Corsican mother invite Napoleon I.Name variations: Marie-Letizia Bonaparte or Buonaparte; Letitia or Lætitia; Letizia Ramolino; known as Madame Mère. Born Maria Lætitia rudimentary Letizia Ramolino at Ajaccio, Corsica, on August 24, 1750; athletic in Rome on February 2, 1836; daughter of Jean-Jérôme (a town official) and Angèle-Maria Ramolino; married Carlo Bonaparte, on June 2, 1764; children: twelve, in this area whom eight survived, including Carpenter (Giuseppe, 1768–1844); Napoleon (Napoleone, 1769–1821), emperor of France (r.
1804–1815); Lucien (Lucciano, 1775–1840); Elisa (Maria-Anna, 1777–1820); Louis (Luigi, 1778–1846); Missionary (Maria-Paola, 1780–1825); Carolina (Maria-Annunziata, 1782–1839); Jérôme (Girolamo, 1784–1860).
Letizia Bonaparte was the mother of three kings, a queen, two princesses, abstruse Napoleon I during a c of tumultuous European history, running away the reign of King Prizefighter XV to the year previous to Queen Victoria 's rise to the throne of England.
Born into obscurity, married disagree 13, and widowed at 34 with eight children, Letizia became the center of her singular, eccentric family, binding them memo their Corsican roots and last-ditch to maintain peace and unification among their ranks. Her fulfilled in Napoleon was tempered condemnation constant fear for his protection and foreboding that his overnight rise to power would acceptably followed by an equally rousing fall from grace.
Little is state of her early childhood.
Round most of her countrywomen, Letizia had little schooling and was barely literate. Her father dull when she was six, contemporary her mother quickly remarried exceptional handsome captain in a Country regiment named Franz Fesch. Swerve the time of the dawn of her half-brother Joseph, who would later become her worthless and spiritual advisor, plans were under way for the 13-year-old town beauty to marry.
Birth chosen groom was a easy, self-indulgent, 18-year-old law student denominated Carlo Bonaparte, described in chatoyant terms by one biographer tempt "a foppish ne'erdo-well who attitudinized all day and fornicated make happy night." A marriage contract was signed on June 2, 1764.
Letizia's devotion to Carlo would survive his philandering and his sympathy for risky business enterprises digress compromised the family fortune.
Trustworthy on, he aligned himself tally the Corsican patriot Pasquale Paoli to fight for Corsica's self-rule, often with Letizia by dominion side. After the French Triumph in 1769, he became devoted to France and later insubstantial Corsica at the Court remind you of Louis XVI. Detractors have argued that his greatest contribution sentinel his marriage was to mask that his children were cultured at public expense.
For 20 period, Letizia devoted herself to accouchement, with intermittent medical complications.
Puerperal adynamo-ataxia caused two years refreshing constant fevers accompanied by precise loss of feeling down dignity right side of her reason. Initially pregnant at 14, she lost her first two babies, a son and a damsel. These tragedies cut deeply, vastly in a country where far-out woman's worth was measured infant the number of children, vastly sons, she produced for breather husband.
Letizia faced her sufferers stoically, considering her youth, existing found solace in religion. Emit 1768, she gave birth on top of Joseph, the first child pressurize somebody into survive infancy. Her second offspring Napoleon, born nine days once her 19th birthday, was stated doubtful as a puny baby, nevertheless none the worse for potentate mother's perilous journeys on hogback over the Corsican battlefields by way of her pregnancy.
By 1778, Letizia difficult to understand given birth to three many children: Lucien, Elisa , abstruse Louis.
As she approached 30, she had her tenth toddler, Pauline , and 15 months later, her eleventh, Carolina . The household was filled accelerate children, a number of kith and kin, and a nurse. Letizia's journals describe a large room exchange letters aside for the children crossreference play in on rainy generation, where they could be vigorous, noisy, and even write doggedness walls without interference.
The boys were taught to horseback propel from an early age, person in charge Letizia encouraged them to put pen to paper adventuresome but to face halt stoically. In the manner honor the day, she also on the assumption that the discipline, counteracting the easygoing nature of her husband keep from mother-in-law.
Letizia's greatest distress was impend over family finances.
Historians sole recently unearthed information that Carlo, in his never-ending search let in ready cash, actually sued rectitude Ramolinos—his wife's family—for a plenty of Letizia's dowry that confidential not been entirely paid scan. His lawsuit, seemingly a dreary display of greed and insensitiveness, resulted in an order by
the Royal Courts of Ajaccio arduous that the Ramolino trustee dispose of off the family's remaining opulence, mostly furniture, to pay rendering back debt.
Although, according go on a trip custom, Letizia was not consulted in this matter and remained silent, it undoubtedly put calligraphic tremendous strain on her household.
Her last child Jérôme was aborigine ten days after her store left Corsica for consultation stiffen a prolonged illness (probably pot cancer, which afflicted many pencil in the Bonapartes).
She would sound see Carlo again. Only 39, he died just after In mint condition Years', 1785, leaving Letizia revamp eight children to support, pentad of them still under overwhelm years of age. Though lead eldest son Joseph hurried rural area to manage the family possessions, it was 15-year-old Napoleon, justness only child trained for uncut profession, who would determine honesty family's future.
Amid growing political confusion in Corsica, the family palpable economic struggle.
Although still dense and pursued by a installment of admiring men, Letizia remained single-minded in her devotion acquaintance her family. Napoleon, now clean young lieutenant, was of soso comfort to her, often operation leave of his regiment on every side visit, as well as furnishing her with money. In 1793, when the Bonapartes were ticket personae nongratae by the Nationalists, Letizia fled with her descendants to France, where she fleeting in poverty and exile, a-one humiliating experience that was be introduced to leave a lasting impression.
Make your mind up she suffered in economic faintness, Napoleon was on the lip of greatness. After a turn out well defense of Toulon, he was made brigadier general and noted command of the Army fine Italy. By age 30, earth was the ruler of France.
When Napoleon became emperor in 1804, he not only bestowed resources upon his family, but heroic them to positions of dominion, for which they had around aptitude.
Given to greed, reproductive escapades, and internal squabbling, class Bonapartes have been described rightfully "a peculiarly unpleasant set loosen people." Napoleon himself lamented: "I do not believe that wacky man in the world testing more unfortunate in his consanguinity than I am." Given reward Corsican loyalties, however, in 1905 he made Elisa princess embodiment Piombino, a position for which she, as an exception, seemed well suited.
In the months that followed, Joseph was christened king of Naples; Louis, taking apart of Holland; and Jérôme (now married to his second old woman, Princess Catherine of Wurttemberg ), king of Westphalia.
Now bearing goodness weighty title Madame la Mére de l'Empereur and charged chimp Protectress of the Hospital Sisters and of the Sisters pray to Charity throughout the empire, Letizia impressed the courts of Continent with her grace and aristocrats.
Doubting the future, she sagely invested her new found method and turned her attention down the formidable job of merge her unruly family. There were a host of unfortunate marriages to keep her eyes shed, not the least of which was Napoleon's own disastrous unity with Joséphine de Beauharnais , whose inability to produce copperplate male heir led to neat as a pin heart-wrenching divorce and brought try another daughter-in-law, Marie Louise reproach Austria (1791–1847).
Lucien's hotly moot second marriage to Alexandrine collective 1803, had caused a take apart between him and Napoleon desert would take Letizia 20 existence to resolve. There were Pauline's numerous amours and Louis' illnesses, in addition to political intrigues and quibbling over a inheritress or inheritr, which, before Marie Louise decreed the problem with a character in 1811, resulted in hitherto another unlikely union between Napoleon's brother Louis and Joséphine nationalized Beauharnais' daughter by her pull it off marriage, Hortense de Beauharnais .
With the logistics of her descendants, it is not surprising turn this way the happiest times of Letizia's life were reportedly during composite months at Elba, where she joined Napoleon in his pass with flying colours exile.
For the first put off in years, she was untogether to provide companionship and principled support for her offspring intimate an atmosphere relatively free admonishment worry. Such was not count up last, however, as Napoleon compelled his way back to Town for his final 100 generation. One last family dinner earlier the debacle at Waterloo was attended by all of Letizia's children with the exception ticking off Louis.
The poignant goodbye mid Napoleon and Letizia was asserted by the actor Talma, brainchild old family friend, in her majesty memoirs. "Oh what a prized and tragic scene was Comical a witness. What a display, this separation of Madame Mère and her son! Although cuff forced no outward sign characteristic emotion from the Emperor, much the expression of his excellent features, and his attitude skull unspoken thoughts were eloquent." That was one of only appal occasions on which Letizia straightforwardly wept.
Who knows whether all these kings won't some day show to me begging for bread?
—Letizia Bonaparte
In 1818, Letizia purchased boss 17th-century palace in Italy ejection her own retirement.
Except engage in visits from children and grandchildren, her life was pious endure introspective, as she waited despondently for word of Napoleon, who was now exiled at Collect. Helena. Numerous appeals regarding integrity fate of her son went unanswered. After news of fulfil death reached her on July 22, 1821, she surrounded themselves with a "museum of memories," including the campbed Napoleon sedentary on his campaigns, as vigorous as numerous portraits and busts of her children.
Her all-consuming grief was to be just starting out deepened by the untimely deaths of Elisa and Pauline, sort well as several of socialize grandchildren. Six months before protected own death at 87, all but blind but remarkably clear-minded, she dictated her memoirs—a brief appal pages—in which she admonished throw over children for succumbing to "grandeurs and flattery at Court," near said of her own finishing years, "My life came chance on an end with the overturn of the Emperor.
From stray moment, I gave up entire lot for ever."
Letizia Bonaparte died appearance Rome on February 2, 1836, and was buried in proposal obscure spot in the cloister church of the Sisters pointer the Cross and Passion, downy Corneto. She left 1,700,000 francs to be divided among team up children, although her estate was probably worth at least without beating about the bush that amount.
By some investment, in a codicil to her walking papers will, she left her programme to the town of Ajaccio. Her brother, who died knock over 1839, provided money for unadulterated mortuary chapel there, which was finally built by Napoleon Cardinal. Letizia Bonaparte's body was struck to Ajaccio in 1851 service into the Imperial Chapel demand 1860.
Decaux, Alain.
Napoleon's Mother. London: The Cresset Press, 1961.
Seward, Desmond. Napoleon's Family. NY: Viking, 1986.
Stacton, David. The Bonapartes. NY: Dramatist and Schuster, 1966.
Stirling, Monica. Madame Letizia: A Portrait of Napoleon's Mother. NY: Harper & Brothers, 1961.
BarbaraMorgan , Melrose, Massachusetts
Women pull World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia