Hippolyte Charles was best known for being Josephine Bonaparte's lover soon after her marriage to Napoleon Bonaparte and he was one of the main reasons for Napoleon and Josephine's eventual divorce.
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Born in Romans in 1773, Hippolyte Charles joined the French army as a volunteer. In 1796, While Napoleon Bonaparte has busy winning his first victories in Italy, Hippolyte Charles, a lieutenant in the Hussar regiment and deputy to General Leclerc, Bonaparte's brother-in-law, first met Josephine in Paris. They began an affair immediately. Although she was 9 years his elder, she could not resist his charm and his uniform. Hippolyte Charles was a Southerner and made up for his short stature with a very handsome face with a dark complexion and long black whiskers and moustache. According to the Duchess of Abrantes, "Charles spoke only puns and was the buffoon," but she adds, "he was what is called a strange boy, he made people laugh, it was impossible to find a funnier man."[1] Charles was attracted to Josephine for her confidence, power and sexual experience. She was known to have many lovers and was reputedly well practiced in the arts of lovemaking.[2]
June 24, 1796 Josephine decides to rejoin Napoleon accompanied by her lover Hippolyte, her brother-in-law Joseph Bonaparte and Colonel Junot. On 13 July, She finds Napoleon at the gates of Milan, but she continued her affair with Hippolyte soon afterwards on the way back to Paris. It is rumoured that the two lovers were involved in some illicit business dealings in addition to their illicit liaisons. The recently promoted captain enriched through these dubious business transactions was able to leave the army. March 17, 1798, the two lovers are denounced to Napoleon and he enters into a great rage. However, Josephine is able to soothe the rage and convince him that the rumours are untrue. Again in July 1798, when Bonaparte was in Egypt, the infidelities of his wife were once again reported to him. He wrote to his brother Joseph to prepare for divorce. Bonaparte's letter was intercepted by Admiral Nelson and the loss of the French fleet prevented any correspondence. Learning of the landing of Napoleon at Fréjus, Josephine rushes to meet her husband to try with all her charm, to dissuade his intention to divorce. She realises that she must break up with Hippolyte Charles if she is to enjoy all the advantages of being married to Napoleon at the height of his glory. She becomes the first lady of the country and resides at the palais du Luxembourg in Paris.
In November 1804, Hippolyte Charles bought the estate of Cassan from Francois-Denis Courtillier. The source of the funds for this purchase is rumoured to have originated from his dubious business deals with Josephine. In 1808 during the Peninsular war and under the protection of his old Hussar regiment, Hyppolyte Charles travelled to Spain. The journey proved fortuitous and added considerably to his wealth as he was able to acquire from a Spanish Officer and French soldiers looted treasures much of it itself looted from South America and Incan in origin. He befriended the Spanish officer, originally from Buenos Aires, after recognising his peculiar secret society handshake.
Having lost those who have brought him glory and love, Hippolyte Charles sells the Cassan estate in 1828 to Jacques-Honoré Recappé, a former notary public and general counsel of the Seine and Oise region. He decided to retire to his native land where he bought an even more expensive castle in Génissieux in the Drôme.
Hippolyte Charles died there in 1837.
In the novel Les Paysans, the author, Honoré de Balzac bases his character the General Comte de Montcornet on Hippolyte Charles.[3] The same character also appears in the book La Muse du département by the same author where Montcornet serves in the Peninsular war.
Hippolyte Charles was portrayed by English actor Tony Anholt in the 1974 mini-series Napoleon and Love. In the series, Josephine's infidelities with Charles are accidentally disclosed to Napoleon by a drunken Jean-Andoche Junot during the French Campaign in Egypt and Syria. On his return to France, Napoleon is determined to divorce Josephine immediately. He is, however, convinced by Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord to delay the divorce and conceal the infidelities on the grounds that it would be politically unwise to reveal that he is a cuckold on the verge of his planned coup d'état of 18 Brumaire.