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EUGENE DE BEAUHARNAIS (1781-1824)

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 588 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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EUGENE DE See also:BEAUHARNAIS (1781-1824)  , step-son of See also:Napoleon I., was See also:born at See also:Paris on the 3rd of See also:September 1781 . He was the son of-the See also:general See also:Viscount See also:Alexandre de See also:Beauharnais (1760-1794) and See also:Josephine Tascher de la Pagerie . The See also:father, who was born in See also:Martinique, and served in the See also:American See also:War of See also:Independence, took See also:part in the politics of the See also:French Revolution, and in See also:June-See also:August 1793 commanded the See also:army of the See also:Rhine . His failure to fulfil the tasks imposed on him (especially that of the See also:relief of See also:Mainz) led to his being arrested, and he was guillotined (23rd June 1794) not See also:long before the fall of See also:Robespierre . The See also:marriage of his widow Josephine to Napoleon See also:Bonaparte in See also:March 1796 was at first resented by See also:Eugene and his See also:sister Hortense; but their step-father proved to be no less See also:kind than watchful over their interests . In the See also:Italian See also:campaigns of 1796-1797 Eugene served as aide-de-See also:camp to Bonaparte, and accompanied him to See also:Egypt in the same capacity . There he distinguished himself by his activity and bravery, and was wounded during the See also:siege of See also:Acre . Bonaparte brought him back to See also:France in the autumn of 1799, and it is known that the intervention of Eugene and Hortense helped to bring about the reconciliation which then took See also:place between Bonaparte and Josephine . The services rendered by Eugene at the See also:time of the coup d'etat of See also:Brumaire (1749) and during the Consulate (1799-1804) served to establish his fortunes, despite the efforts of some of the Bonapartes to destroy the See also:influence of the Beauharnais and bring about the See also:divorce of Josephine . After the See also:proclamation of the See also:Empire, Eugene received the See also:title of See also:prince, with a yearly See also:stipend of 200,000 francs, and became general of the chasseurs d cheval of the Guard . A See also:year later, when the Italian See also:republic became the See also:kingdom of See also:Italy, with Napoleon as See also:king, Eugene received the title of See also:viceroy, with large administrative See also:powers . (See ITALY.) Not long after the See also:battle of See also:Austerlitz (2nd See also:December 1805) Napoleon dignified the elector of See also:Bavaria with the title of king and arranged a marriage between Eugene and the princess See also:Augusta Amelia of Bavaria .

On the whole the See also:

government of Eugene gave general See also:satisfaction in the kingdom of Italy; it comprised the districts between the Simplon Pass and See also:Rimini, and also after the See also:peace of Presburg (December 1805), See also:Istria and See also:Dalmatia . In 1808 (on the further See also:partition of the papal states) the frontier of thekingdom was extended southwards to the See also:borders of the kingdom of See also:Naples, in the part known as the Abruzzi . In the See also:campaign of 1809 Eugene commanded the army of Italy, with General (afterwards See also:Marshal) See also:Macdonald as his adlatus . The battle of Sacile, where he fought against the See also:Austrian army of the See also:Arch-See also:duke See also:John, did not yield proofs of military See also:talent on the part of Eugene or of Macdonald; but on the See also:retreat of the enemy into Austrian territory (owing to the disasters of their See also:main army on the See also:Danube) Eugene's forces pressed them vigorously and finally won an important victory at Raab in the See also:heart of the Austrian empire . Then, joining the main army under Napoleon, in the See also:island of See also:Lobau in the Danube, near See also:Vienna, Eugene and Macdonald acquitted themselves most creditably in the See also:great battle of See also:Wagram (6th See also:July 1809) . In 1810 Eugene received the title of See also:grand-duke of See also:Frankfort . Equally meritorious were his services and those of the large Italian contingent in the campaign of 1812 in See also:Russia . He and they distinguished them-selves especially at the battles of See also:Borodino and Malojaroslavitz; and on several occasions during the disastrous retreat which ensued, Eugene's soldierly constancy and devotion to Napoleon shone out conspicuously in 1813-1814, especially by contrast with the tergiversations of See also:Murat . On the downfall of the See also:Napoleonic regime Eugene retired to See also:Munich, where he continued to reside, with the title duke of Leuchtenberg and prince of Eichstadt . He died in 1824, leaving two surviving sons and three daughters . For further details concerning Eugene see Memoires et correspondance politique et militaire du Prince Eugene, edited by See also:Baron A . See also:Ducasse (io vols., Paris, 1858—1860); F .

J . A . Schneidewind, Prinz Eugen, See also:

Herzog von Leuchtenberg in den Feldziigen seiner Zeit (See also:Stockholm, 1857) ; A . Purlitzer, Une Idylle sous Napoleon Pr: le See also:roman du Prince Eugene (Paris, 1895) ; F . See also:Masson, Napoleon et sa famille (Paris, 1897-1900) . (J . Hn .

End of Article: EUGENE DE BEAUHARNAIS (1781-1824)
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