Kate Williams (1) (1974–)

The recent Napoleon 'biopic' with Joaquin Phoenix - go figure - prompted me to read more about his pathetic wife, Josephine, but honestly, I wish I hadn't bothered. Marie Antoinette was born to wealth and privilege, married into French royalty at a very young age, persecuted for her excessive spending, accused of being a whore, and was executed during the Revolution. Josephine - and that wasn't actually her name, but the moniker her narcissistic husband lumped her with - was born on a plantation island, was a whore in all but name, escaped execution by the skin of her rotten teeth, married a French dictator younger than herself, spent even more money than Marie Antoinette, before finally being dumped for a younger woman who could give the little man an heir. I know who I feel sympathy and admiration for, and she didn't have to play at being queen alongside her faker of a husband.

Kate Williams has written a comprehensive biography, even if most of the later chapters are given over to Napoleon because Josephine surrendered her own personality and dignity, but reading about the pair of them made me nauseous. Only men could revere Napoleon, and what was Josephine's claim to fame? Spending money and collecting treasures stolen from France and the countries her husband invaded and tying herself in knots to stay in the obnoxious little bully's good graces. She even forced her only daughter into marriage with her husband's repulsive brother and told her to play nice when Hortense begged to be released from her abusive marriage! Napoleon was the original incel, who instead of hating women on social media, wrote the Code Napoleon to keep them in their place: 'We need the notion of obedience in Paris, especially where women think they have the right to do as they like.' When he came into power, literally crowning himself Emperor, he could force young women into sleeping with him - lasting all of four minutes tops - by staring at them like a creep, but Josephine could not look or talk to other men. And she just accepted his rules! That's not even being the power behind the throne, she was just a doll to be named, dressed and manoeuvred by her husband's fragile masculinity. 'The pride of women consists in submission and we should have no other power than such as a mild and gentle character imparts to us.' Vomit.

Before being mentally sterilised by Napoleon, Josephine's story was actually very interesting, but the bulk of the biography is a repetitive litany of Josephine mothering Napoleon with her soft voice and gentle hands after one of his many tantrums alongside a growing tally of the many millions she frittered on dresses, shoes, plants and paintings. Meanwhile, he storms around Europe and Egypt murdering thousands of men. Lovely couple!… (plus d'informations)

De geschiedenis geschreven rond Josephine de Beauharnais, echtgenote van Napoleon, werpt een heel ander licht op de oorlogszuchtige keizer. In zijn persoonlijke relaties is hij 'maar' een zielig keizertje, die zijn eigen frustraties rond zijn gestalte en zijn afkomst afreageert op wie hij het liefste heeft, zijn Josephine en haar kinderen uit haar eerste huwelijk, Hortense en Eugène. Hij scheidt van haar als zij al in de 40 is, trouwt met Marie Louise van Oostenrijk louter en alleen om een troonopvolger op de wereld te zetten. Dat lukt hem. Josephine moet alle vernederingen van hem en zijn familie genadeloos ondergaan; hij dwingt haar zelfs om 'gelukkig' te zijn voor zijn geluk. Hoe wreed, die historische figuur die te veel glorie toebedeeld krijgt.… (plus d'informations)