Maria Letizia Bonaparte
Encyclopedia
Maria Letizia Bonaparte was one of three children born to Prince Napoléon
and his wife Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy
. She married Prince Amadeo, Duke of Aosta
, the former king of Spain in 1888. Maria Letizia became the Duchess of Aosta
, a title of Amadeus' he held before and after his kingship. Their marriage was instrumental in almost reviving French hopes of reinstating the Bonaparte
dynasty into a position of power, as seen in the days of Napoleon III.
was a nephew of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte through his brother Jérôme Bonaparte
, King of Westphalia. This then made Maria Letizia a great-niece of Emperor Napoleon. Her mother Maria Clotilde
was a daughter of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
. Through this connection, Maria Letizia was a cousin of Umberto I of Italy
and Maria Pia, Queen of Portugal
.
Maria Letizia was born in the Palais Royal
in Paris on 20 November 1866, during the last few years of the Second French Empire
. She grew up living between Paris, Rome, and Italy with her two brothers Napoléon Victor and Louis. After the fall of the French Empire in 1870, their family resided in a beautiful estate near Lake Geneva
.
(July 1858). As Maria Clotilde was too young at the time for marriage, Napoléon Joseph had had to wait until the following year; many had disapproved of the speed he undertook collecting his young bride in Turin. Their marriage was often compared to that of an elephant and a gazelle; the bridegroom had strong Napoleonic features (broad, bulky, and ponderous) while the bride appeared frail, short, fair-haired, and with the characteristic nose of the House of Savoy.
The marriage was also unpopular with both the French and the Italians; the latter in particular felt that the daughter of their king had been sacrificed to an unpopular member of the House of Bonaparte and consequently regarded it as a mésalliance
. For France's part, Napoléon Joseph was ill regarded, and had been known to carry on a number of affairs both before and during his marriage. Their official reception into Paris on 4 February was greeted very coldly by Parisians, not out of disrespect for a daughter of the king of Sardinia, but instead out of dislike for her new husband. Indeed, all her life public sympathy tended to lean in her favour; she was fondly regarded as retiring, charitable, pious, and trapped in an unhappy marriage.
After Maria Clotilde's father Victor Emmanuel died in 1878, she returned to Turin, Italy without her husband. During this period, Maria Letizia mostly resided with her mother in the Castle of Moncalieri
, but her two brothers stayed mainly with their father. It was in Italy that their mother withdrew herself from society to dedicate herself to religion and various charities. As a result of her mother's religious devotion, Maria Letizia was raised in a convent
-like atmosphere.
In Florence, Maria Letizia met and almost married her cousin Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy. A change of plans occurred however, and the marriage never took place. Emanuele later married Princess Hélène of Orléans instead. In 1886, a rumour circulated that Maria Letizia was going to marry her cousin Prince Roland Bonaparte. He was thirty years old and recently widowed. Nothing ever came of these rumors however.
Maria Letizia was considered very charming, and Amadeus was very dependent on her society when he visited Italy. In 1888, she agreed to marry him. One source attributes the marriage to the fact that Amadeus felt great love for niece, but states that Maria Letizia's decision was simply a "strong desire for independence on the part of the Princess because of the heaviness of the maternal yoke". In preparation for the marriage, Maria Letizia received a great number of notable gifts from personages such as Empress Eugenie, the widowed wife of Napoleon III, and Amadeus' three sons. Eugenie sent her some "great and illustrious" family jewels, while the boys gave her a necklace with seven rows of pearls that was valued at sixty-thousand dollars. The couple planned to marry in Turin with the hopes of turning the city into a "brilliant centre of attraction in Italy".
of their marriage, along with those of other royal houses would later lead in 1902 to Pope Leo XIII
declaring that no more dispensations would be given for these types of marriages.
in Turin, Italy. The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Gaetano Alimonda, who had been the man responsible for traveling to Rome for their dispensation. Their wedding was attended by many members of the houses of Bonaparte and Savoy, including Queen Maria Pia of Portugal
, who was Amadeus' sister and Maria Letizia's maternal aunt. Maria Letizia was Amadeus' second wife, as his first spouse Maria Vittoria del Pozzo della Cisterna
had died in 1876. Due to the large age difference, Maria Letizia was only three years older than Amadeus' eldest child.
The wedding was notable for being the first marriage between a Bonaparte and a member of a reigning house of Europe since 1859. As it was the first major event since the fall of the Second French Republic, the marriage was also instrumental in bringing considerable attention back to the prospects of the Bonapartes among various members of the press, especially pertaining to the establishment of another possible government. Indeed, one article stated that at the time of their marriage, a Bonaparte would have had an easy chance of obtaining at least two million votes if a plebiscite were to occur. This likelihood of a Bonaparte resurgence was most likely because there was a certain nostalgia among the French for the days of Maria Letizia's great uncle Napoleon I
and even for the more recent rule of her uncle Napoleon III.
The couple lived in Turin and had one son together: Prince Umberto, Count of Salemi
(22 June 1889 - 19 October 1918). He was killed during World War I. Maria Letizia became widowed soon after their wedding, as Amadeus died two years after their marriage in Turin, on 18 January 1890.
Amadeus's first wife had been a wealthy woman; upon her death, she left her vast fortune to him and their three sons. This meant that any wealth Amadeus had went to his first three children, leaving little to nothing upon his death for Maria Letizia and their son Umberto
. They thus remained dependent upon the allowance they received from the Italian crown. This dependency would cause problems later, as Umberto often angered his cousin Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
, the head of the House of Savoy
. After Umberto committed various misdemeanors and pranks in 1911, he was imprisoned in Moncalieri Castle
. He had recently been dismissed from the naval academy
in Livorno
for what was apparently incorrigible behavior and amorous attentions to some young women in the town. Maria Letizia, worried over what she considered her son's harsh sentence, wrote to Queen Helena
and asked her to intercede for her son. The King remained adamant however, and only reduced the sentence slightly due to the recent death of his aunt Princess Maria Clotilde
, Maria Letizia's mother.
Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte
Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte, Prince Français, Count of Meudon, Count of Moncalieri ad personam, titular 3rd Prince of Montfort was the second son of Jérôme Bonaparte, king of Westphalia, by his wife Catherine, princess of Württemberg...
and his wife Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy
Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy
Maria Clotilde of Savoy was born in Turin to Vittorio Emanuele II, later King of Italy and his first wife Adelaide of Austria...
. She married Prince Amadeo, Duke of Aosta
Amadeo I of Spain
Amadeo I was the only King of Spain from the House of Savoy...
, the former king of Spain in 1888. Maria Letizia became the Duchess of Aosta
Duchess of Aosta
-Duchess of Aosta:...
, a title of Amadeus' he held before and after his kingship. Their marriage was instrumental in almost reviving French hopes of reinstating the Bonaparte
Bonaparte
The House of Bonaparte is an imperial and royal European dynasty founded by Napoleon I of France in 1804, a French military leader who rose to notability out of the French Revolution and transformed the French Republic into the First French Empire within five years of his coup d'état...
dynasty into a position of power, as seen in the days of Napoleon III.
Family and early life
Maria Letizia's father Napoléon JosephNapoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte
Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte, Prince Français, Count of Meudon, Count of Moncalieri ad personam, titular 3rd Prince of Montfort was the second son of Jérôme Bonaparte, king of Westphalia, by his wife Catherine, princess of Württemberg...
was a nephew of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte through his brother Jérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme Bonaparte
Jérôme-Napoléon Bonaparte, French Prince, King of Westphalia, 1st Prince of Montfort was the youngest brother of Napoleon, who made him king of Westphalia...
, King of Westphalia. This then made Maria Letizia a great-niece of Emperor Napoleon. Her mother Maria Clotilde
Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy
Maria Clotilde of Savoy was born in Turin to Vittorio Emanuele II, later King of Italy and his first wife Adelaide of Austria...
was a daughter of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emmanuel II of Italy
Victor Emanuel II was king of Sardinia from 1849 and, on 17 March 1861, he assumed the title King of Italy to become the first king of a united Italy since the 6th century, a title he held until his death in 1878...
. Through this connection, Maria Letizia was a cousin of Umberto I of Italy
Umberto I of Italy
Umberto I or Humbert I , nicknamed the Good , was the King of Italy from 9 January 1878 until his death. He was deeply loathed in far-left circles, especially among anarchists, because of his conservatism and support of the Bava-Beccaris massacre in Milan...
and Maria Pia, Queen of Portugal
Maria Pia of Savoy
Maria Pia of Savoy was a Portuguese Queen consort, spouse of King Luís I of Portugal. On the day of her baptism, Pope Pius IX, her godfather, gave her a Golden Rose. Maria Pia was married to Luís on the 6 October 1862 in Lisbon...
.
Palais Royal
The Palais-Royal, originally called the Palais-Cardinal, is a palace and an associated garden located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris...
in Paris on 20 November 1866, during the last few years of the Second French Empire
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire or French Empire was the Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 1852 to 1870, between the Second Republic and the Third Republic, in France.-Rule of Napoleon III:...
. She grew up living between Paris, Rome, and Italy with her two brothers Napoléon Victor and Louis. After the fall of the French Empire in 1870, their family resided in a beautiful estate near Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva
Lake Geneva or Lake Léman is a lake in Switzerland and France. It is one of the largest lakes in Western Europe. 59.53 % of it comes under the jurisdiction of Switzerland , and 40.47 % under France...
.
State of parents' marriage
Their parents' marriage was unhappy however, particularly as Maria Clotilde preferred the quieter, more duty-filled life that she felt they should maintain, while Napoléon Joseph preferred the faster, more entertainment-filled lifestyle of the French court. Another factor in their unhappy marriage were the circumstances leading up to their espousal. Maria Clotilde had been only 15 when they were married, while he had been over 37 years old. The marriage had also been negotiated out of political reasons during the conference of PlombièresPlombières-les-Bains
Plombières-les-Bains is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.Les bains refers to the hot springs in the area, whose properties were first discovered by the Romans...
(July 1858). As Maria Clotilde was too young at the time for marriage, Napoléon Joseph had had to wait until the following year; many had disapproved of the speed he undertook collecting his young bride in Turin. Their marriage was often compared to that of an elephant and a gazelle; the bridegroom had strong Napoleonic features (broad, bulky, and ponderous) while the bride appeared frail, short, fair-haired, and with the characteristic nose of the House of Savoy.
The marriage was also unpopular with both the French and the Italians; the latter in particular felt that the daughter of their king had been sacrificed to an unpopular member of the House of Bonaparte and consequently regarded it as a mésalliance
Mesalliance
A mesalliance is a marriage with a person of inferior social position....
. For France's part, Napoléon Joseph was ill regarded, and had been known to carry on a number of affairs both before and during his marriage. Their official reception into Paris on 4 February was greeted very coldly by Parisians, not out of disrespect for a daughter of the king of Sardinia, but instead out of dislike for her new husband. Indeed, all her life public sympathy tended to lean in her favour; she was fondly regarded as retiring, charitable, pious, and trapped in an unhappy marriage.
After Maria Clotilde's father Victor Emmanuel died in 1878, she returned to Turin, Italy without her husband. During this period, Maria Letizia mostly resided with her mother in the Castle of Moncalieri
Castle of Moncalieri
The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri , Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1997.-History:...
, but her two brothers stayed mainly with their father. It was in Italy that their mother withdrew herself from society to dedicate herself to religion and various charities. As a result of her mother's religious devotion, Maria Letizia was raised in a convent
Convent
A convent is either a community of priests, religious brothers, religious sisters, or nuns, or the building used by the community, particularly in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Anglican Communion...
-like atmosphere.
Suitors
By her late teens, Maria Letizia was considered by some contemporaries to be beautiful and to be in appearance a "real Bonaparte". She was said to have resembled some of the sisters of Napoleon Bonaparte, who were considered quite beautiful in their day.In Florence, Maria Letizia met and almost married her cousin Prince Emanuele Filiberto of Savoy. A change of plans occurred however, and the marriage never took place. Emanuele later married Princess Hélène of Orléans instead. In 1886, a rumour circulated that Maria Letizia was going to marry her cousin Prince Roland Bonaparte. He was thirty years old and recently widowed. Nothing ever came of these rumors however.
Marriage
Engagement
It was in Moncalieri that she met Emanuele's father Amadeus, Duke of Aosta (sometimes referred to as Amadeo). He was her maternal uncle and was formerly the elected king of Spain for a brief period of three years (1870–1873).Maria Letizia was considered very charming, and Amadeus was very dependent on her society when he visited Italy. In 1888, she agreed to marry him. One source attributes the marriage to the fact that Amadeus felt great love for niece, but states that Maria Letizia's decision was simply a "strong desire for independence on the part of the Princess because of the heaviness of the maternal yoke". In preparation for the marriage, Maria Letizia received a great number of notable gifts from personages such as Empress Eugenie, the widowed wife of Napoleon III, and Amadeus' three sons. Eugenie sent her some "great and illustrious" family jewels, while the boys gave her a necklace with seven rows of pearls that was valued at sixty-thousand dollars. The couple planned to marry in Turin with the hopes of turning the city into a "brilliant centre of attraction in Italy".
Cause for scandal
The announcement of their marriage caused a great scandal in the Italian court, as he was not only her mother's brother, but was also twenty-two years older. Nevertheless, later that year the necessary Papal dispensation was obtained, giving them permission to marry. It should be noted that although the Pope gave them permission, the consanguinityConsanguinity
Consanguinity refers to the property of being from the same kinship as another person. In that respect, consanguinity is the quality of being descended from the same ancestor as another person...
of their marriage, along with those of other royal houses would later lead in 1902 to Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
declaring that no more dispensations would be given for these types of marriages.
Wedding
They wedded that same year, on 11 September 1888 at the Royal Palace of TurinRoyal Palace of Turin
Royal Palace of Turin or Palazzo Reale, is a palace in Turin, northern Italy. It was the royal palace of the House of Savoy. It was modernised greatly by the French born Madama Reale Christine Marie of France in the seventeenth century. The palace was worked on by Filippo Juvarra...
in Turin, Italy. The ceremony was performed by the Archbishop of Turin, Cardinal Gaetano Alimonda, who had been the man responsible for traveling to Rome for their dispensation. Their wedding was attended by many members of the houses of Bonaparte and Savoy, including Queen Maria Pia of Portugal
Maria Pia of Savoy
Maria Pia of Savoy was a Portuguese Queen consort, spouse of King Luís I of Portugal. On the day of her baptism, Pope Pius IX, her godfather, gave her a Golden Rose. Maria Pia was married to Luís on the 6 October 1862 in Lisbon...
, who was Amadeus' sister and Maria Letizia's maternal aunt. Maria Letizia was Amadeus' second wife, as his first spouse Maria Vittoria del Pozzo della Cisterna
Maria Vittoria del Pozzo della Cisterna
Maria Vittoria dal Pozzo was an Italian noblewoman and was the Princess della Cisterna in her own right. Married to the Duke of Aosta, a son of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy she was later the queen of Spain from 1870 until her husband's abdication in 1873...
had died in 1876. Due to the large age difference, Maria Letizia was only three years older than Amadeus' eldest child.
The wedding was notable for being the first marriage between a Bonaparte and a member of a reigning house of Europe since 1859. As it was the first major event since the fall of the Second French Republic, the marriage was also instrumental in bringing considerable attention back to the prospects of the Bonapartes among various members of the press, especially pertaining to the establishment of another possible government. Indeed, one article stated that at the time of their marriage, a Bonaparte would have had an easy chance of obtaining at least two million votes if a plebiscite were to occur. This likelihood of a Bonaparte resurgence was most likely because there was a certain nostalgia among the French for the days of Maria Letizia's great uncle Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
and even for the more recent rule of her uncle Napoleon III.
The couple lived in Turin and had one son together: Prince Umberto, Count of Salemi
Prince Umberto, Count of Salemi
Prince Umberto of Savoy-Aosta was a member of the Aosta branch of the House of Savoy and was styled the Count of Salemi.-Early life:...
(22 June 1889 - 19 October 1918). He was killed during World War I. Maria Letizia became widowed soon after their wedding, as Amadeus died two years after their marriage in Turin, on 18 January 1890.
Later life
Relationship with the Italian court
Up to 1902, Umberto and his mother were rarely seen at the Italian court. In addition, no images of Umberto were ever distributed, unlike other members of the Italian royal family. His absence sparked many rumors, some implying that he was "mentally afflicted" or "misshapen". In later years, he would appear more in the press, disproving all of these theories.Amadeus's first wife had been a wealthy woman; upon her death, she left her vast fortune to him and their three sons. This meant that any wealth Amadeus had went to his first three children, leaving little to nothing upon his death for Maria Letizia and their son Umberto
Prince Umberto, Count of Salemi
Prince Umberto of Savoy-Aosta was a member of the Aosta branch of the House of Savoy and was styled the Count of Salemi.-Early life:...
. They thus remained dependent upon the allowance they received from the Italian crown. This dependency would cause problems later, as Umberto often angered his cousin Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
Victor Emmanuel III of Italy
Victor Emmanuel III was a member of the House of Savoy and King of Italy . In addition, he claimed the crowns of Ethiopia and Albania and claimed the titles Emperor of Ethiopia and King of Albania , which were unrecognised by the Great Powers...
, the head of the House of Savoy
House of Savoy
The House of Savoy was formed in the early 11th century in the historical Savoy region. Through gradual expansion, it grew from ruling a small county in that region to eventually rule the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 until the end of World War II, king of Croatia and King of Armenia...
. After Umberto committed various misdemeanors and pranks in 1911, he was imprisoned in Moncalieri Castle
Castle of Moncalieri
The Castle of Moncalieri is a palace in Moncalieri , Piedmont, in northern Italy. It is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy listed by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites in 1997.-History:...
. He had recently been dismissed from the naval academy
Accademia Navale di Livorno
The Italian Naval Academy is a coeducational military university in Leghorn , which is responsible for the technical training of military officers of the Italian Navy.-The Hospital of St. James:...
in Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
for what was apparently incorrigible behavior and amorous attentions to some young women in the town. Maria Letizia, worried over what she considered her son's harsh sentence, wrote to Queen Helena
Elena of Montenegro
Elena of Montenegro was the daughter of King Nikola I Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro and his wife, Milena Vukotić...
and asked her to intercede for her son. The King remained adamant however, and only reduced the sentence slightly due to the recent death of his aunt Princess Maria Clotilde
Princess Maria Clotilde of Savoy
Maria Clotilde of Savoy was born in Turin to Vittorio Emanuele II, later King of Italy and his first wife Adelaide of Austria...
, Maria Letizia's mother.
Death and inheritance
During her widowhood, Maria Letizia maintained an open and scandalous relationship with a military man twenty years her junior. Upon her death on 25 October 1926, he was revealed to be the sole heir in her will (her son having died in 1918).Titles and styles
- 20 November 1866 – 11 September 1888: Her Imperial Highness Maria Letizia Bonaparte, Princess Française
- 11 September 1888 – 18 January 1890: Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Duchess of Aosta
- 18 January 1890 – 26 October 1926: Her Imperial and Royal Highness The Dowager Duchess of Aosta