Eugénie de Montijo
Doña María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 19th Countess of Teba, 16th Marquise of Ardales (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo (French: [øʒeni də mɔ̃tiʁo]), was Empress of the French from her marriage to Napoleon III on 30 January 1853 until the Emperor was overthrown on 4 September 1870. From 28 July to 4 September 1870, she was the de facto head of state of France.
| Eugénie de Montijo | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19th Countess of Teba 16th Marquise of Ardales | |||||
The Empress in 1862 | |||||
| Empress consort of the French | |||||
| Tenure | 30 January 1853 – 4 September 1870 | ||||
| Born | 5 May 1826 Granada, Spain | ||||
| Died | 11 July 1920 (aged 94) Madrid, Spain | ||||
| Burial | St Michael's Abbey, Farnborough | ||||
| Spouse |
Napoléon III, Emperor of the French
(m. 1853; died 1873) | ||||
| Issue | Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial | ||||
| |||||
| House | Bonaparte (by marriage) | ||||
| Father | Cipriano de Palafox y Portocarrero, 8th Count of Montijo | ||||
| Mother | María Manuela Kirkpatrick y Grivegnée | ||||
| Religion | Catholicism | ||||
| Signature | |||||
Born to prominent Spanish nobility, Eugénie was educated in France, Spain, and England. As Empress, she used her influence to champion "authoritarian and clerical policies"; her involvement in politics earned her much criticism from contemporaries. Napoléon and Eugénie had one child together, Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial (1856–1879). After the fall of the Empire, the three lived in exile in England; Eugénie outlived both her husband and son and spent the remainder of her life working to commemorate their memories and the memory of the Second Empire.