Empress Josephine Part II First Marriage

Within a few years, the marriage of the young couple ended in a legal separation. Josephine went to live in a pleasant convent... where she received some training and education in the social graces. >Alexandre continued his own life with mistresses.. He was sympathetic like many young upper class men, to the French revolution, favouring liberal ideas and the cause of moderate reform.However Josephine was always extravagant and frivolous...and Barras was tiring of her. She started an affair with Napoleon Bonaparte, who was 6 years her junior and who was showing signs of being a military genius. Barras gave the young man the command of the armies of Italy, hoping that he would win victories which would shore up the shaky Directorate. Napoleon was passionately in love with Josephine and wanted to marry her, in spite of her shady past, her children, and her age.