Description
By John S. C. Abbott. Step into the glittering yet turbulent world of Napoleonic Europe in this captivating biography of one of the most fascinating women of the Bonaparte era.
In History of Hortense: Daughter of Josephine, Queen of Holland, Mother of Napoleon III, historian John S. C. Abbott recounts the remarkable life of Hortense de Beauharnais, daughter of the Empress Josephine and stepdaughter of Napoleon Bonaparte. Born into the dazzling yet dangerous world of imperial France, Hortense lived at the center of one of the most dramatic periods in European history, witnessing revolution, empire, war, exile, and political transformation.
Abbott traces Hortense’s life from her childhood during the aftermath of the French Revolution to her marriage to Louis Bonaparte, her reluctant role as Queen of Holland, and her struggles amid the ambitions and rivalries of the Bonaparte dynasty. Readers are transported into the courts, palaces, and battle-shadowed politics of Napoleonic Europe, where personal relationships and imperial power were inseparably intertwined.
More than a royal biography, the book is a vivid portrait of a woman navigating extraordinary political upheaval while enduring personal sorrow, exile, and the collapse of Napoleon’s empire. Abbott’s engaging narrative style brings to life the personalities, intrigues, and emotional drama of one of Europe’s most fascinating dynasties. The story also offers insight into the upbringing of Hortense’s son, the future Napoleon III, whose later reign would shape nineteenth-century France.
This carefully restored reprint revives a classic work of historical biography for modern readers. Ideal for lovers of French history, royal biography, and the Napoleonic age, History of Hortense remains a compelling account of a woman who stood at the crossroads of empire and revolution.
About the author: John S. C. Abbott (1805–1877) was an American historian, pastor, and prolific writer known for his accessible biographies and popular works of history aimed at general readers and young audiences. He authored numerous widely read studies of historical figures and events, including works on Napoleon, the French Revolution, and many of the leading personalities of European and American history.
This work forms part of John S. C. Abbott’s complete series on the Napoleonic era, and is a worthy companion to his related works on that time period.
Contents
Preface
Chapter I: Parentage and Birth
Chapter II: The Marriage of Josephine and General Bonaparte
Chapter III: Hortense and Duroc
Chapter IV: The Marriage of Hortense
Chapter V: Birth of Louis Napoleon and the Divorce of Josephine
Chapter VI: The Death of Josephine
Chapter VII: The Sorrows of Exile
Chapter VIII: Peaceful Days, yet Sad
Chapter IX: Life at Arenemberg
Chapter X: Letter from Louis Napoleon to His Mother
Chapter XI: The Death of Hortense, and the Enthronement of her Son
