Joseph Bonaparte

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
French Monarchy -
Bonaparte Dynasty

Napoleon I
Children
   Napoleon II
Siblings
   Napoleone
   Maria Anna
   Joseph, King of Spain
   Lucien, Prince of Canino
   Elisa, Grand Duchess of Tuscany
   Louis, King of Holland
   Pauline, Princess of Guastalla
   Caroline, Queen of Naples
   Jérôme, King of Westphalia
Nephews and nieces
   Princess Julie
   Princess Zénaïde
   Princess Charlotte
   Prince Charles
   Prince Louis
   Prince Pierre
   Prince Napoleon Charles
   Prince Napoleon Louis
   Napoleon III
   Prince Jérôme
   Prince Napoleon Joseph
   Princess Mathilde
Grandnephews and -nieces
   Prince Joseph
   Prince Lucien-Louis
   Prince Roland
   Princess Jeanne
   Prince Charles
   Prince Jerome
   Napoleon (V) Victor
Great Grandnephews and -nieces
   Princess Marie
   Princess Marie Clotilde
   Napoleon (VI) Louis
Great Great Grandnephews and -nieces
   Napoleon (VII) Charles
   Princess Catherine
   Princess Laure
   Prince Jerome
Great Great Great Grandnephews and -nieces
   Princess Caroline
   Prince Jean-Christophe
Napoleon II
Napoleon III
Children
   Napoleon (IV), Prince Imperial

Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, King of Naples, King of Spain (January 7, 1768July 28, 1844) was the older brother of French Emperor Napoleon I, who made him king of Naples (1806–1808) and later king of Spain. He was nominally king of Spain from July 6, 1808 to December 11, 1813, but from June 13, 1812 he was back in France.

Bonaparte was born Giuseppe Napoleone Buonaparte to Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino at Corte in Corsica. As a lawyer, politician, and diplomat, he served in the Cinq-Cents and was the French ambassador to Rome. He married Julie Clary on August 1, 1794 in Cuges-les-Pins, France. Julie later had two children, Zénaïde Laetitia and Charlotte Bonaparte , who Joseph claimed as heirs. Had two illegitimate children with Maria Giulia countess of Atri, Giulio born in 1806 and Teresa in 1808

The Château de Villandry had been seized by the French Revolutionary government and in the early 1800s Joseph's brother, Emperor Napoleon, acquired the château for him. In 1806, Bonaparte was given military command of Naples, and shortly afterward was made king by Napoleon. He became King of Spain two years later after his sister's husband, Joachim Murat, was made king of Naples. The Spanish people nicknamed him Pepe Botella ("Bottle Joe") and the usual hypothesis has to do with an alleged tendency to drunkenness. Another theory though, points the name as a maligned confusion where when Joseph Bonaparte went outside of the castle where he resided, he looked around with a spyglass - which looked like a bottle, or was made to look like a bottle by his detractors.

Joseph Bonaparte's supporters were called josefinos or afrancesados (frenchified). During his reign, he ended the Spanish Inquisition, partly because Napoleon was at odds with Pope Pius VII at the time.

Despite such efforts to win popularity, Bonaparte's foreign birth and support, plus his membership in a Masonic lodge[citation needed], virtually guaranteed he would never be accepted as legitimate by the bulk of the Spanish people. During his rule of Spain, Venezuela declared independence (1810) from Spain, the first nation to do so. During the Peninsular War, his command of French forces in Spain proved to be only nominal, as his commanders insisted on checking with the king's younger brother before carrying out Joseph's instructions. These facts, combined with the constant threat of assassination, made his reign an exceedingly unpleasant experience for him.

Bonaparte abdicated and returned to France after defeat at the Battle of Vitoria. He was seen by Bonapartists as the rightful Emperor of the French after the death of Napoleon's own son Napoleon II in 1832, although he did little to advance his claim. He lived for a time in the United States, in a home at Bordentown, New Jersey. Joseph Bonaparte died in Florence, Italy and is buried in Les Invalides building complex in Paris.

The Joseph Bonaparte Gulf in the Northern Territory of Australia was named for him.

Lake Bonaparte located in the town of Diana, Lewis County, State of New York, USA, was named for him as well.

He is often cited as a fluent Spanish speaker, but in fact his preferred language was French. He reluctantly learned Spanish when he became the King of Spain and even then, he could only speak broken phrases[citation needed].

[edit] References

    [edit] External links

    Bonaparte family
    Born: 7 January 1768
    Died: 28 July 1844
    Regnal Titles
    Preceded by
    Ferdinand IV
    King of Naples
    18061808
    Succeeded by
    Joachim I
    Preceded by
    Charles IV
    King of Spain
    18081813
    Succeeded by
    Ferdinand VII
    Titles in pretence
    Preceded by
    Napoleon II
    * NOT REIGNING *
    Emperor of the French
    Prince Napoléon Line

    (1834–1844)
    Succeeded by
    Louis Bonaparte