Elisa Bonaparte

• 1. Corsican Childhood And Saint-Cyr

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  Élisa Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on the 3rd of January 1777. She received the name Maria Anna at her christening before adopting the nickname Elisa later in life. Her brother Lucien gave her this shortened name during their close childhood years together. In June 1784 a bursary allowed her to attend the Maison royale de Saint-Louis at Saint-Cyr. Napoleon visited his sister frequently while she studied there. The Legislative Assembly decreed the closure of the school on the 16th of August 1792 due to its aristocratic associations. Élisa left the institution on the 1st of September with Napoleon to return to Ajaccio. Around 1795 the family relocated to Marseille where she met Felice Pasquale Baciocchi. He was a Corsican nobleman who had served as a captain in the Royal Corse before losing his rank.

• 2. Marriage And Family Dynamics

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  Élisa married Felice Levoy in a civil ceremony in Marseille on the 1st of May 1797. A religious ceremony followed in Mombello where Napoleon owned a villa. Napoleon moved his family to that location in June 1797. He held initial reservations about his sister's choice of spouse due to Baciocchi's reputation as a poor captain. Their wedding coincided with Pauline's marriage to general Victor-Emmanuel Leclerc on the same day. In July Baciocchi received promotion to chef de bataillon with command of the citadel at Ajaccio. The extended Bonaparte family moved to Paris in 1799. Élisa established her home at 125 rue de Miromesnil in the Quartier du Roule. She hosted receptions and put on plays there during the Consulate period. Her brother Lucien reassigned her husband Félix Baciocchi as secretary when he became ambassador to Madrid in November 1800.

• 3. Principality Of Lucca And Piombino

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  Napoleon awarded Elisa the Principality of Piombino on the 19th of March 1805. This territory had been French property for some years and offered strategic proximity to Elba and Corsica. The oligarchic Republic of Lucca joined their domain in June 1805 after being occupied by France since late 1799. An investiture ceremony followed on the 14th of July 1805. Most power over these territories rested with Élisa while Félix took only minor military decisions. The inhabitants knew her ironically as la Madame due to their loss of independence. Napoleon withdrew Massa and Carrara from the Kingdom of Italy on the 31st of March 1806 to add to her possessions. Carrara supplied white marble throughout Europe so she established an Académie des Beaux-Arts. She created the Banque Élisienne to provide financial aid to sculptors and workers on marble taxes. Legislative reforms included laws inspired by the Code Napoleon such as the Codice rurale del Principato di Piombino issued on the 24th of March 1808.

• 4. Grand Duchy Of Tuscany

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  Élisa became Grand Duchess of Tuscany on the 3rd of March 1809 when Florence served as its capital. Her arrival in Florence occurred on the 2nd of April 1809 where nobility received her coldly. A revolt against compulsory conscription ended after a mayor and judge were assassinated shortly thereafter. Napoleon's decree required her to enforce his decisions without modifying them. This restriction differed significantly from the autonomy she enjoyed in Lucca and Piombino. In 1809 she commissioned sculptor Lorenzo Bartolini to create busts of her immediate family. Two volumes of the Annali del Museo Imperiale di Fisica e Storia Naturale dedicated themselves to her in 1808 and 1809. The observatory at that museum later became Florence's Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri. Relations with Napoleon grew strained as he frequently recalled her for irregularities in executing orders. He demanded payments for grants of Massa and Carrara totaling 200,000 lira which she refused to pay twice.

• 5. Fall From Power And Exile

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  Caroline Bonaparte's husband Joachim Murat joined the Austrian cause by leading Neapolitan forces to Rome in January 1814. An Anglo-Austrian force under Lord William Bentinck captured Lucca soon after forcing pregnant Élisa to flee on the night of the 13th of March 1814. She was forced to abdicate as Grand Duchess of Tuscany in favor of Ferdinand III's restoration. Former requests to return to Italy as a private individual were denied despite seeking support in Marseille. Jérôme Bonaparte helped her stay in Austria before moving to Villa Caprara in Trieste. Napoleon faced exile to Elba on the 13th of April 1814 under the Treaty of Fontainebleau. Élisa was arrested on the 25th of March and interned in the Austrian fortress of Brünn. She gained freedom at the end of August and received authorization to remain in Trieste as Countess of Compignano. She acquired a country house at Villa Vicentina near Cervignano following her release.

• 6. Death And Historical Legacy

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  Élisa contracted a fatal illness in June 1820 possibly at an archaeological excavation site. She died on the 7th of August at the age of forty-three years old. Her burial took place in the San Petronio Basilica of Bologna. She became the only adult sibling of Napoleon Bonaparte not to survive the emperor. Five children resulted from her marriage to Felice Pasquale Baciocchi including Felix Napoléon who lived from 1798 to 1799. Another son named Napoléon existed between 1803 and 1803 while Elisa Napoléone survived until 1869. Jérôme Charles lived from 1810 to 1811 and Frédéric Napoléon from 1813 to 1833. The family line continued through Elisa Napoléone's marriage to Philippe Comte Camerata-Passioneï de Mazzoleni. Their union produced one son named Charles Félix Jean-Baptiste Camerata-Passionei di Mazzoleni born in 1826.