Joséphine | letter signed as Empress, to Régis de Cambacérès, about the armistice after the Battle of Wagram, 1809

Empress Joséphine

Letter signed ("josephine"), as Empress, [to Jean-Jacques-Régis de Cambacérès], about The Armistice of Znaim, following the Battle of Wagram, 18 July 1809

in French informing Cambacérès ("Mon cousin") that an armistice with Austria has just been signed and that Napoleon informed her by sending a message with a young page called Devienne; she says she is happily fulfilling the Emperor's wish in sending him a copy in case he had not received the news from Headquarters

"...l'empereur vient de m'envoyer un Page, la jeune Devienne, pour m'annoncer la Suspension d'armes qui vient d'être signée. Il me charge de vous envoyer Copie en le cas où vous ne l'auriés pas encore reçu du quartier général..."

1 page, small 4to, embossed decorative border of classical motifs, discreet pencil note identifying the recipient ("à Cambacérès"), Plombières, 18 July 1809

The Battle of Wagram in Austria (5-6 July 1809), was the largest battle in European history up to its time, with at least 72,000 casualties. It was one of Napoleon's last major, if costly, successes. What Joséphine did not know was that peace with Austria would lead to Napoleon's attempt to legitimise his dynasty and secure a male heir, by divorcing her in December 1809. He married the Austrian Marie Louise, daughter of the Emperor Francis II, four months later; she became Empress of the French from 1810 to 1814.