EUGENIE-MARIE DE MONTIJO, ma.W' de mon-te'it6 (1826—). Ex-Empress of the French. She was born at Granada. in Spain, Nay 5. 1S26, the second daughter of the Count of Mont* and of Maria Mamiela Kirkpatrick. In her youth Eugenie bore the title of Countess of Teba, one of the numerous titles of the family of \lontijo, and was renowned for her beauty and charm of manner. In 1851 she appeared in Paris, where she aroused the admiration of Louis Napoleon, who married her on January 30, 1853, at N5tre Dame, soon after being proclaimed Em peror of the French. A son, the Prince Im perial, was horn in 1856. In 1859 Eugenie filled the office of Regent during Napoleon's absence with the army in Italy. but showed her self deficient in political ability. She favored the unfortunate Mexican expedition of Maximil ian, and in the eves of many historians she was one of the chief causes of the downfall of the Second Empire. She was a second time Regent, in 1865, on the occasion of Napoleon's journey to Algeria, and she encouraged the Emperor in his ill-advised Roman policy as well as in his opposi tion to Prussia. During the Franco-German war
she was Regent once more, but had to flee to Eng land after the Emperor became a captive, Sep tember 2, 1870. She resided at Camden House.
Chiselhurst, England, until 1880. She became a widow January 9. 1873. Her only son, the Prince Imperial, completed his military educa tion in England and was killed in 1879, while serving as a volunteer in the Zulu War. The Empress made a pilgrimage to the scene of his death and afterwards showed little or no interest in polities. She continued to reside mainly in England. Eugenie has been the subject of numer ous biographies and memoirs, among them be ing those of De Lano, The Empress Eugenie (London, 1S94) ; Bouchat, Les elegiinces du se cond empire (Paris, 1896) : Saint Armand, Louis Napoleon and Mlle. de Monlijo, Eng. trans. by E. G. Martin (New York. 1897) ; Tschudi, Eugenie, Empress of the French, a popular biography-. translated from the Norwegian by E. M.'Cope (London, 1899). Consult also her auto biographical work, Some Recollections from My Life (London. 1885).