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Beauharnais Stephanie Louise Adrienne de
(1789—1860)
Stephanie Louise Adrienne de Beauharnais was the consort of Karl Ludwig Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden. She was a great-granddaughter to Claude de Beauharnais (1680 - 1738) and Renee Hardouineau (1696 - 1744) who were married in La Rochelle during 1713. Their oldest son was François de Beauharnais, Marquess de la Ferte-Beauharnais (1714 - 1800) who served as a governor of Martinique. Their younger son was Claude de Beauharnais, 1st Count des Roches-Baritaud (1717 - 1784). Claude was married in 1753 to Marie Anne Françoise Mouchard (1738 - 1813). Their oldest son was Claude de Beauharnais, 2nd Count des Roches-Baritaud (1756 - 1819). In 1783 the 2nd Count married Claude 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 was remarried in 1799 to Suzanne Fortin-Duplessis (1775 - 1850). The second marriage resulted in the birth of her half-sister Joséphine de Beauharnais, Marchioness de Quiqueran-Beaujeu (1803 - 1870). The fates of her family however would be defined by another Joséphine. On December 13, 1773 Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais, first cousin of her father, was married to Joséphine Tascher de la Pagerie. On July 23, 1794, Alexandre was guillotined. Joséphine had affairs with several influential figures of the French Directory, including Paul François Jean Nicolas Barras. The later would introduce her to his recent favorite Napoléon Bonaparte. Napoléon soon started courting her. On March 9, 1796 they were married.
General Napoléon 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. Her "uncle" crowned himself Emperor of France on December 2, 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. She would soon however have to depart both the Palace and France. This was a consequence of her "uncle"'s effort to secure an alliance with the Prince-elector of Baden. 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" (Princess of France). The marriage took place in Paris on April 8, 1806. On July 25, 1806 her new grandfather-in-law was named Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden. He would serve as head to the Confederation of the Rhine.
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. She was allowed to settle separately in Mannheim. Even the official complaints by the Emperor of France 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 would not live much longer. The couple apparently reconciled in an effort to produce heirs for the throne. On June 10, 1811, Karl Ludwig Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden succeeded his grandfather. He and Grand Duchess Stephanie would have five children. The Grand Duke died on December 8, 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 for artists and intellectuals. Stephanie died in Nice at the age of 71, in 1860, 41 years after her husband.
Germany. Baden, 1948, Grand-Duchess Stephanie of Baden
Monaco, 2004, Stephanie de Beauharnais
