Biography of Joseph Bonaparte

Ephemeral kingdoms

7 January 1768 28 July 1844 Joseph Bonaparte was born at Court, a small town of Corsica, on 7 January 1768 by General Carlo Maria, follower of Pasquale Paoli and with him involved in the struggles for independence and Maria Letizia Ramolino. Seventeen months after her brother Napoleon was born, destined to notch up his personal fate as well as that of Europe as a whole. In 1794 bride Julie Clary, in Marseille. In 1796 is Ambassador to Rome; Here, on 28 January 1797, during a peaceful demonstration of people near the Embassy of France, the Papal troops opened fire killing, among others, General Duphot, boyfriend of Désirée Clary, sister of Julie. The incident follows a similar one in which he had killed the diplomat Hugo De Basseville, in January 1793. The France-led by Louis Marie de La Revelliere-Lepeaux that is, among other things, a fierce anti-Catholic-decides to invade the Papal States establishing therein, on 15 February 1798, the Roman Republic, and forcing Pope Pius VI to flee to Tuscany. The King of Naples, Ferdinand IV, caused mainly by the British, is less commitments Armistice of Brescia two years earlier and attacked the French troops. The outcome proves to be disastrous because the French, in addition to defeat him, forcing him to flee Naples to Palermo. In 1799 the Bourbon Kings falls again in possession of his territories, persisting in hostility toward France until, in February 1806, an army of 50000 Frenchmen under Marshal Massena crosses the borders of United and, having forced for a second time to abandon Naples, on a rainy February 14 lead Joseph Bonaparte to the throne with the title of Lieutenant of the emperor. His first edict, on the following day, it is a proclamation of Napoleon which opens with these words: "soldiers! In ten years I all I did to keep the King of Naples, he did everything to get lost. " On 30 March Napoleon issues the decree which appointed him King of the two Sicilies, conservandogli the right to the throne of France and declaring the new autonomous Kingdom compared to France. A first-time sovereign worries immediately to reassure his new subjects and establishing a Government of six Ministers, four of them royalists Neapolitans. But Joseph Bonaparte has to complete the work of conquest: in the territories of the Kingdom, and especially in Calabria, there are still areas occupied by Bourbon followers, creating serious problems to the French troops. During these years comes the carbonari, the secret society that is opposed to French rule and who aspires to the Constitution and national unification, and South expands rapidly throughout Italy. Joseph began a series of reforms, the most important of which is adopted by the law of 2 August 1806 that abolishes feudalism by deleting a host of privileges. While remaining highly innovative principles, reform ultimately encourage the emergence of a large agrarian bourgeoisie, disappointing the expectations of farmers. Meanwhile, in Spain, is exacerbating an internal crisis that led to the overthrow of King Charles IV by his son Ferdinand VII; the King asks the help of Napoleon which, going beyond the request of Charles, occupies the Spain, returns the Crown to its rightful owner, forcing him to give it to him. We are in 1808: Napoleon assigns the Spanish Crown to his brother Joseph, sending in Naples, where the new King, Joachim Murat. Spain's campaign proves however reckless, because the people rise supported by the English Duke of Wellington, initiating the Peninsular War which lasted until 1814 causing to France over 400,000 casualties. After his inauguration, Joseph Bonaparte try to soften tempers by granting a Constitution and initiating various reforms, but it is all in vain. On 23 July 1808 his troops are defeated in had crossed Bailén Street, but the intervention of Napoleon the ensures the preservation of the throne that you do not save, however, after the defeat of Arapiles, a few years later. In 1813 Joseph is forced to flee to France. After the collapse of the Empire, he moved to America in order to acquire a prestigious property and initiate relationships with women of the local nobility, while Julie, remaining in Europe with daughters, regains its former love Francois Andre Anthoine. Will they be joined only in 1840, in Florence. Four years later, on 28 July 1844, Joseph Bonaparte, ruler of two kingdoms ephemera, spira in Florence at the age of seventy-six years.
Article contributed by the team of collaborators.