Who is napoleons brother

After his death, the New Jersey estate changed hands several times; most of its Bonaparte-era buildings were torn down. He tells NJ. And he spent roughly 20 years in Bordentown, most of his adult life. Monmouth University professor Richard F. Nora McGreevy is a daily correspondent for Smithsonian. She can be reached through her website, noramcgreevy.

A 19th-century gardener's house is the only surviving building on the property that would have been standing when Joseph Bonaparte was in residence. Joseph suffered a string of defeats as he and French forces engaged what was left of the Spanish regular army, and he asked his brother if he could abdicate and return to Naples. Unable to beat back the rebels and their English allies, Joseph abdicated his throne in , having ruled for just over five years. He eventually moved to a large estate in Bordentown, New Jersey, twenty-five miles northeast of Philadelphia along the Delaware River.

It was called Point Breeze. Bonaparte may have been dethroned, but he was still royalty. He built up the estate to reflect his social standing. He constructed a vast mansion for himself, with a large wine cellar, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, elaborate crystal chandeliers, marble fireplaces and grand staircases. His library held the largest collection of books in the country at the time eight thousand volumes versus the sixty-five hundred volumes of the Library of Congress.

The land surrounding the mansion was elaborately landscaped and featured ten miles of carriage paths, rare trees and plants, gazebos, gardens, fountains and an artificial lake stocked with imported European swans. Bonaparte had met Annette, the year-old, French-speaking daughter of distinguished Virginia merchants, while he was shopping for suspenders at her mother's shop in Philadelphia.

His neighbors rushed to the house and managed to save most of the silver and his priceless art collection. Joseph introduced educational, judicial, and financial reforms, but his work was cut short in , when Napoleon made him king of Spain. Although Joseph did all within his power to win over the Spanish people—he tried to learn the language, attended bullfights, professed devotion to the Catholic religion, and attempted to discipline the French army—they refused to accept a Bonaparte, as they had refused a Bourbon a hundred years earlier.

Driven out of the capital in August , after only 3 months on the throne, Joseph was restored to power by French troops, upon whom he depended during his brief reign. As the French Empire disintegrated after , Joseph was forced to abandon Spain in and return to Paris. He served as lieutenant general of France during the last months of his brother's reign.

When Napoleon returned to France in March , Joseph was once again at his side, but he played no important role during the Hundred Days. She and Murat entered upon intrigues with Napoleon's enemies, but with no positive result. After the fall of Napoleon, Clemens von Metternich tried to save Murat's throne. Murat's rashness, however, led to his execution, and Caroline fled to Austria.

On a visit to the United States he met Elizabeth Patterson , whom he married in , although, as a minor, he lacked the necessary consent. He was more remarkable for his extravagant irresponsibility than for administrative or military skill. Leaving France after Waterloo, he returned in and later received honors at the court of his nephew, Napoleon III. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. All rights reserved. See more Encyclopedia articles on: French History: Biographies.

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