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January 27, 2002 Issue 
The Last Great Dance on Earth by Sandra Gulland 
Empress - Josephine's 'Last Great Dance'Volume III of the fictionalized biography of Josephine Bonaparte "The Last Great Dance on Earth", the third and final volume of the fictionalized biography of Josephine Bonaparte by Sandra Gulland, covers the period from early 1800 to Josephine's death on May 29, 1814. These were turbulent times, times of grandeur and times of defeat as Napoleon and his plans for a Bonaparte dynasty were completely squashed. In 1802 Napoleon was elected consul for life and on December 2, 1804 he and Josephine were crowned by Pope Pius VII as emperor and empress. In this book, Josephine has developed a profound love for Napoleon and he continues to love her with the same intensity. They've grown very close and yet, he is tormented by her inability to have children and his desire for a blood heir. Now more than ever before, as the emperor he needs to assure a Bonaparte succession. The Bonaparte clan, a group of pathetic losers, continues to plot against Josephine and to urge Napoleon to divorce her. They are boorish, ill bred and greedy. They fail to realize that without Napoleon they are worthless nobodies and squabble over titles and rank. While Josephine's renowned finesse, taste and gentility become even more refined with time, Napoleon's sisters and brothers remain course. As soon as Napoleon is declared emperor, his brothers and their wives are given the titles of prince and princess. This makes Hortense, Josephine's daughter who is married to Napoleon's brother Louis, also a princess which enrages the emperor's title-less sisters. In addition, Hortense and Louis have sons on whom the succession rests. All hell breaks loose when Napoleon decides that the Pope should crown Josephine as well and that his sisters and brothers' wives are to carry her train. The coronation is immortalized in David's famous painting. Eventually Napoleon distributes kingdoms and titles to his siblings, all taken away after his defeat. Joseph, his older brother becomes king of Spain and his tantrum-prone sister Caroline and her husband are given the kingdom of Naples. Louis and Hortense become the king and queen of Holland and it is their third son who will eventually come back to France from exile to become first the president of the Republic after the revolution of 1848 and then proclaim himself Napoleon III, emperor of the Second Empire. By 1809 Napoleon realizes that divorce from Josephine and an alliance with a younger woman of royal blood is the only answer to his dreams for a Bonaparte succession. And on December 15, 1809 they divorce in a formal ceremony. Both read prepared statements underscoring their love for each other and noting that the divorce is a sacrifice for France. Much has been written about how Josephine soaked her apartments in the palace with her fragrance to remind Napoleon of herself long after she's gone. Some accounts say that this fragrance was musk, but this book tells us that it was lavender. A lovelorn Josephine removes to the country. Her health begins to slide and weaken. In April of 1810 Napoleon marries Marie-Louise of Austria and the longed for son Napoleon II, King of Rome is born in March, 1811. But all the joy and success are short lived. As we know today, Napoleon's demise began with his invasion of Russia. After his retreat from Russia, it was all downhill. The most fanatical Bonapartists believed that Napoleon's misfortunes were caused by the loss of Josephine - his and France's Lady of Victories - and that Marie-Louise brought him nothing but bad luck and woes. Surrounded by enemies and fighting with an exhausted army the English, Austrians and just about everyone else in Europe, Napoleon was eventually defeated and abdicated on April 6, 1814. On April 16, 1814 Tzar Alexandre of Russia visited Josephine at her country estate Malmaison and again in May shortly before her death on May 29,1814. The tzar too was bewitched by her exquisite grace and charm. Josephine's story ends here, with her death. But the epilogue gives us information about what became of all the Bonapartes. Through Josephine's son Eugene, she has descendants in most royal houses of Europe. In contrast to Josephine, Marie-Louise betrayed Napoleon spiritually and abandoned her son, the King of Rome to the whims of Napoleon's enemies. A virtual prisoner of the Austrian court, he died of tuberculosis at twenty-two. "My life would have been different," he was known to say, "had Josephine been my mother." The lore is that on his deathbed Napoleon said, "I have just seen my good Josephine. She told me we were going to see each other again and that we would never again be separated. She promised me." As with the reviews of the previous two volumes, this one also provides just an outline of the major events in the last third of Josephine's life. But it is the details and the minutia that makes these books fascinating and compels one to read on. The books are also valuable sources of historical information. Based on extensive research and quoting from actual correspondence, they add to our knowledge and understanding of the history of the period. In spite of the Reign of Terror and in spite of the Republic's short life, the French Revolution triggered many significant changes that lead to democracy. The class system based on birth began to erode with the revolution. It also gave an opportunity for advancement to many talented people of humble origins, like Napoleon himself. "Napoleon went forth to seek Virtue," wrote Goethe, "but since she was not to be found, he got Power." Unconditional love and understanding he found only in Josephine Ophelia Georgiev Roop Library Director San Bernardino Public Library |
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