Eugene Beauharnais

French General
Viceroy of Italy
1781-1824

Honest, brave, loyal and generous, Eugene Beauharnais was very close to his stepfather Napoleon Bonaparte and regularly went to war with him.

His own father, General Alexandre de Beauharnais, had been executed during the revolution.

Eugene acted as a member of Bonaparte's staff during the Italian campaign of 1796 and later in Egypt, where he was wounded at Acre.

He became a general in 1804 and, in rapid succession, a prince of the empire and Viceroy of Italy.

Eugene fought well in Italy during the 1809 campaign and pleased his stepfather greatly with a stirling performance at Wagram.

Borodino also allowed him to show his skills as a leader and he replaced Marshal Murat as overall commander during the horrendous retreat from Moscow.

When Bonaparte went on to the defensive in 1813 and 1814, Eugene provided much needed loyalty and support. He delivered a decisive performance at Lutzen and then entered into a hard-fought campaign that kept the Austrians out of Italy.

After Bonaparte's first abdication, Eugene married the daughter of the King of Bavaria and when his stepfather returned he did not join him because of a promise made to his father-in-law.

Eugene continued to live in Bavaria and died from brain haemorrhages - aged only 43.