- Original Italian:
- Giuseppe Buonaparte
- Title / Office:
- king (1808-1813), Spain
- king (1806-1808), Kingdom of Naples
- House / Dynasty:
- Bonaparte family
- Notable Family Members:
- father Carlo Maria Buonaparte
- mother Letizia Buonaparte
- brother Napoleon I
- brother Louis Bonaparte
- brother Lucien Bonaparte
- brother Jérôme Bonaparte
- sister Caroline Bonaparte
- sister Pauline Bonaparte
- sister Élisa Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
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Who was Joseph Bonaparte?
Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844) was Napoleon's older brother, who became king of Naples (1806–08) and then king of Spain (1808–13).
Like his brother, Joseph was a French Republican. He served as minister to Parma and Rome. Later, he became a member for Corsica in the Council of Five Hundred. Joseph was instrumental in negotiating treaties with the United States and Austria.
After Napoleon conquered the Bourbon dynasty, Joseph became the king of Naples. As king, he abolished feudalism and reformed the judicial and educational systems.
Later, Napoleon appointed Joseph king of Spain. However, Spanish insurgents defeated French forces, forcing Joseph to flee. Napoleon reinstated him, but kept him in a subordinate position. When allied troops reached Paris, Joseph fled.
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Which countries did Joseph Bonaparte rule?
Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon I’s older brother, ruled as king over two countries:
- Naples Joseph was proclaimed King of Naples in 1806. During his rule, he reformed the judicial, financial, and educational systems, and abolished feudalism and monastic orders.
- Spain In 1808, Joseph became the King of Spain. However, he was soon forced to leave Madrid after Spanish insurgents defeated French forces. Napoleon reinstated him later that year, but Joseph was kept in a subordinate position and offered to abdicate four times.
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How did Joseph Bonaparte become king of Naples and Spain?
Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon I’s eldest surviving brother, became king of Naples in 1806 after being sent to expel the Bourbon dynasty. He was proclaimed king by imperial decree and implemented reforms to the judicial, financial, and educational systems, and he also abolished feudalism.
In 1808, Napoleon, increasingly dissatisfied with Joseph’s conduct, appointed him king of Spain. Joseph was forced to leave Madrid after Spanish insurgents defeated French forces. Napoleon reinstated him at the close of 1808 but kept him in a subordinate position, leading Joseph to offer to abdicate four times.
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What challenges did Joseph Bonaparte face as king of Spain?
Joseph Bonaparte, as King of Spain, faced several challenges:
- Popular Resistance: Napoleon's underestimation of popular resistance led to local uprisings against the French, even after the suppression of the Madrid revolt on May 2, 1808.
- Guerrilla Warfare: The Spanish demonstrated a great capacity for guerrilla warfare, which drained French resources.
- Military defeats: Spanish insurgents defeated French forces, which forced Joseph to leave Madrid.
- External forces: British troops, led by the Duke of Wellington, played a crucial role in the Peninsular War, further complicating Joseph's rule.
- Lack of support: Joseph relied on afrancesados, those who believed in French reforms, but Napoleon underestimated the widespread opposition to the French occupation.
- Political instability: The deposition of King Ferdinand led to a fragmented Spain with provincial committees (juntas) organizing resistance.
- Economic strain: The Peninsular War became a costly "Spanish ulcer" for Napoleon, diverting men and money.
- Liberal opposition: The Cortes of Cadiz, dominated by liberals, aimed to establish a constitution limiting the monarchy and promoting a centralized administrative system, clashing with Joseph's rule.
- Collaboration accusations: The afrancesados faced accusations of collaboration with the French, creating divisions within Spanish society.
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How was Joseph Bonaparte related to Napoleon Bonaparte?
Joseph Bonaparte (born January 7, 1768, died July 28, 1844) was Napoleon I's eldest surviving brother. Joseph was a lawyer, diplomat, and soldier who became the king of Naples (1806–08) and later the king of Spain (1808–13).
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What happened to Joseph Bonaparte after he stopped being king?
After Joseph Bonaparte was ousted as king of Spain in 1813, he fled when Allied troops reached Paris in 1814. Following Napoleon's surrender, Joseph sought refuge in the United States. In 1830, he advocated for his nephew to be recognized as the French throne's rightful heir. Later, he resided in England, Genoa, and Florence, where he died in 1844.
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Joseph Bonaparte (born January 7, 1768, Corte, Corsica—died July 28, 1844, Florence, Tuscany, Italy) was a lawyer, diplomat, soldier, and Napoleon I’s eldest surviving brother, who was successively king of Naples (1806–08) and king of Spain (1808–13).
Like his brothers, Joseph embraced the French republican cause and, with the victory of Corsican patriot Pasquale Paoli, was forced to leave Corsica to seek refuge in France. In 1796 he accompanied Napoleon in the early part of his Italian campaign and had some part in the negotiations with Sardinia that led to the armistice of Cherasco. He then took part in the French expedition for the recovery of Corsica and assisted in the reorganization of the island. He was appointed by the Directory minister to the court of Parma (1797) and then to Rome. Late in 1797 he returned to Paris and became one of the members for Corsica in the Council of Five Hundred.
Joseph did little in the coup d’état of 18 Brumaire (November 9, 1799). He was a member of the Council of State and of the Corps Législatif, and he concluded at Mortfontaine a convention with the United States (1800). He also presided over negotiations leading to the Treaty of Lunéville with Austria (1801); and he was one of those who represented France in discussions with the British envoy, Lord Cornwallis, that led to the treaty of Amiens (1802), which marked Napoleon’s total pacification of Europe. A year later, however, relations between England and France were severed, and Joseph’s diplomatic efforts proved to have been in vain.
On the question of the consolidation of Napoleon’s power as first consul for life (August 1, 1802) with the power to nominate his own successor, the brothers disagreed. As Napoleon had no heir, Joseph as eldest brother claimed to be recognized as heir, while Napoleon wished to recognize the son of Louis Bonaparte. On the proclamation of the French empire (May 1804) the friction became acute. Joseph refused Napoleon’s offer to make him king of Lombardy if he would waive all claim of succession to the French throne.
After acting for a year as chief of the French government while Napoleon was in Germany, Joseph was sent to Naples to expel the Bourbon dynasty (1806). Proclaimed king of Naples by imperial decree later the same year, he abolished the relics of feudalism, reformed the monastic orders, and reorganized the judicial, financial, and educational systems.
From 1808 Napoleon became increasingly dissatisfied with Joseph’s conduct. Called away from Naples to become king of Spain, Joseph was forced to leave Madrid hastily when Spanish insurgents defeated French forces at Baylen. He was reinstated by Napoleon at the close of 1808 and thereafter was kept in a subordinate position that led him on four occasions to offer to abdicate.
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On March 30, 1814, when the troops of the allies reached Paris, Joseph fled, having left Marshal Marmont to make a truce with the assailants of Paris if they should be in overpowering strength. He played only an insignificant role in the Hundred Days (1815). After Napoleon’s surrender at Rochefort, Joseph went to the United States and in 1830 pleaded for the recognition of the claims of Napoleon’s son, the duke of Reichstadt, to the French throne. He afterward visited England and for a time resided in Genoa and then in Florence, where he died.