RUEIL-MALMAISON

city, Hauts-de-Seine dpartement, Paris region. It is a western residential and industrial suburb of Paris, 5.3 mi (8.5 km) by road from the city limits of the capital. Originally called Rotoialum, or Roialum, it was a pleasure resort of the Merovingian kings, a Frankish dynasty (6th8th century). In 1346, Rueil was burned by the Black Prince, son of Edward III of England. In 1622 Christophe Perrot, a counsellor of the Parlement de Paris, built himself a chteau at the site called Malmaison (House of Misfortune). It was purchased in 1799 and enlarged by Josphine Bonaparte, first wife of Napoleon, and later empress of the French; Napoleon stayed there between campaigns and spent a short while there after his defeat in 1815. It is now a museum. The empress Josphine and her daughter, Queen Hortense, are buried in the 16th-century church of Rueil, restored by Napoleon III in the 19th century. Industries in the suburb include the manufacture of auto parts, photographic film, and pharmaceuticals. It is also a centre for engraving and distilling. Pop. (1982) 63,310.