the age of 51. An end befitting her rank, she catches a cold at a feast
held for Czar Alexander. In exile on Elba, Napoleon
learns of her death. (somber music) - [Interpreter] He only
hears the news much later. He experiences the deepest
sorrow he has felt in his life. He suffers from her absence until the end. One cannot emphasize it enough. Their bond was one of the reasons for the extraordinary fate. They set off on this adventure together, and in some sense, they also
exited the stage together. - [Narrator] Josephine's
grandson becomes Napoleon III, emperor of France. (gentle music) Her granddaughter and namesake Josephine
becomes queen of Sweden. Another granddaughter
is empress of Brazil. (gentle music) Today, Josephine's name can be found in the family tree of almost
all European families. The girl from Martinique
would have loved that. (gentle music)
