With the marriage between Bonaparte Napoleon and Joséphine de Beauharnais officially dissolved in January of 1810, the French general was free to continue his search for a new bride. Napoleon had his eye on Marie-Louise of Austria, triggered by his desire to have an heir and marry into one of the major European royal families. Marie-Louise agreed to the marriage, despite being raised to despise France. Napoleon ended up marrying Marie-Louise by proxy and met her for the first time two weeks later. Upon meeting Napoleon, Marie-Louise remarked, “You’re much better looking than your portrait.” Once in Paris, Marie Louise went through a second marriage ceremony, this time with both parties attending their wedding in person. On March 20, 1811, she gave birth to Napoleon’s only child, who was given the title King of Rome. When Napoleon died in 1829, Marie-Louise married an Austrian officer named Count Adam Albert von Neipperg. Marie-Louise died on Dec. 17, 1849 at the age of 56.
