Editing Joseph Bonaparte

{{Short description|King of Naples (1806–08) and Spain (1808–13)}}
{{for|his grandson|Joseph Lucien Bonaparte}}
{{redirect|José I Bonaparte|the Argentine paleontologist|José Bonaparte}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Joseph Bonaparte
| image        = Joseph-Bonaparte.jpg
| caption      = ''[[Portrait of Joseph Bonaparte]]'' (1808)
| succession   = [[List of Spanish monarchs|King of Spain and the Indies]]
| reign        = {{nowrap|6 June 1808 – 11 December 1813}}
| predecessor  = [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand VII]] or [[Napoleon I]]
| successor    = Ferdinand VII
| succession1  = [[King of Naples]]
| reign1       = 30 March 1806 – 6 June 1808
| predecessor1 = [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies|Ferdinand IV]]
| successor1   = [[Joachim Murat|Joachim I]]
| succession2  = [[House of Bonaparte|Head of the House of Bonaparte]]
| reign-type2  = Tenure
| reign2       = 22 July 1832 – 28 July 1844
| predecessor2 = [[Napoleon II]]
| successor2   = [[Louis Bonaparte|Louis, Count of Saint-Leu]]
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Julie Clary]]|1794}}
| issue        = [[Zénaïde Bonaparte|Zénaïde, Princess of Canino and Musignano]]<br/> [[Charlotte Bonaparte|Charlotte Napoléone Bonaparte]]
| issue-link   = #Family
| issue-pipe   = among others
| house        = [[House of Bonaparte|Bonaparte]]
| father       = [[Carlo Buonaparte]]
| mother       = [[Letizia Ramolino]]
| birth_date   = 7 January 1768
| birth_place  = [[Corte, Corsica|Corte]], [[Corsica]], [[Republic of Genoa]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1844|7|28|1768|1|7|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Florence]], [[Grand Duchy of Tuscany]]
| religion     = [[Catholic Church|Catholic]]
| signature    = Signatur Joseph Bonaparte.PNG
| burial_place = [[Hôtel des Invalides]]
}}

'''Joseph Bonaparte''' (born '''Giuseppe di Buonaparte''', {{IPA|it|dʒuˈzɛppe di ˌbwɔnaˈparte|lang}}; {{langx|co|Ghjuseppe Bonaparte}}; {{langx|es|José Bonaparte}}; 7 January 1768{{spnd}}28 July 1844) was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of [[Napoleon|Napoleon Bonaparte]]. During the [[Napoleonic Wars]], the latter made him [[King of Naples]] (1806–1808), and then [[King of Spain|King of Spain and the Indies]] (1808–1813). After the fall of [[Napoleon]], Joseph styled himself ''Comte de Survilliers'' and emigrated to the [[United States]], where he settled near [[Bordentown, New Jersey]], on [[Point Breeze (estate)|Pointe Breeze estate]] overlooking the [[Delaware River]] not far from [[Philadelphia]].

==Early life and career==
{{unref|section|date=January 2022}}
Joseph was born in 1768 as Giuseppe Buonaparte to [[Carlo Buonaparte]] and [[Maria Letizia Ramolino]] at [[Corte, Haute-Corse|Corte]], the capital of the [[Corsican Republic]]. In the year of his birth, [[French Conquest of Corsica|Corsica was invaded by France]] and conquered the following year. His father was originally a follower of the Corsican patriot leader [[Pasquale Paoli]], but later became a supporter of French rule.

Bonaparte trained as a lawyer. In that role and as a politician and diplomat, he served in the [[Council of Five Hundred]] and as the French ambassador to the [[Papal States]]. In 1799, he used his position as member of the Council of Five Hundred to help his brother Napoleon to [[18 Brumaire|overthrow]] the [[French Directory|Directory]]. On 30 September 1800, as [[Envoy (title)|Minister Plenipotentiary]], he signed the [[Treaty of Mortefontaine]], treaty of friendship and commerce between France and the [[United States]], alongside [[Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu]], and [[Pierre Louis Roederer]].

==King of Naples==
{{Main|Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic)|Invasion of Naples (1806)}}
[[File:Joseph Bonaparte (by Wicar).jpg|thumb|left|''Portrait of Joseph Bonaparte, King of Naples'' by [[Jean-Baptiste Wicar]]]]

Upon the outbreak of war between [[First French Empire|France]] and [[Austrian Empire|Austria]] in 1805, [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies|Ferdinand IV of Naples]] had agreed to a treaty of neutrality with [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]] but, a few days later, declared his support for Austria. He permitted a large Anglo-Russian force to land in his kingdom. Napoleon, however, was soon victorious. After the [[Third Coalition|War of the Third Coalition]] was shattered on 5 December at the [[Battle of Austerlitz]], Ferdinand was subject to Napoleon's wrath.

On 27 December 1805, [[Napoleon]] issued a proclamation from the [[Schönbrunn Palace|Schönbrunn]] declaring Ferdinand to have forfeited his kingdom. He said that a French invasion would soon follow to ensure that "the finest of countries is relieved from the yoke of the most faithless of men".<ref>The Confidential Correspondence of Napoleon Bonaparte with his Brother Joseph, Vol. 1, 80.</ref>

On 31 December Napoleon commanded Joseph Bonaparte to move to Rome, where he would be assigned to command the army sent to dispossess Ferdinand of his throne. Although Bonaparte was the nominal commander-in-chief of the expedition, [[André Masséna|Marshal Masséna]] was in effective command of operations, with [[Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr|General St. Cyr]] second. But, St. Cyr, who had previously held the senior command of French troops in the region, soon resigned in protest at being made subordinate to Masséna and left for Paris. An outraged Napoleon ordered St. Cyr to return to his post at once.<ref>''The Confidential Correspondence of Napoleon Bonaparte with his Brother Joseph,'' Vol. 1, 82.</ref>

On 8 February 1806 the French invasion force of forty-thousand men crossed into Naples. The centre and right of the army under [[André Masséna|Masséna]] and [[Jean Reynier|General Reynier]] advanced south from [[Rome]], while [[Giuseppe Lechi]] led a force down the [[Adriatic]] coast from [[Ancona]]. On his brother's recommendation, Bonaparte attached himself to [[Jean Reynier|Reynier]].<ref>The Confidential Correspondence of Napoleon Bonaparte with his Brother Joseph, Vol. 1, 81.</ref> The French advance faced little resistance. Even before any French troops had crossed the border, the Anglo-Russian forces had beaten a prudent retreat, the British withdrawing to [[Sicily]], and the Russians to [[Corfu]]. Abandoned by his allies, [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies|King Ferdinand]] had also already set sail for [[Palermo]] on 23 January. [[Maria Carolina of Austria|Queen Maria-Carolina]] lingered a little longer in the capital but, on 11 February, fled to join her husband.

The first obstacle the French encountered was the fortress of [[Gaeta]]; its governor, [[Louis, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal|Prince Louis of Hesse-Philippsthal]], refused to surrender his charge. There was no meaningful delay of the invaders, as [[André Masséna|Masséna]] detached a small force to besiege the garrison before continuing south. [[Capua]] opened its gates after only token resistance.<ref>J. S. C. Abbott, ''A History of Joseph, King of Naples,'' 104.</ref> On 14 February Masséna took possession of [[Naples]] and, the following day, Bonaparte staged a triumphant entrance into the city.<ref>J. S. C. Abbott, ''A History of Joseph, King of Naples,'' 105.</ref> Reynier was quickly dispatched to seize control of the [[Strait of Messina]] and, on 9 March, inflicted a crushing defeat of the Neapolitan Royal Army at the [[Battle of Campo Tenese]], effectively destroying it as a fighting force and securing the entire mainland for the French.

On 30 March 1806 [[Napoleon]] issued a decree installing Joseph Bonaparte as [[Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic)|King of Naples and Sicily]]; the decree said as follows:

"Napoleon, by the Grace of God and the constitutions. Emperor of the French and King of Italy, to all those to whom these presents come, greetings. The interests of our people, the honor of our Crown, and the tranquility of the Continent of Europe requiring that we should assure, in a stable and definite manner, the lot of the people of Naples and of Sicily, who have fallen into our power by the right of conquest, and who constitute a part of the Grand Empire, we declare that we recognize, as King of Naples and of Sicily, our well-beloved brother, Joseph Napoleon, Grand Elector of France. This Crown will be hereditary, by order of primogeniture, in his descendants male, legitimate, and natural, etc."<ref>J. S. C. Abbott, ''A History of Joseph, King of Naples,'' 105–106.</ref>

[[File:Italy c 1810.png|thumb|right| Napoleonic Italy in 1810, with Naples being the same extent under Joseph (1806–1808)]]

Joseph's arrival in Naples was warmly greeted with cheers and he was eager to be a monarch well liked by his subjects. Seeking to win the favour of the local elites, he maintained in their posts the vast majority of those who had held office and position under the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbons]] and was anxious to not in any way appear a foreign oppressor. With a provisional government set up in the capital, Joseph then immediately set off, accompanied by [[Jean Maximilien Lamarque|General Lamarque]], on a tour of his new realm. The principal object of the tour was to assess the feasibility of an immediate invasion of [[Sicily]] and the expulsion of [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies|Ferdinand]] and [[Maria Carolina of Austria|Maria-Carolina]] from their refuge in [[Palermo]]. But, upon reviewing the situation at the [[Strait of Messina]], Joseph was forced to admit the impossibility of such an enterprise, the Bourbons having carried off all boats and transports from along the coast and concentrated their remaining forces, alongside the British, on the opposite side.<ref>Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers, 15.</ref> Unable to possess himself of [[Sicily]], Joseph was nevertheless master of the mainland and he continued his progress through [[Calabria]] and on to [[Lucania]] and [[Apulia]], visiting the main villages and meeting the local notables, clergy and people, allowing his people to grow accustomed to their new king and enabling himself to form first-hand a picture of the condition of his kingdom.<ref>Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers, 16.</ref>

[[File:Julie Clary.jpg|thumb|right|[[Julie Clary]], Queen of Naples, with her daughter [[Zénaïde Bonaparte|Zenaïde Bonaparte]] in 1807, by [[Robert Lefèvre]]]]

Upon returning to [[Naples]], Bonaparte received a deputation from the [[Sénat conservateur|French Senate]] congratulating him upon his accession. The King formed a ministry staffed by many competent and talented men; he was determined to follow a reforming agenda and bring Naples the benefits of the [[French Revolution]], without its excesses. [[Antoine Christophe Saliceti|Saliceti]] was appointed Minister of Police, [[Pierre Louis Roederer|Roederer]] Minister of Finance, [[André François Miot de Mélito|Miot]] Minister of the Interior and [[Guillaume-Mathieu Dumas|General Dumas]] Minister of War. [[Jean-Baptiste Jourdan|Marshal Jourdan]] was also confirmed as Governor of Naples, an appointment made by [[Napoleon]], and served as Bonaparte's foremost military adviser.

Bonaparte embarked on an ambitious programme of reform and regeneration, in order to raise Naples to the level of a modern state in the mould of Napoleonic France. Monastic orders were suppressed, their property [[Biens nationaux|nationalised]], and their funds confiscated to steady the royal finances.<ref>''Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers,'' 22.</ref> Feudal privileges and taxes were abolished; however, the nobility was compensated by an indemnity in the form of a certificate that could be exchanged in return for [[Biens nationaux|lands nationalised from the Church]].<ref name="ReferenceA">Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers, 29.</ref> Provincial intendants were instructed to engage those dispossessed former monks who were willing to work in public education, and to ensure that elderly monks no longer able to support themselves could move into communal establishments founded for their care.<ref>''Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers,'' 23.</ref> A college for the education of young girls was established in each province. A central college was founded at [[Aversa]] for the daughters of public functionaries, and the ablest from the provincial schools, to be admitted under the personal patronage of [[Julie Clary|Queen Julie]].<ref>''Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers,'' 24.</ref>

The practice of forcibly recruiting prisoners into the army was abolished. To suppress and control robbers in the mountains, military commissions were established with the power to judge and execute, without appeal, all those brigands arrested with arms in their possession.<ref>''Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers,'' 24; J. S. C. Abbott, ''A History of Joseph, King of Naples,'' 113.</ref> Public works programmes were begun to provide employment to the poor and invest in improvements to the kingdom. Highways were built to [[Reggio Calabria|Reggio]]. The project of a Calabrian road was completed under Bonaparte within the year after decades of delay.<ref>''Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers,'' 25.</ref> In the second year of his reign, Bonaparte installed the first system of public street-lighting in Naples, modelled on that operating in [[Paris]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

Although the kingdom was not at that time furnished with a constitution, and thus Joseph's will as monarch reigned supreme, there is yet no instance of him ever adopting a measure of policy without prior discussion of the matter in the Council of State and the passing of a majority vote in favour his course of action by the counsellors.<ref>Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers, 34–35.</ref> Joseph thus presided over Naples in the best traditions of [[Enlightened absolutism]], doubling the revenue of the crown from seven to fourteen million ducats in his brief two-year reign while all the time seeking to lighten the burdens of his people rather than increase them.<ref>Biographical Sketch of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, Count de Survilliers, 35.</ref>

Joseph ruled Naples for two years before being replaced by his sister's husband, [[Joachim Murat]]. Joseph was then made [[Kingdom of Spain (Napoleonic)|King of Spain]] in August 1808, soon after the French invasion.

==King of Spain and the Indies==
[[File:Josée Flaugier - Portrait of King Joseph I (ca. 1809) - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|left|Portrait by Joseph Flaugier, c. 1809]]
{{Main|Spain under Joseph Bonaparte|Peninsular War|Bayonne Constitution}}
{{Multiple image
| perrow=2
| total_width = 320
| image1= Coat of Arms of the Kingdom of Naples.svg
| caption1= Coat of arms as King of Naples
| image2= Grand Coat of Arms of Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain.svg
| caption2= Coat of arms as King of Spain
| image3=Royal Monogram of Joseph I of Spain.svg
| caption3=Royal monogram as King of Spain
| image4=80 Reales en or à l'effigie de Joseph Napoléon.jpg
| caption4=Spanish gold coin from 1811
}}
Joseph somewhat reluctantly left Naples, where he was popular, and arrived in Spain, where he was extremely unpopular. Joseph came under heavy fire from his opponents in Spain, who tried to smear his reputation by calling him {{lang|es-ES|Pepe Botella}} (Joe Bottle) for his alleged heavy drinking, an accusation echoed by later Spanish historiography, despite the fact that Joseph was abstemious. His arrival as a foreign sovereign sparked a massive Spanish revolt against French rule, and the beginning of the [[Peninsular War]]. Thompson says the Spanish revolt was, "a reaction against new institutions and ideas, a movement for loyalty to the old order: to the hereditary crown of the [[Rex Catholicissimus|Most Catholic kings]], which [[Napoleon]], an excommunicated enemy of the Pope, had put on the head of a Frenchman; to the Catholic Church [[Dechristianization of France during the French Revolution|persecuted by republicans]] who had desecrated churches, murdered priests, and enforced a {{lang|fr|loi des cultes}} (law of religion); and to [[fuero|local and provincial rights and privileges]] threatened by an efficiently centralized government.<ref>J. M. Thompson, ''Napoleon Bonaparte: His Rise and Fall'' (1951) 244–245</ref>

Joseph temporarily retreated with much of the French Army to northern Spain. Feeling himself in an ignominious position, Joseph then proposed his own abdication from the Spanish throne, hoping that Napoleon would sanction his return to the Neapolitan Throne he had formerly occupied. Napoleon dismissed Joseph's misgivings out of hand, and to back up the raw and ill-trained levies he had initially allocated to Spain, the Emperor sent heavy French reinforcements to assist Joseph in maintaining his position as King of Spain. Despite the easy recapture of [[Madrid]], and nominal control by Joseph's government over many cities and provinces, Joseph's reign over Spain was always tenuous at best, and was plagued with near-constant conflict with pro-Bourbon [[guerrilla]]s. Joseph and his supporters never established complete control over the country, and after a series of failed military campaigns, he would eventually abdicate the throne.

King Joseph's Spanish supporters were called {{lang|es-ES|josefinos}} or {{lang|es-ES|[[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, Joseph's foreign birth and support, plus his membership of a [[Freemasonry|Mason]]ic lodge,<ref>Ross, Michael The Reluctant King, 1977, pp. 34–35</ref> virtually guaranteed he would never be accepted as legitimate by the bulk of the Spanish people. During Joseph's rule of Spain, [[First Republic of Venezuela|Venezuela]] declared independence from Spain. The king had virtually no influence over the course of the ongoing [[Peninsular War]]: Joseph's nominal command of French forces in Spain was mostly illusory, as the French commanders theoretically subordinate to King Joseph insisted on checking with Napoleon before carrying out Joseph's instructions.

King Joseph abdicated the Spanish throne and returned to [[First French Empire|France]] after the main French forces were defeated by a [[United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland|British]]-led coalition at the [[Battle of Vitoria]] in 1813. During the closing campaign of the [[War of the Sixth Coalition]], [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]] left his brother to govern [[Paris]] with the title Lieutenant General of the Empire. As a result, he was again in nominal command of the [[French Imperial Army (1804–1815)|French Imperial Army]] that was defeated at the [[Battle of Paris (1814)|Battle of Paris]].

He was seen by some [[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.

==Later life in the United States and Europe==

[[Image:Joseph Bonaparte at Point Breeze, 1832.jpg|thumb|right|''King Joseph at [[Point Breeze (estate)|Point Breeze]]'', portrait painted on 2 February 1832 by the French artist Innocent-Louis Goubaud, during a visit to Bonaparte at his estate in [[New Jersey]]]]
[[File:Joseph Bonaparte Historical Marker 260 S 9th St Philadelphia PA (DSC 3395).jpg|thumb|Joseph Bonaparte Historical Marker at 260 S 9th St Philadelphia PA]]

Bonaparte travelled to the [[United States]] onboard the ''Commerce'' under the name of M. Bouchard. British naval officers had searched the vessel three times but never found Bonaparte on board and the ship arrived on 15 July 1815.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88056158/1900-09-11/ed-1/seq-2/print/image_681x648_from_1414%2C3350_to_4560%2C6347/ |title= Refuge of a King| author= The Silver Messenger|date= 11 September 1900|website= Chronicling America|publisher=The Silver Messenger|access-date= 8 April 2022}}</ref> In the period 1817–1832, Bonaparte lived primarily in the United States (where he sold the jewels he had taken from Spain).<ref name=flatrock>{{cite web |url= http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/new_jersey/new_jerseys_ex_king.htm |title=Joseph Bonaparte at Point Breeze |work= Flat Rock |access-date=8 July 2011}}</ref> He first settled in [[New York City]] and [[Philadelphia]], where his house became the centre of activity for French [[Human migration|migrants]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/DOH/markerresults.asp?secid=31&namesearch=Joseph+Bonaparte&Submit=Search+by+Marker+Title |title=PHMC Historical Markers Program |access-date=24 October 2007 |archive-date=8 December 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208163331/http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/DOH/markerresults.asp?secid=31&namesearch=Joseph%20Bonaparte&Submit=Search%20by%20Marker%20Title |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 1823, he was elected as a member to the [[American Philosophical Society]].<ref>{{cite web|title=APS Member History|url=https://search.amphilsoc.org/memhist/search?creator=&title=&subject=&subdiv=&mem=&year=1823&year-max=1823&dead=&keyword=&smode=advanced|access-date=6 April 2021|website=search.amphilsoc.org}}</ref> Later he purchased an estate, called [[Point Breeze (estate)|Point Breeze]]<ref name="NYT"/> and formerly owned by [[Stephen Sayre]]. It was in [[Bordentown, New Jersey]], on the east side of the [[Delaware River]]. It was located near the confluence of Crosswicks Creek and the Delaware. He considerably expanded Sayre's home and created extensive gardens in the picturesque style. When his first home was destroyed by fire in January 1820 he converted his stables into a second grand house. On completion, it was generally viewed – perhaps diplomatically – as the "second-finest house in America" after the [[White House]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://househistree.com/houses/point-breeze|title=The Story of Bonaparte's Point Breeze|website=HouseHistree.com | access-date=1 February 2021}}</ref> At Point Breeze, Bonaparte entertained many of the leading intellectuals and politicians of his day.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|last=Slotnik|first=Daniel E.|date=31 January 2021|title=Napoleon's Brother Lived in N.J. Here's What Happened to the Estate.|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/31/nyregion/bonaparte-point-breeze-bordentown.html|access-date=31 January 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

In the summer of 1825, the Quaker scientist [[Reuben Haines III]] described Bonaparte's estate at Point Breeze, in a letter to his cousin:
<blockquote>I partook of royal fare on solid silver and attended by six waiters who supplied me with 9 courses of the most delicious viands, many of which I could not possibly tell what they were composed of; spending the intermediate time in Charles' private rooms looking over the [[Herbarium]] and Portfolios of the Princess, or riding with her and the Prince drawn by two Elegant Horses along the ever varying roads of the park amidst splendid [[Rhododendron]]s on the margin of the artificial lake on whose smooth surface gently glided the majestic European swans. Stopping to visit the Aviary enlivened by the most beautiful English pheasants, passing by alcoves ornamented with statues and busts of Parian marble, our course enlivened by the footsteps of the tame deer and the flight of the [[American woodcock|Woodcock]], and when alighting stopping to admire the graceful form of two splendid [[Etruscan vase painting|Etruscan vases]] of Porphyry 3 ft. high & 2 in diameter presented by the Queen of Sweden [Joseph's sister-in-law Desiree Clary Bernadotte] or ranging [?] through the different appartments of the mansion through a suite of rooms 15 ft. in [height] decorated with the finest productions of the pencils of Coregeo [sic]! Titian! Rubens! Vandyke! Vernet! Tenniers [sic] and Paul Potter and a library of the most splended books I ever beheld.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stroud|first=Patricia Tyson|title=The Emperor of Nature: Charles-Lucien Bonaparte and his World|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|year=2000|isbn=978-0812235463|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|pages=37}}</ref><ref>Wyck Association Collection (Mss.Ms.Coll.52). American Philosophical Society Library. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. https://search.amphilsoc.org/collections/view?docId=ead/Mss.Ms.Coll.52-ead.xml;query=Wyck;brand=default#top</ref></blockquote>Another visitor a few years later, British writer [[Thomas Hamilton (writer)|Thomas Hamilton]], described Bonaparte himself:<blockquote>Joseph Bonaparte, in person, is about the middle height, but round and corpulent. In the form of his head and features there certainly exists a resemblance to Napoleon, but in the expression of the countenance there is none. I remember, at the Pergola Theatre of Florence, discovering Louis Bonaparte from his likeness to the Emperor, which is very striking, but I am by no means confident that I should have been equally successful with Joseph. There is nothing about him indicative of high intellect. His eye is dull and heavy; his manner ungraceful and deficient in that ease and dignity which we vulgar people are apt to number among the necessary attributes of majesty. **** I am told he converses without any appearance of reserve on the circumstances of his short and troubled reign — if reign, indeed, it can be called — in Spain. He attributes more than half his misfortunes, to the jealousies and intrigues of the unruly marshals, over whom he could exercise no authority. He admits the full extent of his unpopularity, but claims credit for a sincere desire to benefit the people.<ref>Hamilton, Thomas, ''Men and Manners in America'', [https://archive.org/details/menmannersinamer00hamiiala/menmannersinamer00hamiiala/page/207/mode/1up?view=theater p.207] (Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blanchard, 1833) (retrieved June 16, 2024).</ref></blockquote>Reputedly some Mexican revolutionaries offered to crown Bonaparte as [[Emperor of Mexico]] in 1820, but he declined.<ref name=flatrock/> Mexico gained its independence from Spain in 1821.

In 1832, Bonaparte moved to London, returning to his estate in the United States only intermittently.<ref name="NYT" /> In 1844, he died in [[Florence]], Italy. His body was returned to France and buried in [[Les Invalides]], in Paris.<ref>{{cite news |first=Leslie |last=Kwoh |title=Yes, a Bonaparte feasted here |publisher=[[Star Ledger]] |date=10 June 2007 |url=http://www.monmouth.edu/newswire/default.asp?iNewsID=4461 |access-date=19 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208185014/http://www.monmouth.edu/newswire/default.asp?iNewsID=4461 |archive-date=8 December 2008 }}</ref>

==Family==
[[File:Jacques-Louis David - The Sisters Zénaïde and Charlotte Bonaparte - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''[[The Sisters Zénaïde and Charlotte Bonaparte]]'' by [[Jacques-Louis David]], 1821]]
Bonaparte married [[Julie Clary|Marie Julie Clary]], daughter of [[François Clary]] and his wife, on 1 August 1794 in [[Cuges-les-Pins]], France. They had three daughters: 
* Julie Joséphine Bonaparte ([[Genoa]], 29 February 1796 – Genoa, 6 June 1797).
* [[Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte]] (Paris, 8 July 1801 – [[Naples]], 8 August 1854); married in [[Brussels]] on 29 June 1822 to [[Charles Lucien Bonaparte]], 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (Paris, 24 May 1803 - Paris, 29 July 1857).
* [[Charlotte Napoléone Bonaparte]] (Paris, 31 October 1802 – [[Sarzana]], 2 March 1839); married in Brussels on 23 July 1826 to [[Napoléon Louis Bonaparte]] (Paris, 11 October 1804 - [[Rome]], 17 March 1831), formerly King of Holland and Grand-Duke of Berg, without issue.
He identified the two surviving daughters as his heirs.

He also fathered two children with Maria Giulia [[Colonna family|Colonna]], the Countess of [[Atri, Abruzzo|Atri]]:{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
* Giulio (9 September 1807 – 1836), unmarried and without issue.
* Teresa (30 September/29 October 1808 – died in infancy).

Bonaparte had two American daughters born at [[Point Breeze (estate)|Point Breeze]], his estate in [[Bordentown, New Jersey]], by his mistress, Annette Savage of [[Philadelphia]], Pennsylvania ("Madame de la Folie"): 
* Pauline Josephann Holton (1819 - 6 December 1823).
* Caroline Charlotte Delafolie (New Jersey{{efn|Also listed as New York or Philadelphia}}, 1822<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCYK-THB|title=United States Census, 1850|website=FamilySearch}}</ref> - 25 December 1890); married [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]] Zebulon Howell Benton<ref>This family was not related to the more famous T. H. Bentons, but Zebulon reportedly felt the name was appropriate.</ref> (27 January 1811 - 16 May 1893) of Jefferson County, New York, and had four daughters and three sons<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/growthofcenturya00hadd|title=Growth of a Century : as illustrated in the history of Jefferson County, New York, from 1793 to 1894|first=John A. 1823–|last=Haddock|date=26 October 1894|publisher=Philadelphia, Pa. : Sherman|via=Internet Archive}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Caroline Charlotte Delafolie Bonaparte b. 1822 Philadelphia, PA, d. 25 Dec 1890: Geneagraphie – Families all over the world|url=https://geneagraphie.com/getperson.php?personID=I77957&tree=1|access-date=1 February 2021|website=geneagraphie.com}}</ref> 

Bonaparte had two more sons by Émilie (Hémart) Lacoste,<ref>Émilie would also later be the mistress of [[Prosper Mérimée]]</ref> wife of Félix Lacoste, founder of the [[Courrier des États-Unis]]:<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qxKuAgAAQBAJ | title=The Man Who Had Been King: The American Exile of Napoleon's Brother Joseph | isbn=978-0-8122-3872-3 | last1=Stroud | first1=Patricia Tyson | date=13 May 2005 | publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press }}</ref> 
* Félix-Joseph-François Lacoste<ref>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qxKuAgAAQBAJ | title=The Man Who Had Been King: The American Exile of Napoleon's Brother Joseph | isbn=978-0-8122-3872-3 | last1=Stroud | first1=Patricia Tyson | date=13 May 2005 | publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press }}</ref> (Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, 22 March 1825 - Paris, 1859 or [[Neuilly]], 15 February 1922), married in [[Metz]] on 28 March 1857 Isabelle de Gerando (? - 1878), and had 2 sons.
* a son Lacoste (Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, 22 March 1825 - died young)

==Freemasonry==
Joseph Bonaparte was admitted to [[Marseille]]'s lodge ''la Parfaite Sincérité'' in 1793.<ref>''La franc-maçonnerie'' Jean Massicot (Desnoël ed.)</ref><ref>''Les Francs-maçons et leur religion'' Jacques Duchenne (Publibook ed.)</ref><ref>''Revue d'histoire de Bayonne, du pays basque et du Bas-Adour'', Numéro 159, p. 176</ref> He was asked by his brother Napoleon to monitor freemasonry as Grand Master of the Grand Orient of France (1804–1815).<ref name="Europe-Amérique' page 55">''Franc-maçonnerie et politique au siècle des lumières: Europe-Amérique'' p. 55 – article ''Le binôme franc-maçonnerie-Révolution'' – José Ferrer Benimeli (Presses Univ de Bordeaux ed., 2006)</ref><ref>''Histoire de la franc-maçonnerie en France'' Jean André Faucher and Achille Ricker (Nouvelles éditions latines ed., 1967)</ref><ref>''Histoire du Grand Orient de France'' p. 338, Achille Godefroy Jouaust, (Brissard et Teissier ed. 1865)</ref><ref>''Chronique de la Franc-maçonnerie en Corse: 1772–1920'' p. 66. Charles Santoni (A. Piazzola ed., 1999)</ref> He founded the Grand Lodge National of Spain (1809).<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=jufWVxJrcqcC&q=Masoner%C3%ADa+e+Ilustraci%C3%B3n%3A+Del+siglo+de+las+luces+a+la+actualidad Masonería e Ilustración: Del siglo de las luces a la actualidad pp. 61, 109]</ref> With [[Cambacérès]], he encouraged the post-Revolution rebirth of the Freemasonry Order in France.<ref name="Europe-Amérique' page 55"/><ref>''Les francs-maçons: Des inconditionnels de l'espoir'' p. 22 François Deschatres (L’Harmattan ed. 2012)</ref><ref>''Histoire de la franc-maçonnerie en France'' – p. 231 Jean André Faucher and Achille Ricker</ref><ref>''Essai sur l'origine et l'histoire de la franc-maçonnerie en Guadeloupe'' – Guy Monduc (G. Monduc ed., 1985)</ref>

==Legacy==
* [[Joseph Bonaparte Gulf]] in the [[Northern Territory]] of [[Australia]] is named after him.
* [[Lake Bonaparte (New York)|Lake Bonaparte]], located in the town of [[Diana, New York]], United States, is also named after him.{{cn|date=March 2025}}

==Representation in other media==
* The romantic web among Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon, [[Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte]], [[Julie Clary]], and [[Désirée Clary]] was the subject of the novel ''Désirée'' (1951), by [[Annemarie Selinko]].{{cn|date=March 2025}}
* The novel was adapted as a film of the same name, ''[[Désirée (film)|Désirée]]'' (1954), with  [[Cameron Mitchell (actor)|Cameron Mitchell]] as Joseph Bonaparte.

==See also==
* [[Bayonne Statute]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Connelly, Owen S. Jr. "Joseph Bonaparte as King of Spain" ''History Today'' (Feb 1962), Vol. 12 Issue 2, pp. 86–96.
* {{cite book|first=Alan |last=Schom|title=Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life|url=https://archive.org/details/napoleonbonapart00alan|url-access=registration |isbn=9780060929589|publisher=Harper Collins|location=New York|year=1997}}
* {{cite book|title=The Man who had been King: The American Exile of Napoleon's Brother Joseph|first=Patricia Tyson|last=Stroud|publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press|location=Philadelphia, PA|year=2005|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DXbAAgAAQBAJ|isbn=9780812290424}} biography: book received the New Jersey Council for the Humanities first place book award in 2006.

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [http://www.flatrock.org.nz/topics/new_jersey/new_jerseys_ex_king.htm Joseph Bonaparte at Point Breeze]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100202013405/http://www.americanfolklore.net/folktales/nj6.html Joseph Bonaparte and the Jersey Devil]
* [http://historiaantiqua.byethost8.com/paginas/antiguoregimen.htm#JoseIBonaparte Antiguo Régimen: José I Bonaparte] {{in lang|es}}
* {{cite Appletons'|wstitle=Bonaparte, Joseph|year=1900 |short=x |notaref=x}}
* [http://www.newberry.org/collections/FindingAids/spencernapoleonica/SpencerNapoleonica.html Spencer Napoleonica Collection] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20121205060758/http://www.newberry.org/collections/FindingAids/spencernapoleonica/SpencerNapoleonica.html |date=5 December 2012 }} at [[Newberry Library]]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonaparte, Joseph}}
[[Category:Joseph Bonaparte| ]]
[[Category:1768 births]]
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[[Category:19th-century Spanish monarchs]]
[[Category:19th-century monarchs of Naples]]
[[Category:19th century in Spain]]
[[Category:People from Bordentown, New Jersey]]
[[Category:People from Corte, Haute-Corse]]
[[Category:House of Bonaparte|Joseph]]
[[Category:French people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Knights of Santiago]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Members of the Council of Five Hundred]]
[[Category:Members of the Sénat conservateur]]
[[Category:Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Hundred Days]]
[[Category:French Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]]
[[Category:Monarchs who abdicated|Joseph Bonaparte]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Royal Order of Spain]]
[[Category:Heirs presumptive to the French throne|Joseph Bonaparte]]
[[Category:People of the Peninsular War]]
[[Category:French Freemasons]]
[[Category:Bonapartist pretenders to the French throne]]
[[Category:People of the Kingdom of Naples (Napoleonic)]]
[[Category:French emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:International members of the American Philosophical Society]]