Albine de Montholon (18 December 1779 - 25 March 1848) was a French noblewoman, and the wife of
Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon. She was reputed to be the mistress of
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
during his
exile
Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...
on
Saint Helena.
Life
She was born Albine Hélène de Vassal in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. Her cousin was
Régis de Cambacérès. On 19 February 1797, at age 17, she married Jean-Pierre Bignon; they divorced in 1799. On 18 August 1800, at age 20, she married Daniel Roger. In December 1809, she gave birth to a son, Tristan Charles François Napoléon de Montholon-Sémonville. A second son, Napoléon Charles Tristan de Montholon-Sémonville, was born on 3 October 1810. Both sons being named "Charles", "Tristan", and "de Montholon-Sémonville" suggests they were fathered by Montholon before Albine married him on 2 July 1812, two months after divorcing Roger. She gave birth to her third son,
Charles-François-Frédéric, in 1814.
She gave birth to her fourth child,
Hélène Napoleone Bonaparte in 1816 on Saint Helena. As she was involved at the time with both Montholon and Napoleon, it is unknown which man fathered Hélène.
Shortly after Albine died in
Montpellier
Montpellier (; ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of France, department of ...
, Montholon married his mistress, Catherine O'Hara, mother of his son, Charles Jean Tristan.
Albine was played by
Elsa Zylberstein in ''
Monsieur N.''.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Montholon, Albine de
1779 births
1848 deaths
French untitled nobility