Stéphanie de Beauharnais
Imperial Princess Stéphanie Louise Adrienne de Beauharnais, Napoleon also Stéphanie, ( born August 28, 1789 in Versailles, † January 29, 1860 in Nice ) was the adopted daughter of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Grand Duchess of Baden.
Life
Stéphanie de Beauharnais was born amidst the turmoil of the French Revolution as the daughter of the captain of the Royal Guard of Claude de Beauharnais and his wife Claudine. The young mother fell ill after the birth of tuberculosis and fled with the small Stéphanie to the Riviera. Her husband did not care about both and performed in 1791 at the death of his wife, all rights to the three year old daughter to the Englishwoman Lady Bath from. Stéphanie mother had as her childhood friend over to her care for the child. On their return to England this the little girl but did not take the three year old and familiar two nuns at, went into hiding with the child with repeated change of place in southern France. 1797 residence is transferred to Perigueux.
Meanwhile, had Napoleon Bonaparte, then First Consul of France know that there's one in the South of France - was related to his wife Joséphine de Beauharnais - albeit remote. He demanded by Claude de Beauharnais to retrieve his daughter to Paris. So Stéphanie had to move in 1803 to Paris. From 1803 on, Stéphanie should learn a befitting training and was sent by Napoleon in the renowned institute of Madame Campan.
In 1806, the end of Stéphanie school time had come. Napoleon let them get back to Paris and adopted her. Thus she was awarded the title " Son Altesse Imperiale Mademoiselle Stéphanie Napoléon, fille adoptive de Sa majesté l' Empereur des Français, Roi d' Italie" and ranked so that the court ceremony before the two sisters of Napoleon.
In April 1806, the marriage was celebrated with Prince Charles Stéphanie of Baden with the wedding in the Tuileries. They remained in Paris until in June of the same year their new residence, the Mannheim Palace, based.
In 1811, Karl, Grand Duke of Baden and Stéphanie brought in June this year their first daughter, Louise, to the world, the future wife of Prince Gustav of Wasa.
On September 29, 1812 announced with two hundred cannon shots and the cheers of the Karlsruhe population, the birth of an heir apparent. The child died, however, already 17 days after birth. Later the rumor that this child had been exchanged for a sick infant and 1828 emerged as Kaspar Hauser in Nuremberg again arose. This took place in the popular belief widespread, applicable in the history of scientific literature, however, since at least the relevant studies by Otto Mittelstaedt and Antonius van der Linde as disproved.
On October 21, 1813, the daughter of Josephine Friederike Louise was born, later wife Karl Anton of Hohenzollern- Sigmaringen.
Another son was born in 1816, but was only a year old. Another daughter, Marie Amalie (1817-1888) followed in 1817. Died on December 8, 1818 Grand Duke Karl without a male heir.
In subsequent years, Stéphanie lived primarily in Mannheim in the former Electoral Palace and at their summer palace in Baden -Baden. In Mannheim they had among other things the palace gardens create as English Garden on the former ramparts of the town's fortifications. She founded there a Women's Association and was active socially. On January 28, 1860 Stephanie died at the age of 70 years. She is buried in the royal crypt in the castle and collegiate church of St. Michael in Pforzheim.
Relationship to Alexandre de Beauharnais
Stéphanie grandfather Claude de Beauharnais, Count of Roches- Baritaud (1717-1784) is the younger brother of François de Beauharnais, Marquess de la Ferté- Beauharnais ( 1714-1800 ). His son, Alexandre de Beauharnais (1760-1794), which is thus an uncle of the second degree by Stéphanie.
Alexandre de Beauharnais was the first man of Marie Josephe Rose de deashers de la Pagerie, better known as Josephine, the future wife of Napoléon Bonaparte.
Progeny
- Luise (1811-1854) ∞ 1830-1842 Hereditary Prince Gustav of Sweden (1799-1877)
- Son (* / † 1812), Hereditary Grand Duke of Baden
- Josephine (1813-1900) ∞ 1834 Prince Karl Anton of Hohenzollern- Sigmaringen ( 1811-1885 )
- Alexander Maximilian Carl (1816-1817), Grand Duke of Baden
- Marie Amalie (1817-1888) ∞ 1843 William Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton ( 1811-1863 )