Editing Louis Bonaparte

{{Short description|King of Holland from 1806 to 1810}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{for|his grandnephew|Louis Bonaparte (1864–1932)}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name         = Louis Bonaparte
| image        = LouisBonaparte Holland.jpg
| caption      = Portrait by [[Charles Howard Hodges]], 1809
| succession   = [[King of Holland]]
| reign        = 5 June 1806 – {{nowrap|1 July 1810}}
| predecessor  = ''Office established''<br><small>([[Rutger Jan Schimmelpenninck]] as [[Grand pensionary]] of the [[Batavian Republic]])</small>
| successor    = [[Napoléon-Louis Bonaparte|Louis II]]
| succession1  = [[House of Bonaparte|Head of the House of Bonaparte]]
| reign-type1  = Tenure
| reign1       = 28 July 1844 – 25 July 1846
| predecessor1 = [[Joseph Bonaparte|Joseph, Count of Survilliers]]
| successor1   = [[Napoleon III]]
| birth_date   = 2 September 1778
| birth_place  = [[Ajaccio]], [[Corsica]], [[Kingdom of France]]
| death_date   = {{Death date and age|1846|7|25|1778|9|2|df=yes}}
| death_place  = [[Livorno]], [[Grand Duchy of Tuscany]]
| burial_place = [[Église Saint-Leu-Saint Gilles (Saint-Leu-la-Forêt)|Église Saint-Leu-Saint Gilles]], [[Saint-Leu-la-Forêt]], Paris
| spouse       = {{marriage|[[Hortense de Beauharnais]]|1802|1837|end=d}}
| issue        = {{plainlist|
* [[Napoléon-Charles Bonaparte|Napoléon-Charles]]
* [[Napoléon-Louis Bonaparte|Napoléon-Louis]]
* [[Napoleon III|Napoleon III, Emperor of the French]]
}}
| house        = [[House of Bonaparte|Bonaparte]]
| father       = [[Carlo Buonaparte]]
| mother       = [[Letizia Bonaparte|Letizia Ramolino]]
| religion     = [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]]
| signature    = Signatur Louis Bonaparte.PNG
}}

'''Louis Bonaparte''' (born '''Luigi Buonaparte'''; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]], [[Emperor of the French]]. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the [[Kingdom of Holland]] (a French [[client state]] roughly corresponding to the modern-day [[Netherlands]]). In that capacity, he was known as '''Louis I''' ([[Dutch language|Dutch]]: '''Lodewijk I''' {{IPA|nl|ˈloːdəʋɛik|}}).

Louis was the fifth surviving child and fourth surviving son of [[Carlo Buonaparte]] and [[Letizia Bonaparte|Letizia Ramolino]], out of eight children who lived past infancy. He and his siblings were all born in [[Corsica]], which [[French conquest of Corsica|had been conquered by France]] less than a decade before his birth. Louis followed his older brothers into the [[French Army]], where he benefited from [[Napoleon]]'s patronage. In 1802, he married his step-niece [[Hortense de Beauharnais]], the daughter of [[Joséphine de Beauharnais|Empress Joséphine]] (Napoleon's wife).

In 1806, [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]] established the [[Kingdom of Holland]] in place of the [[Batavian Republic]], appointing Louis as the new king. Napoleon had intended for Holland to be little more than a [[puppet state]], but Louis was determined to be as independent as possible and became quite popular amongst his new people. Growing tired of his brother's wilfulness, Napoleon annexed Holland into the [[First French Empire|French Empire]] in 1810, and Louis went into exile.

His youngest son, Louis-Napoléon, established the [[Second French Empire]] in 1852, proclaiming himself [[Napoleon III]].

==Early life==
Louis was born in [[Ajaccio]], [[Corsica]]. He was a younger brother of [[Joseph Bonaparte|Joseph]], [[Napoleon]], [[Lucien Bonaparte|Lucien]], and [[Elisa Bonaparte]], and the older brother of [[Pauline Bonaparte|Pauline]], [[Caroline Bonaparte|Caroline]], and [[Jérôme Bonaparte]]. Louis' godparents were the island's governor, [[Charles Louis de Marbeuf|Mr de Marbeuf]], and the wife of the intendant, [[Claude-François Bertrand de Boucheporn|Bertrand de Boucheporn]], whom Letizia and her husband, Carlo, had befriended.<ref>Frédéric Masson – ''Napoleon dans se jeunesse'' – Société d'Éditions Littéraires et Artistiques – Paris, 1907 – page 42</ref>

Louis Bonaparte's early career was spent in the Army, and he served with Napoleon in the [[French campaign in Egypt and Syria]]. Thanks to his older brother, Napoleon, Louis was given a commission in the French Military, and was promoted to Lieutenant in the 4th Artillery Regiment, and from there he was made Aide de Camp on Napoleon's staff. Napoleon, during his Italian Campaign, recommended Louis to Carnot, and Louis was consequently made a captain. He later became a [[General]] by the age of 25, although he felt that he had risen too high in too short a time.

Upon Louis's return to France, he was involved in Napoleon's plot to overthrow the [[French Directory|Directory]]. After becoming the [[First Consul]], Napoleon arranged for a marriage between Louis and [[Hortense de Beauharnais]], the daughter of [[Joséphine de Beauharnais|Empress Josephine]], and hence Napoleon's stepdaughter. Hortense was opposed to the marriage at first. She was soon persuaded by her mother to marry Louis for the sake of the family.

==King of Holland (1806–1810)==
[[File:Louis Napoléon peint par François Gérard.jpg|thumb|left|''Louis Bonaparte, [[Grand Dignitaries of the French Empire|Constable of the Empire]]'' by [[François Gérard]], 1806]]
[[File:Royal Monogram of Louis Napoleon, King of Holland.svg|thumb|145px|Royal monogram of Louis]]
{{See also|List of monarchs of the Netherlands}}

Feeling that the [[Batavian Republic]] was too independent for his liking, [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]] replaced it with the [[Kingdom of Holland]] on 5 June 1806 and placed Louis on the throne. Napoleon had intended for his younger brother to be little more than a [[prefect (France)|French prefect]] of Holland. However, Louis had his own mind, and tried to be a responsible and independent ruler. To endear himself to his adopted country, he tried to learn the [[Dutch language]]; he called himself '''Lodewijk I''' (adopting the Dutch form of his name) and declared himself Dutch rather than French.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Callister |first1=Graeme |title=War, Public Opinion and Policy in Britain, France and the Netherlands, 1785-1815 |date=2017 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-3319495897 |page=62}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=David Nicholls|title=Napoleon: A Biographical Companion|year=1999|publisher=ABC-CLIO|page=34|isbn=978-0-87436-957-1}}</ref> Allegedly, his Dutch was initially so poor that he told the people he was the ''Konijn van 'Olland'' ("Rabbit of 'Olland"), rather than ''Koning van Holland'' ("King of Holland"). However, his sincere effort to learn Dutch earned him respect from his subjects.

[[File:50 stuiver van het Koninkrijk Holland, 1807 Koninkrijk Holland, 50 stuiver, 1807, KOG-MP-1-2190.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Dutch guilder|Guilder]] of Louis Napoléon minted in 1807. Inscription: NAP. LODEW. I KON. VAN HOLL.]]

Having declared himself Dutch, Louis tried to make his court Dutch as well. He forced his court and ministers (mostly provided by Napoleon) to speak only Dutch and to renounce their French citizenships. This latter was too much for his wife [[Hortense de Beauharnais|Hortense]] who, in France at the time of his demands, refused his request. Louis and Hortense had never gotten along, and this demand further strained their relationship. She only came to Holland reluctantly and deliberately tried to avoid Louis as much as possible.

Louis could never settle on the location of his capital city while he was in Holland. He changed capitals over a dozen times, trying [[Amsterdam]], [[The Hague]], [[Utrecht]], and other places. On one occasion, after visiting the home of a wealthy Dutch merchant, he liked the place so much that he had the owner evicted so he could take up residence there. Then, Louis moved again after seven weeks. His constant moving kept the court in upheaval since they had to follow him everywhere. The European [[diplomatic corps]] went so far as to petition Bonaparte to remain in one place so they could keep up with him. 

Hortense bore Louis's sons [[Napoléon-Charles Bonaparte]] and [[Napoléon Louis Bonaparte]] in Paris, while Louis was in Holland. In 1806, Louis called for his son to be sent to him in Holland, but he was again refused by Hortense, who believed that her son would never be returned to France. When Louis appealed to his brother Napoleon for help, Napoleon sided with Hortense. Napoleon kept the boy in his court, and he even had him named the heir to the French throne before the birth of his son.

[[File:Herman ten Kate - Anno 1809. Lodewijk Napoleon verdedigt Hollands onafhankelijkheid tegenover Napoleon - SA 820 - Amsterdam Museum.jpg|220px|thumb|right|Louis defends Dutch independence against Napoleon. Painted by [[Herman Frederik Carel ten Kate (artist)|Ten Kate]]]]

Two major tragedies occurred during the reign of Louis Bonaparte: the [[Leiden gunpowder disaster|explosion]] of a cargo ship loaded with gunpowder in the heart of the city of [[Leiden]] in 1807, and a major flood in Holland in 1809<!-- not listed at [[Floods in the Netherlands]]-->. In both instances, Louis personally and effectively oversaw local relief efforts, which helped earn him the title of ''Louis the Good''. Napoleon appeared disappointed and commented: ''″Brother, when they say of some king or other that he is good, it means that he has failed in his rule.″''<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Yevgeny Tarle|Tarle]], Yevgeny|title=Bonaparte|url=https://archive.org/details/bonaparte00tarl|year=1937|publisher=Knight Publications|location=New York|language=English|page=[https://archive.org/details/bonaparte00tarl/page/95 95]}}</ref>

Louis Bonaparte's reign was short-lived due to two factors. The first was that Napoleon wanted to reduce the value of French loans from Dutch investors by two-thirds, meaning a serious economic blow to the Netherlands. The second became the pretext for Napoleon's demand of Louis's abdication. As Napoleon was preparing an army for his [[French invasion of Russia|invasion of Russia]], he wanted troops from the entire region under his control, this included troops from the Netherlands. Louis, confronted by his brother's demand, refused point-blank. Napoleon then accused Louis of putting Dutch interests above those of France, and removed most of the French forces in Holland for the coming war in the east, leaving only about 9,000 garrison soldiers in the country. Unfortunately for Louis, the English landed an army of 40,000 in 1809 in [[Walcheren Expedition|an attempt to capture Antwerp and Flushing]]. With Louis unable to defend his realm, France sent 80,000 militiamen, commanded by future [[King of Sweden]] [[Charles XIV John|Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte]], and successfully repelled the invasion. Napoleon then suggested that Louis should abdicate, citing Louis's inability to protect Holland as a reason. Louis refused and declared the occupation of the Kingdom by a French army as unlawful. On 1 July 1810 Louis abdicated in favor of his second son, [[Napoleon Louis Bonaparte]]. He fled from Haarlem on 2/3 July and settled in Austria. [[Oudinot]] invaded Holland on 4 July. Napoleon [[Incorporation (Netherlands)|incorporated Holland into France]] by the [[Rambouillet Decree|Decree of Rambouillet]] on 9 July.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Joor |first1=Johan |editor1-last=Planert |editor1-first=Ute |title=Napoleon's Empire: European Politics in Global Perspective |date=2016 |publisher=Palgrave Macmillan |isbn=978-1137455475 |page=61 |chapter=The Napoleonic Period in Holland from a Dutch Historical Perspective}}</ref>

==Exile==
[[File:Louis Bonaparte by Vogel von Vogelstein.jpg|thumb|right|Louis Bonaparte in [[Rome]] after abdicating as King of Holland, wearing the uniform of a Dutch cavalry general, painted by [[Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein|Vogel von Vogelstein]] in 1813 or 1815]]

After his abdication, Louis Bonaparte assumed the title of Count of Saint-Leu (''comte de Saint-Leu''),<ref>{{cite book|last=Geer|first=Walter|title=Napoleon and His Family: Moscow-Saint Helena, 1813–1821|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t9YnAQAAIAAJ&q=%22comte+de+saint+leu%22|year=1929|publisher=Allen & Unwin|page=7}}</ref> which was a reference to his property at [[Saint-Leu-la-Forêt]] near Paris.<ref>{{cite book|author=Foissy, M.|title=La famille Bonaparte depuis 1264|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=coGEwFgMsXgC&pg=PA130|year=1830|publisher=Vergne|location=Paris|language=French|page=130}}</ref> He was appointed as the [[Constable of France]] in 1808, a strictly honorary title.

After his Dutch kingdom was taken away from him, the [[Austrian Empire|Austrian]] Emperor [[Francis I of Austria|Francis I]] offered him asylum. Between 1811 and 1813, he found refuge in [[Graz]], where he turned to writing and poetry.<ref>{{cite book|author=Bonaparte, Louis |title=Reponse à sir Walter Scott, sur son histoire de Napoleon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cLlBAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA1|year=1829|publisher=C.J. Trouve|location=Paris|language=French|page=1}}</ref> Louis wrote to Napoleon after the latter's defeat in Russia to request that the Dutch throne be restored to him; however, Napoleon refused. His request to visit the Netherlands was denied several times by King [[William I of the Netherlands]], but King [[William II of the Netherlands|William II]] allowed him a visit in 1840. Although traveling in the Netherlands under a false name, some people found out that it was their former king, which led to a cheering crowd gathering under the window of his hotel room. It is said that he was quite moved by this demonstration of affection from his former subjects.{{citation needed|date=July 2021}}

After the death of his eldest brother Joseph in 1844, Louis was seen by the [[Bonapartists]] as the rightful Emperor of the French, although Louis took little action himself to advance the claim. Louis's son and heir, the future Emperor [[Napoleon III]], on the other hand, was at that time being imprisoned in France for having attempted a Bonapartist [[coup d'état]].

Louis Bonaparte died on 25 July 1846 in [[Livorno]], and his remains were buried at [[Saint-Leu-la-Forêt]], [[Île-de-France]].

==Marriage and children==
[[File:Portrait of Louis Bonapart.jpg|thumb|right|Louis Bonaparte with his second son, [[Napoléon Louis Bonaparte]], painted by [[Jean-Baptiste Wicar]]]]

Louis was married on 4 January 1802 to [[Hortense de Beauharnais]], the daughter of the deceased general [[Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais]], and his wife [[Joséphine de Beauharnais|Josephine Tascher de la Pagerie]]. Josephine was the first wife of Louis's brother Napoleon. Thus Hortense was also Louis's step-niece.

This marriage had been forced upon them and was rather loveless, though they supposedly consummated it and interacted often enough to produce three sons. As a rule, the Bonapartes, except Napoleon, loathed the Beauharnaises. Hortense also certainly had extra-marital lovers.<ref>McMillan</ref>

Hortense de Beauharnais gave birth to three sons who were officially claimed by Louis Bonaparte, despite his doubts about their paternity:
# [[Napoleon Charles Bonaparte]], born 10 October 1802, [[Prince Royal of Holland]]. When he died on 5 May 1807 at 4½ years of age, his body lay in state at [[Notre-Dame de Paris|Notre Dame Cathedral]] in Paris. He is buried at Saint-Leu-La-Foret, Ile-de-France.
# [[Napoleon Louis Bonaparte]], born 11 October 1804. Became Prince Royal of Holland on his brother's death, and was King for eight days in 1810, between his father's abdication (1 July) and the fall of Holland to Napoleon Bonaparte's invading army (9 July). Sovereign of the [[Grand Duchy of Berg]] in 1809-1813 (under regency). Napoleon Louis Bonaparte died from [[measles]] on 17 March 1831, and his remains were buried at Saint-Leu-La-Foret, Île-de-France.
# Charles Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte, (1808–73). Born in Paris, he was the third and last son, and became Sovereign of the [[Second French Empire]] (1852–1870) as [[Emperor of the French|Emperor]] [[Napoleon III]].

==See also==

*[[List of Corsican people]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* {{cite book
|title = Napoleon Bonaparte: A Life
|author = Alan Schom
|year = 1998
|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=4GXsA1KuL_oC
|publisher = [[HarperCollins]]
|isbn = 978-0-06-092958-9}}

{{S-start}}
{{S-hou|[[House of Bonaparte]]|2 September|1778|25 July|1846}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-reg|}}
{{S-new}}
{{S-ttl|title=[[King of Holland]]|years=5 June 1806 – 1 July 1810}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Napoléon Louis Bonaparte|Louis II]]}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-pre}}
{{S-bef|before=[[Joseph Bonaparte|Joseph I]]}}
{{S-tul|title=[[Emperor of the French]]<br />King of Italy|years=28 July 1844 – 25 July 1846}}
{{S-aft|after=[[Napoleon III]]}}
{{S-break}}
{{S-end}}

{{Commons category|Louis Bonaparte}}
{{Napoleon}}
{{Imperial House of France (First French Empire)}}
{{Monarchs of the Netherlands}}
{{Napoleonic Wars}}
{{French Pretenders}}
{{Bonaparte family}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonaparte, Louis}}
[[Category:Louis Bonaparte| ]]
[[Category:1778 births]]
[[Category:1846 deaths]]
[[Category:House of Bonaparte|Louis Bonaparte]]
[[Category:French people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Ajaccio]]
[[Category:Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain]]
[[Category:Bonapartist pretenders to the French throne|Louis Bonaparte]]
[[Category:19th-century Dutch monarchs|Louis Bonaparte]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic monarchs]]
[[Category:French Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Dutch Roman Catholics]]
[[Category:Princes of France (Bonaparte)|Louis Bonaparte]]
[[Category:Napoleon III]]
[[Category:People from the Kingdom of Holland]]
[[Category:Parents of presidents of France]]
[[Category:Military governors of Paris]]
[[Category:Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe]]
[[Category:Exiled royalty]]
[[Category:French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars]]
[[Category:Monarchs who abdicated]]
[[Category:Constables of France]]
[[Category:French expatriates in Austria]]