Stéphanie Louise Adrienne de Beauharnais (28 August 1789 – 29 January 1860) was a French princess and the Grand Duchess
consort __NOTOC__
Consort may refer to:
Music
* "The Consort" (Rufus Wainwright song), from the 2000 album ''Poses''
* Consort of instruments, term for instrumental ensembles
* Consort song (musical), a characteristic English song form, late 16th–earl ...
of Baden by marriage to
Karl, Grand Duke of Baden.
Biography
Early life
Born in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
at the beginning of the
French Revolution, Stéphanie was the daughter of
Claude de Beauharnais, 2nd Count des Roches-Baritaud (1756–1819). In 1783 the 2nd Count married Claudine Françoise de Lezay (1767–1791). The marriage resulted in the birth of first her older brother Alberic de Beauharnais (1786–1791) and then Stephanie herself. Her father remarried in 1799 to Suzanne Fortin-Duplessis (1775–1850).
On 13 December 1779
Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais
Alexandre François Marie, Viscount of Beauharnais (; 28 May 1760 – 23 July 1794) was a French politician and general of the French Revolution. He was the first husband of Joséphine Tascher de La Pagerie, who later married Napoleon Bonaparte ...
, first cousin of her father, married
Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie. On 23 July 1794, Alexandre was
guillotine
A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...
d. Joséphine had affairs with several influential figures of the
French Directory
The Directory (also called Directorate; ) was the system of government established by the Constitution of the Year III, French Constitution of 1795. It takes its name from the committee of 5 men vested with executive power. The Directory gov ...
, including
Paul François Jean Nicolas Barras. The latter would introduce her to his recent favorite
Napoléon Bonaparte
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 ...
. Napoléon soon started courting her. On 9 March 1796 they were married.
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
Napoléon Bonaparte was now stepfather to
Eugène de Beauharnais and
Hortense de Beauharnais, second cousins of Stephanie. As his prominence and wealth continued to rise, Napoléon found himself being ''
de facto''
patron to both the
Bonaparte and the de Beauharnais families. Stephanie would soon see her patron rise to become
First Consul of France.
Princess
Her "uncle" crowned himself
Emperor of the French on 2 December 1804. As a prominent member of the new Imperial Family, Stephanie held residence in the
Tuileries Palace. Her new status allowed her to live a rather luxurious life.
This was a consequence of Napoleon's effort to secure an alliance with the
Prince-elector
The prince-electors ( pl. , , ) were the members of the Electoral College of the Holy Roman Empire, which elected the Holy Roman Emperor. Usually, half of the electors were archbishops.
From the 13th century onwards, a small group of prince- ...
of
Baden
Baden (; ) is a historical territory in southern Germany. In earlier times it was considered to be on both sides of the Upper Rhine, but since the Napoleonic Wars, it has been considered only East of the Rhine.
History
The margraves of Ba ...
. The alliance was to be secured through a marriage between the descendants of the two
sovereigns, connecting the two
dynasties. The Prince-Elector was to be represented by his grandson. Napoleon on the other hand lacked legitimate descendants of his own. He adopted Stephanie and named her "Princesse Française" (French
Princess
Princess is a title used by a female member of a regnant monarch's family or by a female ruler of a principality. The male equivalent is a prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for ...
) with the style of Imperial Highness.
Grand Duchess of Baden
The marriage of Stephanie and
Karl (Charles), took place in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
on 8 April 1806. On 25 July 1806 her new grandfather-in-law was named
Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden.
By most accounts the arranged marriage was not particularly successful. Her husband was determined to continue living as a
bachelor. He set residence in
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...
. She was allowed to settle separately in
Mannheim
Mannheim (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: or ), officially the University City of Mannheim (), is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, second-largest city in Baden-Württemberg after Stuttgart, the States of Ger ...
. Even the official complaints by the Emperor did not resolve this situation. The Grand Duke offered
Schwetzingen to be their common summer residence. But only Stephanie accepted the offer. The situation changed somewhat when it became evident that the aging
Grand Duke
Grand duke (feminine: grand duchess) is a European hereditary title, used either by certain monarchs or by members of certain monarchs' families. The title is used in some current and former independent monarchies in Europe, particularly:
* in ...
would not live much longer. The couple reconciled in an effort to produce heirs for the throne when her spouse succeeded to the throne in 1811.
The Grand Duke died on 8 December 1818. Stephanie remained a widow for the rest of her long life. She was reportedly a devoted mother to her three daughters. Her residence in Mannheim became a popular
Salon
Salon may refer to:
Common meanings
* Beauty salon
A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...
for
artist
An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating the work of art. The most common usage (in both everyday speech and academic discourse) refers to a practitioner in the visual arts o ...
s and
intellectual
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...
s. Stephanie died in
Nice
Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million[France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...]
at the age of 71, in 1860, 41 years after her husband.
Children

On 10 June 1811, Stephanie's husband,
Karl Karl may refer to:
People
* Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name
* Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne
* Karl of Austria, last Austrian Emperor
* Karl (footballer) (born 1993), Karl Cac ...
, succeeded his grandfather as Grand Duke of Baden. He and Grand Duchess Stephanie would have five children:
*
Princess Luise Amelie Stephanie of Baden (5 June 1811 – 19 July 1854). She was married on 30 November 1830 to
Gustav, Prince of Vasa
Gustav, Prince of Vasa (; 9 November 1799 – 4 August/5 August 1877), born Crown Prince of Sweden, was the son of King Gustav IV Adolf of Sweden and Queen Frederica. His Austrian princely title (from 1829) was actually spelled ''Wasa''.
Life and ...
.
* Unnamed son (29 September 1812 – 16 October 1812).
*
Princess Josephine Friederike Luise of Baden (21 October 1813 – 19 June 1900). She was married on 21 October 1834 to
Karl Anton,
Fürst
' (, female form ', plural '; from Old High German ', "the first", a translation of the Latin ') is a German language, German word for a ruler as well as a princely title. ' were, starting in the Middle Ages, members of the highest nobility who ...
of
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen
Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen () was a principality in southwestern Germany. Its rulers belonged to the junior House of Hohenzollern#Swabian branch, Swabian branch of the House of Hohenzollern. The Swabian Hohenzollerns were elevated to princes in 162 ...
.
* Prince Alexander of Baden (1–8 May 1816).
*
Princess Marie Amelie Elisabeth Karoline of Baden (11 October 1817 – 8 October 1888). She was married on 23 February 1843 to
William Alexander Anthony Archibald Douglas-Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton.
Notes
References
External links
A German article and portrait of her
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beauharnais, Stephanie De
1789 births
1860 deaths
18th-century French people
18th-century French women
19th-century French people
19th-century French women
19th-century German people
19th-century German women
Royalty from Versailles
Stephanie de Beauharnais
Stephanie de Beauharnais
House of Bonaparte
Grand duchesses of Baden
People of the First French Empire
French salon-holders
German people of French descent