HORTENSE, Queen of Holland
(1783–1837)
HORTENSE, Queen of Holland (Hortense de Beauharnais) Paris, April 10, 1783; Arenenberg, October 5, 1837. The step-daughter of Napoleon, she married his brother, Louis Napoleon who became king of Holland. The marriage was unhappy and she amused herself with music, drawing and young officers. She wrote songs and romances for which Plantade or Carborel wrote the accompaniment. Her Partant pour la Syrie became the national song of France during the reign of her son Napoleon III, although the…