Émilie de Beauharnais, comtesse de Lavalette (; 1781–1855), was a French court official, ''
dame d'atour'' to
Empress Joséphine of France.
Life
She was the daughter of
François VI de Beauharnais and Françoise de Beauharnais and thus related to
Joséphine. She married Comte
Antoine Marie Chamans de Lavalette, whom she had saved, on 22 April 1798.
She belonged to those called to be appointed when the first ladies-in-waiting were named for Joséphine. In 1804, when
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
named himself
Emperor of France, and his wife Empress, he also created an Imperial court and had ladies-in-waiting appointed to Empress Josephine.
Adélaïde de La Rochefoucauld was made ''
dame d'honneur Dame d'honneur (, ) was a common title for two categories of French ladies-in-waiting, who are often confused because of the similarity.
Dame d'honneur can be:
* Short for Première dame d'honneur, which were commonly shortened to Dame d'honne ...
'' and de Beauharnais made ''dame d'atour'', while
Jeanne Charlotte du Luçay,
Madame de Rémusat, Elisabeth Baude de Talhouët, Lauriston, d'Arberg, Marie Antoinette Duchâtel, Sophie de Segur, Séran, Colbert, Savary and Aglaé Louise Auguié Ney, were all made ''
dame du Palais''.
When Napoleon divorced Joséphine and married
Marie Louise of Austria, in 1809, de Beauharnais retired and was replaced by
Jeanne Charlotte du Luçay.
During the
Bourbon Restoration, her spouse was sentenced to death, but she helped him escape and was herself imprisoned in 1815–16.
References
* Gilbert Schlogel, Emilie de Lavalette, une légende blessée, Fayard, 2000 ()
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beauharnais, Emilie de
1781 births
1855 deaths
French ladies-in-waiting
People of the First French Empire
Court of Napoleon