Caroline Bonaparte

Maria Annunziata Carolina Bonaparte, Queen of Naples and Sicily, Grand Duchess of Berg and Cleves (Ajaccio, Corsica, 25 March 1782 – 18 May 1839 in Florence), better known as Caroline Bonaparte, was the seventh surviving child and third surviving daughter of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino.

Caroline was born in Ajaccio, Corsica. She was a younger sister of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon I of France, Lucien Bonaparte, Elisa Bonaparte, Louis Bonaparte and Pauline Bonaparte. She was an older sister of Jérôme Bonaparte.

In 1793, Caroline moved with her family to France during the French Revolution. There she fell in love with Joachim Murat, one of her brother's generals, and they married on January 20, 1800. At first Napoleon did not allow them to marry but then Josephine changed his mind. Caroline went to school and was good friends with Hortense, Josephine's daughter and Carolines brother Louis wife.

They were parents to four children:

Napoléon Achille Murat (1801 - 1847). He was married to Catherine Willis in 1826.
Laetitia Josephine Murat (1802 - 1859). She was married to Guido-Taddeo, Marquess Pepoli in 1823.
Prince Napoleon Lucien Charles Murat (May 16, 1803 - April 10, 1878). He was an associate of his first cousin Napoleon III of France. He married Caroline Georgina Fraser in 1831.
Louise Julie Murat (March 22, 1805 - 1889). She married Giullio, Count Rasponi.

Ambitious and power-hungry, she became Grand Duchess of Berg and Cleves on March 15, 1806. She became Queen consort of Naples on August 1, 1808.

The birth of Napoléon II to her namesake brother and his second Empress Consort Marie Louise of Austria, destroyed any hope of her son Napoléon Achille Murat succeeding to her brother. So she allied with Napoléon's rival, Klemens Wenzel von Metternich. When he failed in his attempt to secure the throne for Murat, the latter was executed and Caroline fled to the Austrian Empire. She died in Florence. One of her direct descendants is American actor Rene Auberjonois.

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