Jérôme Bonaparte

• 1. Corsican Boy And Naval Fugitive

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  Jérôme Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica on the 15th of November 1784. He was the eighth and last surviving child of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino. His elder siblings included Joseph, Napoleon, Lucien, Elisa, Louis, Pauline, and Caroline. The young Jérôme studied at the Catholic College of Juilly before attending the Irish College in Paris. In January 1800 he joined the French Navy as a teenager. Napoleon placed him in charge of a frigate operating in the West Indies. An incident occurred where he accidentally shot a British ship. This event could have escalated conflict between France and Britain. Fearful of his brother's wrath he fled north under the assumed name Mr. Albert. He traveled to the United States to wait for his temper to cool. While there he amassed considerable debts and nearly faced a duel over ruining a lady's honor. On July 1803 he arrived in Baltimore after hearing boastful claims about its women.

• 2. The American Marriage Scandal

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  In Baltimore during July 1803 Jérôme met Elizabeth Patterson who was reportedly the most beautiful woman in that city. She was eighteen years old while he was nineteen. They married on Christmas Eve the 24th of December 1803 against the bride's father William Patterson's wishes. William had received an anonymous letter detailing Jérôme's womanizing and massive debts. The marriage was intended by Jérôme only as a way to stay in style until returning to France. Napoleon became furious about this match because he wanted royal marriages across Europe. After becoming Emperor in 1804 he annulled the marriage himself via imperial decree on the 11th of March 1805. Elizabeth was pregnant when they landed in neutral Portugal. She tried to enter Amsterdam but the Emperor barred her ship from the harbor. Elizabeth sailed to England instead and gave birth to Jérôme Napoléon Bonaparte in London in 1805. Jérôme would not attempt to see his son for two decades. Elizabeth returned alone to America with her child and never spoke to him again. A special decree of the Maryland General Assembly declared them divorced in 1815.

• 3. Kingdom Of Westphalia And Bankruptcy

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  Napoleon made his brother King of Westphalia creating a short-lived realm between 1807 and 1813. The capital was Kassel located in northwestern Germany. Jérôme married Princess Catharina of Württemberg daughter of Frederick I. They arrived to find palaces in a plundered state. Orders were placed for stately furniture and expensive silverware with Parisian manufacturers. Local artisans oriented themselves with these French models. The king refurbished his capital architecturally including the court theatre designed by Leo von Klenze. Grandiose state portraits were commissioned to emphasize his rank as ruler. His careless spending stripped the treasury of its funds putting the kingdom into debt. This reckless disregard for finances continued for the rest of his life. The small kingdom received more attention since the Treaty of Westphalia ended the Thirty Years' War in 1648. However Jérôme's expensive habits earned him the contempt of Napoleon. His court incurred expenses comparable to Napoleon's own vastly larger realm. Napoleon refused to support Jérôme financially despite the financial collapse.

• 4. Disaster In Russia And Military Failure

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  In 1812 Jérôme was given command of a corps marching towards Minsk during the invasion of Russia. He insisted on traveling in state with luxurious trappings. Napoleon reprimanded him ordering him to leave his court behind. After the Battle of Mir in 1812 Jérôme occupied Mir Castle. In pique at Napoleon's order he returned with his entire court to Westphalia. As a result tens of thousands of lives were most likely lost during the invasion. The defeat came during the following winter when Allied armies advanced. Jérôme petitioned Napoleon to allow his wife to go to Paris fearing the advance of Allied forces. On the second attempt Napoleon granted permission. He briefly re-entered the army in 1813 when Prussian and Russian armies threatened from the east. He led a small force to challenge their attempt at liberation. Before reinforcements arrived the main allied force liberated the capital Kassel. The Kingdom of Westphalia was declared dissolved ending his kingship. He fled to join his wife in France after Napoleon's final defeat in 1815.

• 5. Waterloo And Tactical Errors

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  During the Hundred Days Napoleon placed Jérôme in command of the 6th Division of the II Corps under General Honoré Charles Reille. At Waterloo Jérôme's division made an initial attack on Hougoumont. It is said that Napoleon wished to draw in the Duke of Wellington's reserves. Jérôme was allowed to enlarge the assault such that his division became completely engaged. This engagement took place attempting to take Hougoumont to the exclusion of any other possible deployment. No significant weakening of Wellington's center occurred despite the effort. The episode became another in the long line of his military failures. His tactical errors contributed to the broader French defeat at this decisive battle. The failure demonstrated his inability to execute complex strategic commands effectively.

• 6. Later Years And Political Restoration

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  After the dissolution of his kingdom Jérôme received the title Prince of Montfort from King Frederick I of Württemberg in July 1816. They had visited the United States during their exile before returning to France. In 1848 his nephew Louis Napoleon became President of the Second Republic. Jérôme was made Governor of Les Invalides in Paris providing a large salary for little work. When Louis Napoleon became emperor as Napoleon III Jérôme served as heir presumptive until the birth of Napoléon Eugène. He was named Marshal of France in 1850 and served as President of the Senate in 1852. He received the title Prince Français during these years. Jérôme died on the 24th of June 1860 at Villegenis France now known as Massy in Essonne. He is buried in Les Invalides alongside his brother Napoleon.

• 7. Legacy And Descendants

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  His grandson Charles Joseph Bonaparte served as Secretary of the Navy under Theodore Roosevelt from 1901 to 1909. He addressed the Supreme Court over 500 times during his career. In 1908 he established a Bureau of Investigation within the Department of Justice. The bureau grew under director J. Edgar Hoover and was renamed the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 1935. Another grandson Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte II graduated from West Point in the early 1850s. He served with the Mounted Rifles in Texas before resigning to join Napoleon III's forces. Among Jérôme's illegitimate children was Baroness Jenny von Gustedt born Jeromée Catharina Rabe von Pappenheim. She became the grandmother of German Socialist writer Lily Braun. His legitimate sons included Prince Jérôme Napoléon Charles Bonaparte and Prince Napoléon Bonaparte known as Plon-Plon. Princess Mathilde Bonaparte hosted prominent gatherings during the Second Empire years.