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Letizia Ramolino
As the chart below shows, Letizia Ramolino married a Corsican lawyer, Charles Bonaparte,
and lived to 86 -- the last fifty-one years in widowhood. While her descendants
did well -- two Napoleons becoming Emperors of the French -- they did not do
as well in terms of lasting power, prestige and wealth as those who won her son's
favor, particularly Napoleon's first wife, Josephine, and his
trusted general, Bernadotte, whose descendants are the present royals of Sweden,
Norway and Denmark.
Letizia was widowed in 1785 at the youthful age of 35 and
from then on she poured her energy into promoting her six children. The French
Revolution of 1789 gave her -- and many others -- unprecedented opportunities.
She supported if not engineered Napoleon's marriage to Josephine Beauharnais --
the beautiful, clever and well connected widow of an executed aristocrat -- and
on becoming Emperor of the French in 1804, Napoleon honored his siblings
with kingdoms he had wrenched from traditional rulers.
Louis became King of
Holland, Caroline Queen of Naples, Jerome King of Westphalia, Lucien
Prince of Canino and Joseph became King of Spain. His trusted general,
Bernadotte, was given Sweden and Josephine's son Eugene Beauharnais was made
Viceroy of a united Kingdom of Italy. Josephine's daughter, Hortense
Beauharnais, became Queen of Holland on her marriage to Napoleon's brother
Louis. Napoleon's only legitimate heir, Napoleon Francois -- by his
dynastic marriage to Maria Louise of Austria -- was only 10 years old when his
father died in disgrace in 1821. Letizia did not live to see her grandson, Napoleon III, became Emperor of the French
in 1852-1870, and despite many attempts to legitimize the family by marrying
into established royal houses of Europe, none of her descendants became 'royal'.
It would have pleased her, though, that her great-great grand-daughter, Marie
Bonaparte, married George of Greece, the uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of
Edinburgh.
See Royal Tree to see how this family fits in with the European royals.
Letizia Ramolino
1750-1836 |
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Napoleon Bonaparte
1769-1821
(Emperor of the French
1804-1815) |
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m.
Charles Bonaparte
1746-1785 |
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m1.
Josephine Beauharnais |
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no issue |
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m2.
Maria Louise of Austria |
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Napoleon Francois |
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(given the title Duke of Reichstadt and King of Rome,
briefly proclaimed Napoleon II
(raised as an Austrian, no contact
with father) |
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1791-1847 |
1811-1832 |
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Mistress 1
Marie, Countess Walewska |
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Alexander Walewska |
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1810-1868 |
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Mistress 2
Eleanore Denuella |
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Leon Denuella |
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(illegitimate son by Eleanore) |
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Louis Bonaparte |
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Napoleon Louis 1804-1831 |
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1778-1846 |
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m. |
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(established by his brother as King of Holland
1806-1810) |
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Charlotte Bonaparte (cousin) |
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m.
Hortense Beauharnais
1783-1837
(Josephine's daughter)
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Napoleon III
1808-1873
(became Emperor of the French
1852-1870) |
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Napoleon Eugene 1856-1879 |
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m.
Eugenie Countess of Teba
1825-1920 |
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(Eugenie's son) |
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Mistress
Alexandrine Vergiot |
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Louis, Count d'Orx
1843-1910
(Alexandrine's son) |
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Lucien Charles
Prince Murat
1803-1858 |
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Prince Antony
1818 |
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Prince Leopold of
Hohenzollern
Sigmmaringen
1840 |
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m.
Caroline Fraser |
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m
Princess of Baden(Stephanie Beauharnais'
daughter, Josephine Beauharnais' neice) |
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(g. grandson of Caroline Bonaparte, grandson of Stephanie
Beauharnais -- Josephine's niece -- his proposed Spanish marriage caused the Franco-Prussian
War) |
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Napoleon Achille |
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1801-1847 |
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m. |
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Catherine Dangerfield Gray |
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Caroline Bonaparte |
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Letizia |
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1782-1839 |
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1802-1859 |
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m. |
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(established by her brother as Queen of Naples in 1805) |
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Marquis Pepoli |
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m. |
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Joachim Murat |
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Louise Jule |
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1771-1815
(assassinated) |
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1805-1889 |
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m.
Count Rasponi |
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Jerome Bonaparte |
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Napoleon Joseph Bonaparte |
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Victor Bonaparte |
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Clotilde Napoleon Bonaparte |
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1784-1860 |
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1822-1891 |
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1862-1926 |
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1912-1996 |
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(created King of Westphalia) |
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m. |
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m. |
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m. |
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m. |
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Catherine of Wurttemburg |
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Clotilde of Savoy |
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Clementine of the Belgians |
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Serge de Witt |
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1872-1855 |
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1891-1990 |
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1783-1835 |
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1843-1911 |
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(Q. Louise's g.daughter) |
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(created a count) |
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Mathilde Napoleon Bonaparte |
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Louis Napoleon Bonaparte |
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1820-1904 |
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1914-1997 |
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m.
Anatole Demidoff of San Donato (created count) |
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m.
Alix de Forester |
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1813-1870 |
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1926 |
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Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte |
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1814-1847 |
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Lucien Bonaparte |
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Charles Lucien Bonaparte |
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Lucien Charles Bonaparte |
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Marie Bonaparte |
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1775-1840 |
1803-1857 |
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1830 |
1880 |
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(established by his brother as Prince of Canino) |
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m.
Alexandrine de Jouberthou
1778-1855 |
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m.
Marie Blanc |
m.
George of Greece
1878 |
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m. |
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(Uncle of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) |
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Joseph Bonaparte |
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Zanaide Bonaparte |
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1768-1844 |
(cousins) |
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(established by his brother as King of Spain,
temporarily, in 1808 |
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m.
Julie Clary 1772 |
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Charlotte Bonaparte
m. |
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Napoleon Louis
1804-1831
(cousin) |
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