Émilie de Beauharnais

Émilie de Beauharnais
Born	1781
Died	1855
Noble family	House of Beauharnais
Spouse(s)	Antoine Marie Chamans, comte de Lavalette
Father	François VI de Beauharnais
Mother	Henriette Pyvart de Chastullé

Émilie de Beauharnais, comtesse de Lavalette (French pronunciation: [emili də boaʁnɛ]; 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 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 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 (ISBN 2213607664)