Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/447

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BEAUIIARNAIS BEAUMANOIR 427 third, Am61ie Auguste, became the wife of ] l)om Pedro I. of Brazil. Of the two sons, the elder, Auguste Charles, the first husband of Queen Maria of Portugal, died March 28, 1835 ; and the younger, Maximilian Joseph, who in 1839 married the grand duchess Maria, daugh- ter of Czar Nicholas, died Nov. 1, 1852. Itl.U II tlt tis. Fanny, the familiar name of ; MARIE ANNE FRANQOISE MOUCHARD, comtesse de Beauharnais, a French writer, born in Paris in 1738, died there, July 2, 1813. Her ; father was receiver general in the province of Champagne. She was married in 1753 to i Count de Beauharnais, uncle of Alexandre, but soon separated from him and took up her resi- dence in Paris. Here she devoted herself to literary pursuits, and made her rooms the ren- dezvous of many of the most prominent writers of the day. Her own writings, however, met with little success. Among them are several comedies, which failed in the theatres, a his- torical novel, and many poems. i: i; II II IK I is. Francois, marquis de, a French royalist, brother of Alexandre Beauharnais, born at La Rochelle, Aug. 12, 1756, died March 4, 1846. He was a member of the states general. In 1792 he formed a plan for the flight of the royal family ; but having failed in his attempt, he left France and was appointed major gene- ral under the prince of Conde. He was re- called to France on the occasion of his daugh- ter's marriage with M. de Lavalette, and ap- pointed director general of the post office, and in 1805 ambassador to Etruria and after- ward to Spain ; but Napoleon being dissatis- fied with his services in Spain, he was recalled and sent into exile at Sologne. He returned to Paris on the restoration of the Bourbons, and was made a peer. BEAUHARNAIS, Hortense Engenle, wife of Louis Bonaparte and queen of Holland, born in Paris, April 10, 1783, diedat Arenenberg, Switzerland, Oct. 5, 1837. She was the daughter of Alexandre Beauharnais and Josephine, afterward wife of Napoleon. On Jan. 3, 1802, in compliance with the wish of Napoleon, she became the wife of his brother Louis. The union was not a happy one. When her husband was made king she went to Holland with great reluctance. Louis abdi- cated in favor of his son in 1810, and she was appointed regent ; but the emperor soon after annulled this arrangement, and united Holland with the empire. After her return to Paris Hortense lived apart from her husband, al- though the emperor would not allow them to be divorced, and is said to have led a dissolute life. Among her reputed lovers were the count of Flahaut, for whom she composed the popular air Partant pour la Syrie, and Admi- ral Verhuel, a Dutch naval officer, to whom is frequently attributed the paternity of Napoleon III. After the divorce of Josephine, Hortense remained on intimate terms with Napoleon, and had considerable influence with him. She alone, of all the Bonaparte family, remained in Paris on the restoration. After Waterloo she lived successively in Augsburg, in Savoy, and at her castle of Arenenberg, on the borders of Lake Constance, in Switzerland, where she de- voted herself to the education of her children. In 1831 her sons Napoleon Louis and Louis Na- poleon (the future emperor) became involved in the insurrectionary movements in Italy, and the elder died at Forli. After that she returned to Paris, and was considerately treated by Louis Philippe. She passed several years again in Switzerland, hut was called from her retire- ment in 1836 by the arrest of Louis Napoleon at Strasburg. She interceded for him, and after his exile to the United States returned to Switzerland, where she was much admired for her talents and benevolence. lit:l II tit VMS. a S. W. county of the prov- ince of Quebec, Canada, bounded N. W. by the St. Lawrence, and including Grand island; area, 200 sq. m. ; pop. in 1871, 14,759. The Beauharnois canal, connecting Lake St. Louis with Lake St. Frangois, runs through the N. border, and the Chateaugay river along the S. E. border. The chief staples are oats, wool, and dairy products. Chief town, Beauharnois, on Lake St. Louis, 18 m. S. W. of Montreal. BEAt'JOLAIS, a subdivision of the ancient province of Lyonnais, France, forming now the northern part of the department of the Rh6ne, and a small part of that of the Loire. After having formed an important separate barony, it came in 1400 into possession of the ducal house of Bourbon, was confiscated in 1523 from the great constable de Bourbon and united to the crown by Francis L, but sub- sequently given back to a nephew of the con- stable. In 1626 it came by marriage to the house of Orleans, in whose possession it re- mained until the revolution. It is noted for its fine vineyards. Its capital was Beaujeu. BEAUMANOIR, Jean, sire de, a French knight, born in Brittany, lived about the middle of the 14th century. He was the friend and com- panion in arms of Du Guesclin, and distin- guished himself in the civil wars of Brittany, fighting on the side of Charles of Blois against John of Montfort and the English. While in command of the castle of Josselin in 1351 he challenged Bemborough, the English com- mander at Ploermel, to meet 30 French knights with 30 Englishmen at a place between the two castles known as Midway Oak. On the first onset the English excelled their adver- saries; but Bemborough having been killed, the French renewed the struggle, and won the victory. This combat was long known as the battle of the thirty. At the battle of Auray, in 1364, Beaumanoir was taken prisoner. BEAIiMANOIR, Philippe de, a French jurist born in Picardy, died in 1296. In 1280 ho was bailitF of Clermont in Beauvaisis, which town was in the hands of Robert, son of Louis IX. and the head of the Bourbon fami- ly. It was according to directions from this prince that he digested and committed to writing the traditional law regulations of the