BONAPABTE 100 BONAPARTE Carlotta (afterward named Marie Pauline) ; Princess Borghese An- NUNCIATA (afterward named Caro- line), wife of General Leclerc, after- ward of Murat, King of Naples; Jerome Bonaparte, King of Westphalia. These members of the Bonaparte family, with the children of Beauharnais (q. v.), adopted by the Emperor Napoleon when he married Josephine, are distinguished as the Napoleonidas of modem French history. By a decree of the Senate (1804), the right of succession to the throne was restricted to Napoleon and his brothers, Joseph and Louis, with their oflFspring. Lucien and Jerome were ex- cluded on account of their unequal mar- riages. As Joseph, the eldest brother of the Emperor, had no son, the descen- dants of Louis became nearest heirs to the throne. Maria Letizla. Ramolino, mother of Napoleon I., lived to see her family placed on the thrones of Europe, and also witnessed their downfall. She was bom at Ajaccio in 1750. After the death of her husband, she lived for some time in Corsica, and in 1793, when the island came under British rule, removed with her family to Marseilles, where she lived in poverty, mainly supported by the pen- sion given to Corsican refugees. After her son became First Consul she re- moved to Paris, and when her son was crowned in 1804 received the title Ma- dame Mere. After the downfall of Na- poleon, Letizia lived with her step- brother. Cardinal Fesch, in winter at Rome, and in summer at Albano, and submitted to her change of fortune with remarkable dignity. She died in 1836. Joseph Bonaparte, eldest brother of Napoleon, was born at Corte, in Corsica, in 1768. On the death of his father he exerted himself to support the younger members of the family, and in 1793 re- moved with them to Marseilles, where he prepared for the bar. In 1797 he was elected a member of the Council of Five Hundred, and, in the same year, was sent as Ambassador from the republic to Rome. In 1800, after he had proved his ability in several offices of State, he was chosen by the First Consul as Pleni- potentiary to conclude a treaty of friend- ship with the United States of America. He signed the Treaty of Peace at Lune- ville, 1801, and that of Amiens, 1802; and, with Cretet and Bernier. conducted the negotiations relative to the concor- dat. After the coronation of Napoleon new honors fell to the share of Joseph Bonaparte, who was made commander- m-ohief of the army of Naples; in 1805, ruler of the Two Sicilies: and in 1806, King of Naples. Though, during his reign, many beneficial changes of govern- ment were effected, these reforms were not managed judiciously; and his hu- mane feelings brought him into frequent collision with his imperious brother. He was far too fond of the fine arts to be a vigorous ruler in stormy times. In 1808 Joseph Bonaparte was summarily trans- ferred by his brother to the throne of Spain, and Murat took his place as King of Naples. Joseph was unprepared to cope with the Spanish insurgents, and after the defeat of the French at Vit- toria in 1813, he returned to his estat'^. at Morfontaine, in France. After the battle of Waterloo he at^ companied Napoleon to Rochefort, whence they intended to sail separately for North America. In his last inter- view with Napoleon, Joseph generously offered to give up the vessel hired for his own escape, but meanwhile Napoleon had determined to surrender himself into the hands of the English. Joseph be- came an American citizen, and lived for some years at Bordentown, N. J., where he employed himself in agriculture. In 1832 he returned to Europe, and he died at Florence in 1844. His wife, Julia Marie Clary, born in 1777, was the daughter of a wealthy citizen of Mar- seilles, and the sister-in-law of Berna- dotte. King of Sweden. She died in Florence in 1845. By her marriage with Joseph Bonaparte she had two daugh- ters. Lucien Bonaparte, Prince of Canino, and brother of Napoleon, was born at Ajaccio in 1775, and received his edu- cation in the college of Autun, the mili- tary school at Brienne, and the seminary at Aix. In 1798 he was made a member of the Council of Five Hundred, and formed a party favorable to the views of his brother Napoleon. Shortly before the 18th Brumaire he was elected Presi- dent of the Council of Five Hundred. During the ferment which followed Na- poleon's entrance, Lucien left his seat, mounted his horse, and, riding through the ranks of the assembled troops, called upon them to rescue their general from assassins. Afterward appointed Min- ister of the Interior. As Ambassador to Madrid (1800) he contrived to gain the confidence of King Charles IV. and his favorite, Godoy, and to undermine the British influence at the Court of Spain. Lucien was a Republican in opinion, and, therefore, opposed to the absolute rule of his brother; and his second marriage to the widow of a stockbroker did not im- prove their relations. On condition that v he would divorce his wife, the crowns of Italy and Spain were offered him; but he refused them, and preferred living in
