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 The Tomb of Eugène de Beauharnais at the Michaelskirche in Munich. Picture by Androom (16 Aug 2012) |
Beauharnais, Eugène de, |
| STATESMAN, MILITARY OFFICER (FRANCE) |
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BORN 3 Sep 1781, Paris - DIED 21 Feb 1824, München, Bayern BIRTH NAME Beauharnais, Eugène Rose de, Duke of Leuchtenberg GRAVE LOCATION München, Bayern: Michaelskirche, Neuhauserstrasse 6 |
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Eugène de Beauharnais was the son of general Alexandre de Beauharnais and his wife Joséphine. He saw action in the Vendée before he joined his mother's new husband Napoleon Bonaparte as aide-de-camp. He followed Napoleon to Italy and Egypt. Napoleon adopted him in 1806 and he became a member of the imperial family, although not a heir to the throne. Two days after his adoption he married Amalia Augusta of Bavaria. It was a politically motivated marriage, but it turned out to be a happy one. They had seven children. He was Viceroy of the kingdom of Italy from 1805 until 1815. Napoleon put him in command of the Italian army and although he lost a battle at Sacile, the Austrians were beaten at the Battle of Raab in 1809. He also fought at the Battle of Wagram. In 1812 he joined Napoleon in Russia and in 1813 he fought at Lützen. Afterwards Napoleon sent him back to Italy to organize the defense against the Austrians. After Napoleon abdicated in 1814 he withdrew to Munich according to the wishes of Maximilian I of Bavaria, his father-in-law. Soon afterwards his mother died and he was received in Paris by Louis XVIII and Alexander I of Russia. He renounced his political activity and soon returned to Bavaria. During the 100 Days in 1815 he remained neutral and he did not rejoin Napoleon. In 1817 Maximilian I made him Duke of Leuchtenberg. He lived in Munich where he managed his estates and he expanded his art collection. In 1822 his health detoriated and he died in 1824 in Munich at the aged of 42. Family • Mother: Beauharnais, Joséphine de • Sister: Beauharnais, Hortense de Related persons • employed Adam, Albrecht • employed Klenze, Leo von • was adopted by Napoleon I Bonaparte Events |
| 5/7/1809 | Battle of Wagram: The French defeat the Austrians. It took place on 5 and 6 July. It was the largest battle in European history until then. Napoleon had an army of French, German and Italian soldiers of 150,000 men. The Austrian army had 130,000 men. It ended in a The French victory, although the French lost almost as much soldiers as the Austrians. But it ended the Fifth Coalition agains France between the Austrian and the British troops. It resulted in the Treaty of Schönbrunn, which meant the loss of territories and one sixth of the subjects for the Austrian Empire. [Davout, Louis-Nicholas, Duke of Auerstädt][Masséna, André, duc de Rivoli, prince d'Essling][Napoleon I Bonaparte] |
| 7/9/1812 | Battle of Borodino: Napoleon defeats Kutusov. The armies consisted both of circa 130,000 men. The French army was slightly larger. Kutusov was assisted by Prince Pyotr Bagration and Barclay de Tolly. Napoleon brought Eugène de Beauharnais, Ney and Davout. The battle was intense and pieces of land changed hands several times. Eugène de Beauharnais managed to occupy Borodino. The French lost 30,000 men and the Russians probably even more. But the French victory wasn't decisive because the French failed to destroy the Russian army. [Davout, Louis-Nicholas, Duke of Auerstädt][Murat, Joachim, king of Naples][Napoleon I Bonaparte][Ney, Michel, Duc d’Elchingen, Prince de la Moskowa] |
| 26/9/1812 | Premiere of Rossini's "La pietra del paragone" at La Scala in Milan. It was an opera in two acts. The libretto was written by Luigi Romanelli. Alessandro Rolla was the conductor. Performers included Filippo Galli, Marietta Marcolini and Claudio Bonoldi. Viceroy Eugène de Beauharnais was so impressed that he exempted Rossini from military service. [Rossini, Gioacchino] |
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The Tomb of Eugène de Beauharnais at the Michaelskirche in Munich. Picture by Androom (16 Aug 2012) |
Sources • Winkler Prins Encyclopedie (editie 1909), 1909 • Eugène de Beauharnais - Wikipedia (EN) • Battle of Wagram - Wikipedia (EN) |
