Who was Eugene de Beauharnais

Eugene de Beauharnais was a French soldier and government official. He was the stepson of Napoleon, the great French general and emperor of France who lived about 150 years ago. Eugene's mother, Josephine, married Napoleon after Eugene's father died. Napoleon was very fond of his stepson, and had great confidence in him. He gave Eugene many important jobs and many honors. Eugene was made Prince of Venice and was sent to govern Italy after it was conquered by France.

At that time, Napoleon was the king of Italy as well as the emperor of France. He announced that when he died, Eugene would become king of Italy. Napoleon tried to conquer all of Europe. He invaded Russia in 1812 and put Eugene in charge of part of the French army. The French did not have the proper kind of clothing or supplies for the long cold, Russian winter, and had to retreat. That retreat was the beginning of Napoleon's downfall. During the retreat, Eugene handled his troops so well that Napoleon later said: "Every one of us committed faults and blunders; Eugene alone committed none." After Napoleon's final defeat, Eugene lost his titles in Italy and had no kingdom to inherit. He died in 1824, when he was only 43 years old.