Those Troublesome Bonapartes Trivia Quiz

Answer: 12

Napoleon's parents Letizia and Carlo had 13 children, however only 8 survived infancy. The survivors were Joseph (nee Guiseppe); Napoleon (nee Napoleone) Lucien (nee Lucciano); Eliza (nee Maria-Anna); Louis (nee Luigi); Pauline (nee Maria-Paola); Caroline (nee Maria-Annunziata); and Jerome (nee Girolamo).

Answer: the Church

When Carlo was offered the chance for a free education for his two eldest children, he felt that the mild mannered Joseph should enter the Church and the more fiery tempered Napoleon should enter the army. After a few years, Joseph requested his father to have him transferred to the army. Carlo, after consulting Napoleon, brought him back to Corsica in order to study law.

Answer: Louis

Louis was brought to the mainland from Corsica after the death of his father. He was 12 years of age when he arrived in France and was financially supported there by Napoleon. Since Napoleon was a junior officer, funds were tight and Napoleon himself acted as his brother's instructor.

Answer: Eliza

Unlike her sisters, Eliza was educated and demonstrated the same proud and independent nature as Napoleon. Her sisters considered her something of a prude. She was sent to the girl's school at St Cyr. Hortense was Josephine's daughter and Napoleon's step daughter.

Answer: Joseph

Julie and Desiréee were the daughters of a rich silk merchant in Marseille. julie's father was not impressed by Napoleon's prospects and frowned upon her relationship with Napoleon. ("One Bonaparte is enough") Desirée married Jean Bernadotte, who became a Marshal of France.

When the childless Swedish monarch sought a successor, Bernadotte was adopted by the Swedish king, and, in due course, Desirée became Queen of Sweden and the mother of the present dynasty.

Answer: Lucien

Although Joseph was the eldest son and therefore technically head of the family, Napoleon in fact was it guiding force. Napoleon was attempting to build up the family's influence and Joseph's marriage to a wealthy woman assisted this. Lucien's marriage to Christine Boyer, a poor and illiterate girl was a liability. Letizia, upon meeting the modest, well-meaning girl, resigned herself to the marriage. Lucien and Napoleon had a troubled relationship. Of all the brothers, Lucien seems to have had the happiest marriages. Both Christine and his second wife, Alexandrine proved loving companions.

Answer: Elizabeth Patterson

Jerome met Elizabeth Patterson while on a visit to Baltimore with the French navy. They married on Christmas Eve 1803 and had a son, Jerome. Napoleon refused to accept the marriage and when Elizabeth attempted to visit France she was denied entry into the country. Jermome's grandson, Bo Patterson Bonaparte, was Theodore Roosevelt's Secretary of the Navy in 1905 and became Attorney General of the United States 18 months later.

Answer: Lucien

Lucien fancied himself an intellectual, writer and politician. When elected to the Council of Five Hundred, the lower legislative body under the Directorate, he was successful in adjourning the Council to St Cloud where pressure could be exerted to depose the Directorate and elect a triumvirate of three consuls. Napoleon was elected First Consul and in August 1802 a plebiscite confirmed a change in the constitution to make Napoleon First Consul for life with the right to name his successor.

In 1804 he was proclaimed Emperor.

Answer: Naples

Berg was a duchy created by Napoleon for his sister Caroline and her husband Joachim Murat. Holland went to brother Louis. Bavaria was a state allied with France. Napoleon did raise it to the status of kingdom. Maximilian I became the first King of Bavaria. Joseph was convinced that his subjects in Naples adored him.

He informed visiting French senators that, "The Neapolitans thought of him in the same way as the French thought of Napoleon." He felt that he had the support of all the citizens from the most notorious bandit to the haughtiest duke. Joseph overestimated his support.

Answer: Joachim Murat

Joachim Murat was a successful leader of French cavalry and the husband of Napoleon's sister Caroline. They had previously been given Berg as a duchy. Caroline was ambitious and pressured her brother for a throne for her husband. Murat was to prove as ambitious as his wife.

He changed sides just before Napoleon's defeat in 1814 in order to save his throne. (Caroline had carried on secret negotiations with Metternich. Murat had visions of uniting Italy under his banner, and returned to Napoleon's side when he returned from Elba. Acting precipitously and in an attempt to unite Italy behind him he invaded the Papal States and was defeated.

He fled to France and offered his sword to Napoleon. Napoleon refused the offer. Murat attempted to re-invade his former kingdom. Captured, he was executed by firing squad.

He was noted, among other things, for his flamboyant uniforms.

Answer: Hortense

The theory that Louis was a suppressed homosexual is probably well founded. As an adult he became morose and embittered. He suffered from an undiagnosed disease which induced rheumatic attacks which would eventually cripple him. Mentally, he was a disturbed individual and was afflicted with fits of jealousy and a persecution complex. Hortense wrote the unofficial anthem of the second empire, "Partant pour Syrie."

Answer: True

Initially a "postage stamp principality" ("An army of 4 privates and a corporal, said Caroline Murat) Eliza had the work ethic of her brother. She reorganized the judicial system, police and prisons, drained swamps, built roads and established a silk industry.

She reopened marble quarries at Carrara and swamped Europe with marble busts of Napoleon (she had a personal financial interest in the quarries). In 1809 she became Grand Duchess of Tuscany. In January 1814 in an agreement with Murat who had defected to the allies, she betrayed Napoleon.

Her betrayal was intended to guarantee her throne. However the action was not successful and she was deposed. She had one daughter, Napoleone who schemed to kidnap the Duke of Reichstadt (Napoleon's son) and take him to France to restore the Bonapartist regime.

Answer: Madame Mere

Letizia was unimpressed by all of the trappings of empire but she was disappointed in receiving only the title Madame Mere. She continued to call Napoleon, Napoleone. Although wealthy, she continued to practice the thrift she had learned as a widow raising 8 children in Corsica.

After Waterloo, she was one of the few Bonapartes with considerable financial assets, a fact that her children learned to appreciate. She did not attend Napoleon's coronation due to a dispute about the exiling of Lucien but Napoleon had her painted in by David in the official coronation portrait.

She was never comfortable in France because of her poor knowledge of the language. She preferred to reside in Italy. Eliza was allowed to add Tuscany to her territory. Queen of Corsica and Empress Mother are made up titles.

Answer: The Netherlands

Louis, although ill and suffering from a persecution complex, made a cardinal error in Napoleon's eyes. He believed that as King of the Netherlands he had a responsibility to his subjects that might not coincide with Napoleon's wishes. Napoleon intended him to be merely a French viceroy but he attempted to follow an independent path.

This resulted in political and military pressure and his abdication in 1810.

Answer: Westphalia

In 1807 Westphalia was created as a kingdom so that Jerome could have a throne. It consisisted of bits of territory that Prussia, Brunswick Hesse-Kassel and Hanover had been forced to cede. In addition the land of the Abbey of Cerney were taken from the Prince of Orange and the entire duchy of Bruswick-Wolfenbüttel was added since its duke had been killed at Jena.

After the fall of Napoleon, the Congress of Vienna awarded most of the kingdom to Prussia. Jerome was a spendthrift and went through the treasury of his kingdom.

He even invited his American wife, Elizabeth Patterson to join his current wife at the Wesphalian court. Elizabeth responded, "I have no doubt that Westphalia is a large kingdom but it is not large enough for two Queens."

Answer: Pauline

Pauline was the most loyal of Napoleon's siblings. Lucien had been exiled, Louis had broken with Napoleon as a result of Louis's determination to be an independent king of Holland. Eliza and Caroline had betrayed him in a futile attempt to retain their thrones. Jerome was interested only in himself and Joseph was acting as an intermediary between Napoleon on Elba and the rest of the family.

Answer: False

Joseph, whatever his failings, did attempt to help Napoleon. He offered to masquerade as Napoleon and surrender to the British allowing Napoleon to escape to America. This offer was rejected as was also the offer to accompany Napoleon into exile. Napoleon sent him to the United States where Napoleon felt he would be of more use.

While in the United States, he attempted to organize Napoleon's escape but these attempts came to nothing. He also offered to join Napoleon on St Helena. An escape attempt which might have turned out to be successful, was forestalled by Napoleon's death.

Answer: Alexandre de Beauharnais

Josephine was married to Alexandre when she was 16 and he was 19. Their marriage was not a particularly happy one but they were re-united by the revolution. Both were imprisoned but, while he was executed, Josephine survived. She became the mistress of Paul de Barras, one of the leading politicians of the day and a member of the Directorate.

After her marriage to Napoleon, while he was away in Italy and later in Egypt, she had a romantic liaison with Hippolyte Charles. Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, born in Pau, was one of Napoleon's marshals and later King of Sweden.

He married Napoleon's first love, Desiree Clary. As Swedish Crown Prince he led forces against Napoleon at the the Battle of Leipzig, the so-called Battle of the Nations.

Answer: Cardinal

In addition to his clerical duties, Fesch was a financier, money-lender, army contractor and art collector. He was the principal financial advisor to Letizia and assisted her in managing her wealth. He was famous for his collection of Renaissance paintings, a hobby which was assisted by Napoleon's conquests.

Answer: False

The relationship between Charles Louis Napoleon was an interesting one. On the paternal side he was the nephew of Napoleon on the maternal side his step-grandson. He was the third son of Louis and Hortense. His eldest sibling, Napoleon Charles, died in 1807 causing a temporary reconciliation between his parents which resulted in the birth of Charles Louis Napoleon.

His elder brother Napoleon Louis died in 1831. Louis and Hortense seemed to have little imagination when it came to naming their children.

Answer: Eugene

Jerome failed early in the campaign and his contradictory orders allowed General Bagration to escape. He attempted to give orders to Marshal Davout whereupon Davout presented heretofore secret orders placing King Jerome under his command. Jerome then resigned from command and left the army. Without instructions, his Westphalian troops failed to support Davout when he attacked Mogilev and Davout was unable to gain a crucial victory. Murat was given command of the Grand Army during the retreat from Moscow.

Although he had distinguished himself early in the campaign, on January 15, 1813 claiming ill health he handed over the army to Marshal Ney and Eugene and retreated to Italy. He had been in secret negotiations with the Austrians to safeguard his throne in Naples. Eugene, who had distinguished himself during the campaign, was successful in shepherding the shattered remains of the Grand Army back to safety.

Some historians feel that the reason that Napoleon did not give the command to Eugene rather than Murat was his concern at Eugene's rising influence and popularity and a perceived potential threat to his son at Napoleon's death.

Answer: Queen Mother of Etruria

Lucien had been appointed ambassador to Etruria where he was expected to wed the queen-mother. When advised that he had married Alexandrine Jouberthon, Napoleon taunted him with marrying a widow. Lucien replied, "So did you marry a widow, but mine is not old and smelly." Lucien then went into exile.

They had nine children who suvived childhood. Catherine of Wurttenberg was the wife of Jerome Bonaparte. Laure Permon was the daughter of Napoleon's landlady in Paris. Laura married Junot, one of Napoleon's marshals and recalled that Napoleon had once proposed to her mother.

Answer: True

Louis was something of a paranoid personality. Since Hortense was disliked by the Bonapartes, especially Napoleon's sisters, they encouraged him to doubt the paternity of Louis's children. Louis went so far as to imply that Napoleon was the father of the eldest boy.

Answer: No

Catherine remained loyal to her husband. There is an incident recorded that Jerome and Catherine in 1821 saw Elizabeth Patterson in the Pitti Palace. Although Elizabeth walked by without stopping, Jerome said, "You see that woman, my dear, it is Elizabeth, my American wife." In 1835 Catherine died proclaiming her love for Jerome to the last.

Answer: Governor of the Hotel des Invalides

From being almost bankrupt, the new regime was a financial godsend to Jerome. His salary of 45,000 francs as Governor of the Hotel des Invalides was supplemented by a pension of 12,000 as a reinstated general. When he died, he was buried beside his brother at Les Invalides.