A Cyclopaedia of Female Biography/Eugenie, Empress of the French
EUGENIE, EMPRESS OF THE FRENCH,
And Countess-Duchess of Tèba, was born May 5th., 1826. She is the daughter of Donna Maria Manuela Kirkpatrick, of Closebura, Countess-Dowager de Montijos, Countess Miranda, and Duchess of Peraconda, member of the noble order of Maria Louisa, and first lady of honour to the Queen of Spain. This lady, who was the daughter of an English Consul at Malaga, a North Briton, named Kirkpatrick, married the Count de Montijos, who belonged to one of the most noble Spanish families, and held a commission in the army of his country. He died, and left his widow, the Countess Montijos, whose titles we have given above, with ample means to support the dignity of her station, and provide for her two daughters, of whom Eugenie was the youngest. The elder daughter married the Duke of Alba and Berwick, a lineal descendant of James the Second and Miss Churchill. So that the French Empress is closely connected by ties of relationship with this country, where she is said to have been partly educated; and this, we are told, accounts for her superiority in mental graces and acquirements, over most Spanish women of the higher classes, who, up to the time of their marriage, are generally immured within a convent, or kept under charge of a duenna, jealously guarded from the society which might expand their minds, and cultivate their intellects.
It was in 1851, when the beautiful Eugénie, Countess of Tèba, was, under the care of her mother, making a lengthened visit to Paris, that she attracted the attention of the new Emperor, Napoleon the Third, who having failed in his endeavours to contract a marriage with one or other of the royal families of Europe, suddenly announced to his ministers his intention of raising to the Imperial throne this daughter of the Spanish Countess Montijos. Much disapprobation was manifested, as it seemed that a royal alliance was the thing most needed to give stability to his newly-acquired power. This, however, was not heeded by the Emperor, who at once assigned the Palace of the Elysée as a residence for his intended bride and her mother, and set about making preparations for his marriage, which was celebrated with great pomp and magnificence on the 29th. of January, 1853.
The great personal beauty, dignity, and elegance of manners, and engaging affability of the young Empress elect, had so won upon the impressible French people, that they testified their joy on the occasion by the most extravagant demonstrations, and, more substantial than these, the most liberal provisions for her future expenses. The dotation asked for her, and readily accorded, was one hundred and thirty thousand francs per annum, and a sum of six hundred thousand francs was voted by the municipal council of Paris to purchase a parure of diamonds, as a present to the Empress from the city; and how high was the enthusiastic admiration of her new subjects raised, when she nobly declined this gift, saying that the city was already overburdened, and expressing a wish that the sum offered should be employed in the foundation of some institution of a charitable character. With it was accordingly founded an establishment for the maintenance and education of sixty girls of the working classes of Paris. Such an act as this, and others of a similar kind, cannot fail to have much endeared the Empress Eugénie to the people of France, and to have obtained for her the respect and admiration of those of neighbouring countries.
When, in April, 1855, she visited England with the Emperor, her reception was most enthusiastic; and although the close alliance existing between the two nations no doubt gave a warmth and heartiness to the universal shouts of welcome which were then uttered, yet it was to Eugénie that public observation was more especially tamed, and to her that the homage of hearts was offered. She has since become a mother, and on the Imperial Prince to which she gave birth on the 16th. of March, 1856, hang, perhaps, the destinies of millions. Salvos of artillery announced his birth throughout France, and the whole of Europe responded in messages of congratulation to his father, who sees in him the dearest wish of his heart fulfilled, in the direct continuance of the Napoleon dynasty. Will it prove a blessing or a curse to that long-harassed and distracted country? This is a question for futurity to answer.