Jérôme Bonaparte
| Jérôme I | |
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| A portrait of Jérôme Bonaparte by François Gérard. | |
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| Reign | 8 July 1807 – 26 October 1813 |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Patterson Catharina of Württemberg Giustina Pecori-Suárez |
| Issue | |
| Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte-Patterson Jérôme Napoléon Charles Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Montfort Mathilde Bonaparte, Princesse de San Donato Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte |
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| Full name | |
| Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte | |
| House | House of Bonaparte |
| Father | Carlo Buonaparte |
| Mother | Letizia Ramolino |
| Born | 15 November 1784 Ajaccio, Corsica |
| Died | 24 June 1860 (aged 75) Villegenis, France |
| Signature |  |
| Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte (15 November 1784 – 24 June 1860) was the youngest brother of Napoleon I and King of Westphalia between 1807 and 1813. After 1848, when his nephew, Louis Napoleon, became President of the French Republic, he served in several official roles, being created 1st Prince of Montfort.
Early life
Jérôme was born Girolamo Buonaparte in Ajaccio, Corsica as the eighth and last surviving child, fifth surviving son, of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino. He was a younger brother of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon Bonaparte, Lucien Bonaparte, Elisa Bonaparte, Louis Bonaparte, Pauline Bonaparte and Caroline Bonaparte.
He studied at the Catholic College of Juilly, and then served with the French navy before going to the United States. On 24 December 1803, Jérôme married Elizabeth Patterson (1785–1879), daughter of Baltimore merchant William Patterson and his wife, Dorcas Spear. Napoleon was unable to convince Pope Pius VII to annul their marriage, and so annulled the marriage himself. Elizabeth was pregnant with a son at the time, and on her way to Europe with Jérôme. When they landed in neutral Portugal, Jérôme set off overland to Italy to attempt to convince his brother to recognize the marriage. Elizabeth then attempted to land in Amsterdam, but Napoleon had issued orders barring the ship from entering the harbour. Being with child, Elizabeth went on to England where Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte was born in 95 Camberwell Grove, Camberwell, London, England. Jérôme and Elizabeth were divorced by a Special decree of the Maryland Assembly in 1815.
King of Westphalia
Made King of Westphalia, the short-lived realm created by Napoleon from the states of northwestern Germany (1807–1813), with its capital in Kassel (then: Cassel), Jérôme married HRH Princess Catharina of Württemberg, the daughter of Frederick I, King of Württemberg, in a marriage arranged by Napoleon. The connection to a German princess was intended to strengthen the reputation of the young French king. In order to emphasize his rank as a ruler, Jérôme commissioned grandiose state portraits of himself and his spouse. Other paintings celebrated his military exploits. France's most prominent painters were in his employ.
When Jérôme and Catharina arrived in Kassel, they found the palaces in a plundered state. As such, they placed orders for an array of stately furniture and expensive silverware with leading Parisian manufactures. The local artisans oriented themselves with these French models. The king also intended to refurnish his capital architecturally. The court theatre ranks among the small number of projects realised. Jérôme had it designed by Leo von Klenze and constructed next to the summer residence previously known as Wilhelmshöhe, but subsequently changed to Napoleonshöhe.
As a model state, the Kingdom of Westphalia was to serve as an example for the other German states. For this reason, it received the first constitution and parliament to be found on German soil. Jérôme imported the Empire style from Paris, thereby bestowing the new state with a modern, representative appearance. Thanks to these efforts, Kassel celebrated an enormous cultural upturn.
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At the same time, Jérôme's expensive habits earned him the contempt of Napoleon. His court incurred comparable expenses to Napoleon's court (which oversaw a vastly larger and more important realm), and Napoleon refused to support Jérôme financially.[1]
In 1812 Jérôme commanded a corps of soldiers marching towards the Russian front. Because he insisted on traveling in state Napoleon reprimanded him and ordered him to leave his court behind. Angered by Napoleon's order, Jérôme returned with his court to Westphalia. After the defeat in Russia he petitioned Napoleon to allow his wife to come to Paris due to her fear of the advancing allied army. After two attempts Napoleon granted permission.
Jérôme briefly re-entered the army in 1813 when his kingdom was being threatened by the allied Prussian and Russian armies. He led a small force to challenge their invasion. After a clash with an enemy detachment he made camp his army while hoping for reinforcements from the French army. However, before the reinforcements arrived the main allied force captured Kassel and declared the Kingdom of Westphalia dissolved. This ended Jérôme's kingship. He then fled to join his wife in France.
Hundred Days
During the Hundred Days, Napoleon put Jérôme in command of the 6th Division of the II Corps under General Honoré Charles Reille. At Waterloo, Jérôme's division was to make an initial attack on Hougoumont, which Napoleon expected would draw in Wellington's reserves, however Jérôme misunderstood the nature of his role and his division became completely engaged attempting to take Hougoumont outright.
Later years
Although Catharina was aware of Jérôme's constant affairs, she remained true to her husband. They had a son, Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte (1822–1891), also known as "Prince Napoleon" or "Plon-Plon." Their second child, a daughter, Princess Mathilde Bonaparte, was a prominent hostess during and after the Second French Empire. After the dissolution of his kingdom, Jérôme was given the title Prince of Montfort by the King of Württemberg, his father in-law. The king later forced Jérôme and his wife to leave the country in 1814, during which they visited the United States. Jérôme returned to France and joined Napoleon during the Hundred Days.
Later, Jérôme moved to Italy where he married Giustina Pecori-Suárez, the widow of Marquess Luigi Bartolini-Baldelli, an Italian nobleman.
When his nephew, Prince Louis Napoleon, became President of the French Republic in 1848, Jérôme was made governor of Les Invalides, Paris, the burial place of Napoleon I. When Louis Napoleon became emperor as Napoleon III, Jérôme was recognized as the heir presumptive to the throne until the birth of the Napoléon Eugène, Prince Imperial. Jérôme went on to be named a Marshal of France, served as president of the Senate, and received the title Prince Français.
Jérôme Bonaparte died on 24 June 1860, at Villegenis, France (today Massy in Essonne). He is buried in Les Invalides, Paris.
His grandson, Charles Joseph Bonaparte, served as United States Secretary of the Navy and United States Attorney General. He founded the precursor of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1908.
Baroness Jenny von Gustedt, born as Jeromée Catharina Rabe von Pappenheim (1811–1890), one of Jérôme Bonaparte's illegitimate children, was the grandmother of the German Socialist and Feminist writer Lily Braun.
In fiction and popular culture
In the Hornblower television series, he was portrayed by British actor David Birkin. The last episode (Duty) introduces Jérôme and Elizabeth ('Betsy'). Adrift in an open boat, they are picked up by Captain Hornblower's ship; Jérôme poses as a harmless Swiss citizen, but Hornblower identifies him. After many diplomatic manoeuvres, the British government decides that Jérôme is of no political importance after all, and he is allowed to return to France while Elizabeth is sent on board an American ship.
Family
- Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte (1805–1870)
- Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte II (1830–1893)
- Charles Joseph Bonaparte (1851–1921)
- Jérôme Napoleon Bonaparte II (1830–1893)
- Jérôme Napoléon Charles Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Montfort, Prince Français (1814–1847)
- Mathilde Bonaparte (1820–1904) married Anatole Demidoff, 1st Prince de San Donato
- Napoléon Joseph Bonaparte (1822–1891) married Princess Clotilde of Savoy
- Napoléon Victor Bonaparte (1862–1926) married Princess Clementine of Belgium
- Clotilde Bonaparte (1912–1996) married Serge de Witt
- Louis Bonaparte (1914–1997) married Alix de Foresta
- Charles Bonaparte (1950–) married Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Jeanne-Françoise Valliccioni
- Caroline Napoléon Bonaparte (1980–)
- Jean-Christophe Napoléon Bonaparte (1986–)
- Sophie Cathérine Bonaparte (1992–)
- Catherine Bonaparte (1950–) married Marquis Nicola di San Germano, Jean Dualé
- Laura Bonaparte (1952–) married Jean-Claude Leconte
- Jerome Xavier Bonaparte (1957–)
- Charles Bonaparte (1950–) married Princess Beatrice of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Jeanne-Françoise Valliccioni
- Napoléon Louis Joseph Jérôme Bonaparte (1864–1932)
- Maria Letizia Bonaparte (1866–1926) married Amedeo, 1st Duke of Aosta
- Napoléon Victor Bonaparte (1862–1926) married Princess Clementine of Belgium
Titles, styles and arms
| Monarchical styles of Jérôme I of Westphalia |
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| Reference style | His Majesty |
| Spoken style | Your Majesty |
| Alternative style | Sire |
Titles and styles
- 8 July 1807 – 26 October 1813: His Majesty The King of Westphalia
Full title
His Majesty Jérôme I, By the Grace of God and by the Constitution, King of Westphalia, French Prince, Prince of Montfort, etc., etc.
Ancestry
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References
- ^ La Grande Armée by Georges Blond, translated by Marshall May, p. 303
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jérôme Bonaparte |
- Online Biography of Jérôme Bonaparte (in French)
- Online Biography of Jérôme Bonaparte (in German)
- König Lustik!? Jérôme Bonaparte and the Model State Kingdom of Westphalia. State Exhibition of Hesse 2008. Museum Fridericianum Kassel / Germany
"Bonaparte, Jerome". Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900.
| Regnal titles | ||
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| Title created | King of Westphalia 8 July 1807 – 26 October 1813 |
Title abolished |
| French royalty | ||
| Preceded by Robert, Duke of Chartres |
Heir to the Throne as Heir presumptive 18 December 1852 – 16 March 1856 |
Succeeded by Louis Napoléon, Prince Imperial |
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