Bonapartes

The Bonapartes refers to the Bonaparte family, a Corsican-Italian noble lineage that rose to prominence in France during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. The surname derives from Corsican Italian Buonaparte; in French it is Bonaparte.

The most famous member is Napoléon Bonaparte (1769–1821), who rose from a military officer during the French Revolution to Emperor of the French (1804–1814, briefly in 1815). His campaigns transformed European politics and created a dynastic household that endured beyond his lifetime.

Several close relatives held thrones or titles during the empire. Joseph Bonaparte (1768–1844) was King of Naples and Sicily (1806–1808) and later King of Spain (1808–1813). Louis Bonaparte (1778–1846) ruled the Kingdom of Holland (1806–1810) and was the father of Napoleon III. Jérôme Bonaparte (1784–1860) ruled the Kingdom of Westphalia (1807–1813). Hortense de Beauharnais (1783–1837), Napoleon I’s stepdaughter and wife of Louis Bonaparte, was the mother of Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, who became Napoleon III in 1852. Napoléon II (1811–1832) was Napoleon I’s son and titular Emperor of the French in exile.

After the fall of Napoleon I in 1815, many Bonapartes lived in exile. The Second French Empire under Napoleon III collapsed in 1870. Since then, the name Bonaparte remains chiefly of historical interest, with living descendants and occasional public figures, but no ruling dynasty.