HORTENSE (EUGENIE HORTENSE DE BEAU HARNAIS) (1783-1837), queen of Holland, was born in Paris on April 1783. She was the daughter of the empress Josephine by her first marriage, and in 1802 married Louis Bonaparte, who was proclaimed king of Holland on June 6, 18o6. The marriage was an unhappy one, and Louis endeavoured unsuccessfully to obtain a divorce, but Napoleon at length agreed to allow them to separate. Hortense was involved in the fall of Napoleon, and wandered from country to country, finally settling in Arenenberg, Switzerland, where she died on Oct. 5, She was the mother of Napoleon Louis Charles, who died in infancy; Louis Napoleon 0804-30, crown-prince of Holland; and Charles Louis Napoleon afterwards Napoleon III. (q.v.) .
She was the author of several songs, including "Partant pour la Syrie." Queen Hortense's Memoires passed into the possession of Prince Napoleon who died in 1926 before he had finished editing them. The work was completed by Jean Hanoteau : Les Memoires de la vine Hortense (3 vols., 1928; Eng. trans., 2 vols., 1928). See d'Arjuzon, Hortense de Beauharnais (3 vols. 1902) ; Taylor, Hortense de Beauharnais (2 vols., 1927) ; C. G. de Taurines, La Refine Hortense en exil (1914) ; J. Turquan, La Reine Hortense (2 vols., 1927) .