The Last Empress of France

In 1839, a Spanish girl with red hair ran away from a Bristolian boarding school and attempted to board a ship headed for India, in search of adventure. Her name was Eugénie de Montijo, and within fifteen years, she would be Empress of France, and one of the most influential and celebrated women in the world.As famed for her skill at riding and fencing as she was for her astonishing beauty, Eugenie's unconventional life began in the dying days of the Spanish empire. It would take her to the literary salons of Paris where she rubbed shoulders with George Sand and Stendhal; and, finally, to the throne of France itself as the wife of Napoléon III. On the way she became a powerful advocate for those in need, fighting for institutional reform in children's education and women's health, and creating haute couture as we know it today, all while displaying a razor-sharp understanding of geopolitics. But the triumphs of her life were coupled with heartbreak and tragedy, and today her legacy is barely known.The Last Empress of France is a gloriously witty and entertaining biography of one of history's most charismatic figures, and a thoughtful exploration of the century that shaped her, and which she shaped in turn.