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Margarita Polina FureMistress of Napoleon I
Country:
 France |
Biography of Margarita Paulina Fure
The Lover of Napoleon I
Margarita Paulina Fure (Belil), also known as the lover of Napoleon I, was an influential figure during her time. Napoleon was so infatuated with her that he even considered divorcing Josephine and marrying Paulina. However, after their relationship ended, Paulina led a tumultuous life filled with business endeavors, writing novels, and having multiple lovers.
The Encounter with Napoleon I
During the Egyptian campaign in September 1798, Napoleon I came across Paulina while riding with his staff near Cairo. She was among a group of soldiers returning to the city on donkeys after completing some work. Her blonde hair and charming laughter caught Napoleon's attention, and he was reportedly "stunned and delighted" by her presence. Upon returning to his palace that evening, he inquired about the young woman he had encountered. His aide quickly provided a detailed report, describing her as a 20-year-old citizen named Paulina Fure, who had traveled to Egypt in male attire with her husband. Despite the admiration she received from the 22nd Infantry Regiment, where her husband served, they treated her with respect. Paulina, a former apprentice of a milliner in Carcassonne, married her landlady's nephew, a lieutenant in the 22nd Regiment of Mounted Riflemen, and became Mrs. Fure. However, shortly after their honeymoon, her husband received orders to go to Egypt.
The Romance and Controversy
At a subsequent event, two young lieutenants of the commanding general, Merlen and Eugene Bogarne, talked about Paulina and expressed their admiration for her. Their praise was so loud that it caught Napoleon's attention. Later that evening, he encountered her again at Tivoli egyptien and engaged in a conversation, showering her with compliments and spending a long time by her side. With the help of influential individuals, who were not in short supply, Paulina did not immediately surrender to Napoleon's advances. Assurances, explanations, letters, and lavish gifts were required before their relationship was established. On December 17, Fure received orders to deliver dispatches from the Directory to Italy aboard the ship "Chasseur." He was to visit Lucien and Joseph Bonaparte in Paris before returning to Damietta. He returned sooner than expected.
Paulina's Influence
Immediately after Fure's departure, Napoleon invited his wife and many other French ladies to a luncheon. Paulina sat next to him, and he treated her with great courtesy. However, during an orchestrated incident, Napoleon accidentally spilled a pitcher of water on her and took her to his quarters under the pretext of allowing her to freshen up. The absence of both the general and Paulina lasted too long, leaving the remaining guests at the table in no doubt about the nature of the incident. When they saw a house being hastily furnished next to the Elfey-Bey Palace, where Napoleon resided, any doubts were dispelled. Paulina had just moved in when Fure unexpectedly returned.
Life after Fure
On December 28, the "Chasseur" set sail and was captured the following day by the English ship "Lion." Knowing about the situation in the French army, the English released Fure, taking his word that he would not serve in the hostile army during the ongoing war. Furious after learning about the events, Fure arrived in Cairo and made his wife pay dearly for her liberties. In order to escape his anger, Paulina demanded a divorce, which was granted in the presence of a military commissioner. Fure was sent on an expedition to Syria and was later ordered to return to France.
Paulina's Life as a Favorite
After the divorce, Paulina, who had reverted to her maiden name Belil, continued to be a favorite of Napoleon. She dressed extravagantly, furnished her home luxuriously, hosted lunches for generals, and received the respect usually reserved for women of high status. She accompanied Napoleon on walks and carriage rides and even rode in military uniform on an Arabian horse specially trained for her. Soldiers referred to her as "our general." She wore a miniature portrait of Napoleon on a long chain around her neck. Their public affair did not shock anyone, as it was not uncommon during that time to see young women in military attire serving as aides-de-camp or performing other duties. Napoleon was so enamored with Belil that he openly discussed divorcing Josephine and marrying her, a milliner's apprentice, on the condition that she bore him a child. However, he lamented, "The foolish girl doesn't know how to do it." She, in turn, responded to those who relayed his words, saying, "I have nothing to do with it!"
The Later Years
During the expedition to Syria, Belil remained in Cairo, and Napoleon wrote her passionate letters. Upon his return and departure for France, the general ordered his former Mrs. Fure to join him as soon as possible on the first available ship. He left her thousands of gold coins for the journey. However, General Kleber, Napoleon's successor, viewed their relationship differently. He believed that Belil's presence was a privilege reserved for the commander-in-chief, and he did everything in his power to prevent her departure.
The Decline
Eventually, Belil was sent to Menou, the commandant of Rosetta. However, she ended up being taken prisoner, but she was later freed and returned to France. Her arrival coincided with the reconciliation between Josephine and Napoleon, and the 18 Brumaire made her lover the first consul of the Republic, a position that required him to set an example of a virtuous life and strict morals. It is said that he banned Belil from coming to Paris. Nevertheless, she was seen attending theaters and socializing with friends. Despite the ban, Napoleon was generous with money, sending her funds whenever she requested. He purchased a country house for her in the outskirts of Paris and helped arrange her marriage to a peculiar and undiscriminating gentleman named Henri de Ranshu, a former infantry officer.
The Later Life
Belil lived in a beautiful apartment on Napoleon Street, living a lavish lifestyle, entertaining generals, and receiving the honors of courtly life. She mingled with French and Russian aristocracy, including figures such as Chernyshev, Naryshkin, Demidov, and Tetenborn. In 1811, her lovers included Major Polen, an aide-de-camp of Bertrand, and at the same time, Peyruss, the brother of a cashier at the State Treasury. Despite her affairs, she often sought Napoleon's attention, waiting for his smiles and catching his gaze at public events where she knew he would be. One evening at a masquerade, she recognized him despite his domino mask, struck up a conversation, and flirted with him. Based on a single word he spoke or that she may have imagined, she believed she had awakened a memory within him. "To describe the joyful state in which I found her the next day is beyond my capabilities," Polen wrote. Perhaps it was on that very next day that Napoleon sent her 60,000 francs.
The Later Loves
Polen, adorned with epaulets that Belil had acquired for him, was sent to Illyria, and she found herself new lovers, not just one but two! One of them, Reveron de Saint-Cyr, helped her write a novel titled "Lord Wentworth." She sent the manuscript to Polen for his amusement. Her other lover was a Corsican named Lepidi, who served as an adjutant to the Duke of Padua. Lepidi was handsome as an angel but rather foolish. Belil once said, "I love beautiful animals."
The Downfall and Decline
Eventually, Ranshu discovered the deception and exiled his wife to Crapeon, the home of a notary where she rented a room. There, she presented herself as a victim of Napoleon, pretending to be a lady-in-waiting to the empress. She lived with just one servant and amused the local society with her eccentricities. She sat outside her rented home reading newspapers, smoked at her window, took her large dog for walks, and even brought it to church. There was no eccentricity she did not indulge in. This all ended in divorce and the division of property, leaving her without a home, finances, or social standing.
The Later Years
In 1814, her circle of friends expanded to include Russians once again. She seemed to live well during the years 1814 and 1815, but by 1816, she fell into hardship and eventually poverty. She sold her expensive belongings and traveled to Brazil with a man named Jean-Auguste Bellar, a retired guard officer. Rumors circulated in Paris that she intended to use the money from the sale of her possessions to stage an escape to Saint Helena and arrange Napoleon's escape. Nevertheless, she never entertained such thoughts. When Madame Abrantes praised these rumors in her memoirs, referring to her as "Bonaparte's old friend," Madame de Ranshu protested. Such rumors could harm her, as the police still kept a close eye on her. In 1825, she returned to Paris with Bellar. The police never lost sight of her.
The Later Life
In reality, her travels aimed to improve her financial situation. She took various cheap goods with her and exchanged them in Brazil for rosewood and alamo wood, which she brought back with her. She sold the wood, bought furniture, returned to sell it, and continued this back-and-forth journey until 1837 when she settled permanently in Paris. She continued to write, published a new novel titled "Une Chatelaine de XII-e siecle," and lived in her modest apartment on Rue de Villed'Eveque, surrounded by monkeys and birds. She lived to be ninety-two, retaining her mental faculties, writing, painting, playing the harp, collecting paintings, maintaining relationships with women she once knew, and even forming new friendships. Countess de Ranshu, as she called herself, burned all the letters Napoleon wrote to her before her death.
