Curated playlist
French people of Italian descent
- Paul CézannePaul Cézanne was rejected by the Salon de Paris every year from 1864 to 1869.
- NapoleonNapoleon crowned himself emperor with a replica of Charlemagne's crown. The pope had just anointed him.
- Caroline BonaparteNapoleon's sister Caroline Bonaparte carried her lost kingdom in her exile name. Lipona is an anagram of Napoli.
- André GideA 1924 defense of his sexuality kept André Gide from ever being nominated to the Académie Française.
- Napoleon IIINapoleon III escaped a life sentence by walking out of prison dressed as a laborer.
- Francis II of FranceAt his coronation, Francis II's crown was so heavy that nobles had to hold it above his head.
- Louis BonaparteNapoleon made his brother Louis king of Holland, and Louis refused to send troops for the Russia invasion.
- Antoine Christophe SalicetiAntoine Christophe Saliceti opposed Napoleon's 1799 coup, yet Napoleon kept using him.
- Jérôme BonaparteJérôme Bonaparte married a Baltimore woman despite her father's warnings, then abandoned her for a crown.
- Joseph BonaparteJoseph Bonaparte hid on a ship under a false name while British officers searched it three times.
- Letizia BonaparteTold her son Napoleon was now Emperor, Letizia Bonaparte replied, "Let's hope it lasts."
- Carlo BuonaparteCarlo Buonaparte died broke in 1785, twenty years before his son became Emperor of the French.
- François GérardFrançois Gérard painted for Napoleon, then for the kings who replaced him. He served both regimes as court painter.