Daughter of an aristocrat, widow, mother of 2 children
Also 6 years older than Napoleon
On the marriage certificate, Napoleon’s age was increased by 1.5 years and hers was decreased by 4
The wedding was officiated by an illegitimate priest
Napoleon was just an army officer 
In 1796 Napoleon wrote:
“You don’t write to me at all, you don’t love your husband; you know the pleasure your letters give him, and you don’t write him six lines of scribbles even at random.
Future emperor, left to “read” 
He wrote to Joséphine saying that he could not answer “How did you sleep?” not knowing how he slept
She wanted her “genius” to protect her and leave him “unprotected” twitter.com/i/web/status/1… 
“When I am tired of the cares of my profession, when men disgust me, when I am ready to curse my life, I put my hand to my heart where your portrait beats in unison.” 
This idea, he wrote, “stains the soul, stops my blood, makes me miserable without even leaving me the courage of fury.”
He was right
She was cheating on him immediately after the marriage 
“I have not drunk a cup of tea without cursing the pride and ambition which compel me to stand aside from the moving spirit of my life. If I get up to work in the middle of the night, it’s because it can speed up our meeting in a matter of days.” 
And when Napoleon came to look for her, she was nowhere to be seen:
“I arrive in Milan, I run into your flat, I’ve left everything to see you, to hold you in my arms… you weren’t there” 
He divorced her
But he never got over it
Affairs didn’t help
The pain of not being loved by her lingered
It reminds me of a line from a letter he wrote in 1796: “I had a right to be spared” 
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