Short answers, pulled from the story.
Letizia Bonaparte was a Corsican noblewoman born on the 24th of August 1750 and the mother of Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. Her formal title, granted by imperial decree, was Madame Mere, meaning "Madame Mother." She is significant as the matriarch of the House of Bonaparte, having raised eight children who became kings, queens, and European royalty.
Letizia Bonaparte held the title Madame Mere, short for "Mother of His Majesty the Emperor." The title was created by imperial decree in July 1804 after Cardinal Fesch wrote to Napoleon requesting she be formally recognized. The designation distinguished her from the traditional use of "Madame" for daughters of the king.
Letizia Bonaparte did not attend Napoleon's coronation on the 2nd of December 1804. Despite her absence, she appears seated in a prominent position in Jacques-Louis David's famous painting of the ceremony. Her response to her son's rise was the remark "Pourvu que ca dure!" meaning "Let's hope it lasts."
After their final meeting at the Chateau de Malmaison on the 29th of June 1815, Letizia Bonaparte went to Rome under the protection of Pope Pius VII. She purchased the former Palazzo Rinuccini, later renamed Palazzo Bonaparte, on the corner of Piazza Venezia and Via del Corso, and lived there in seclusion until her death in 1836.
Letizia Bonaparte gave birth to thirteen children between 1765 and 1784. Eight survived to adulthood, including Napoleon, Joseph, Lucien, Elisa, Louis, Pauline, Caroline, and Jérôme. The five who died included two stillborn children and three who died in infancy or early childhood.
Dame May Whitty was the first to portray Letizia Bonaparte onscreen, in the 1937 historical drama Conquest. Later portrayals include Jane Lapotaire in the 1987 miniseries Napoleon and Josephine: A Love Story, Anouk Aimee in the 2002 production Napoleon, and Sinead Cusack in Ridley Scott's 2023 film Napoleon.