Prince Canino Line
Encyclopedia
The Princes of Canino and Musignano formed the genealogically senior line of the Bonaparte
family following the death of Joseph Bonaparte
in 1844, founded by one of Emperor Napoleon I's younger brothers, Lucien Bonaparte
. It became extinct in the male line in 1924. The dynastic Bonapartist pretender
s descend in the male line from Prince Jérôme Napoléon
, Napoleon's youngest brother.
constitution of the First French Empire
, promulgated 20 May 1804, established that upon extinction of the legitimate natural and adopted male, agnatic
descendants of Napoleon I (1769-1821), and those of two of his brothers, Prince Joseph Napoléon
((1768-1844) and Prince Louis Napoléon
(1775-1846), the throne was to be awarded to a man selected by the non-dynastic princely and ducal dignitaries of the empire, as ratified by plebiscite
. On 24 September 1806, the emperor's youngest brother, Jérôme Napoléon (1784-1860), was made a French prince, along with the future issue of his second marriage to Duchess Catherine of Wurttemberg, and he and his heirs were added into the succession. On 22 March 1815, during the Hundred Days
, Napoleon also recognized his brother Lucien and Lucien's sons as Imperial French princes. At no time, however, were Lucien and his issue recognized during the First Empire as eligible by law to inherit the French throne, or any other throne. The title of Principe di Canino e Musignano borne by Lucien and his heirs male was a papal
title of nobility, never legally recognized in France.
Therefore, upon the death without issue in 1832 of the Duke of Reichstadt, titular Emperor Napoleon II, the claim to the Bonaparte crown of France devolved upon Prince Joseph Napoléon, formerly King of Naples and Spain. Following his death without sons in 1844, the Imperial claim bypassed Lucien's sons and devolved upon Prince Louis Napoléon, formerly King of Holland, even though Louis had been younger than Lucien.
in 1852. The Second Empire
's constitution recognized the dynasticity
of all of Napoleon I's brothers and their issue, but allowed the emperor to choose the order in which they would inherit the throne in the event he died without male issue. On 18 December 1852 the emperor appointed his only remaining uncle, Prince Jérôme Napoléon, former King of Westphalia, as heir presumptive
, again bypassing the male line of Lucien. In May 1870, that order of succession
was confirmed by referendum, except that Prince Napoléon Joseph
(1822-1891), Jérôme's surviving son by his second wife, Duchess Catherine of Wurttemberg, was named to follow the emperor's son, the Prince Imperial Napoléon Eugène
in the succession line. However, a few months later the French Empire was abolished, and has not been restored. Meanwhile, the agnatic descendants of Jérôme Napoléon's branch (the Prince Napoléon Line) are still extant, and still hold the dynastic claim
to the Napoleonic legacy.
At this point, the male line ended.
(1775–1840) married twice: first to Christine Boyer, who gave birth to a stillborn son and three daughters; and second to Alexandrine de Bleschamp
and had eight children.
Children from his second marriage include:
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...
family following the death of Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
in 1844, founded by one of Emperor Napoleon I's younger brothers, Lucien Bonaparte
Lucien Bonaparte
Lucien Bonaparte, Prince Français, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano , born Luciano Buonaparte, was the third surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and his wife Letizia Ramolino....
. It became extinct in the male line in 1924. The dynastic Bonapartist pretender
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
s descend in the male line from Prince Jérôme Napoléon
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...
, Napoleon's youngest brother.
First Empire law
Article 7 of the monarchicalMonarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
constitution of the First French Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, promulgated 20 May 1804, established that upon extinction of the legitimate natural and adopted male, agnatic
Patrilineality
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to one's father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well....
descendants of Napoleon I (1769-1821), and those of two of his brothers, Prince Joseph Napoléon
Joseph Bonaparte
Joseph-Napoléon Bonaparte was the elder brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, who made him King of Naples and Sicily , and later King of Spain...
((1768-1844) and Prince Louis Napoléon
Louis Bonaparte
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Prince Français, Comte de Saint-Leu , King of Holland , was the fifth surviving child and the fourth surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino...
(1775-1846), the throne was to be awarded to a man selected by the non-dynastic princely and ducal dignitaries of the empire, as ratified by plebiscite
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
. On 24 September 1806, the emperor's youngest brother, Jérôme Napoléon (1784-1860), was made a French prince, along with the future issue of his second marriage to Duchess Catherine of Wurttemberg, and he and his heirs were added into the succession. On 22 March 1815, during the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
, Napoleon also recognized his brother Lucien and Lucien's sons as Imperial French princes. At no time, however, were Lucien and his issue recognized during the First Empire as eligible by law to inherit the French throne, or any other throne. The title of Principe di Canino e Musignano borne by Lucien and his heirs male was a papal
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
title of nobility, never legally recognized in France.
Therefore, upon the death without issue in 1832 of the Duke of Reichstadt, titular Emperor Napoleon II, the claim to the Bonaparte crown of France devolved upon Prince Joseph Napoléon, formerly King of Naples and Spain. Following his death without sons in 1844, the Imperial claim bypassed Lucien's sons and devolved upon Prince Louis Napoléon, formerly King of Holland, even though Louis had been younger than Lucien.
Second Empire law
Louis's two elder sons pre-deceased their father, but his third son became Emperor Napoleon IIINapoleon III of France
Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire. He was the nephew and heir of Napoleon I, christened as Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte...
in 1852. The Second 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:...
's constitution recognized the dynasticity
Dynasty
A dynasty is a sequence of rulers considered members of the same family. Historians traditionally consider many sovereign states' history within a framework of successive dynasties, e.g., China, Ancient Egypt and the Persian Empire...
of all of Napoleon I's brothers and their issue, but allowed the emperor to choose the order in which they would inherit the throne in the event he died without male issue. On 18 December 1852 the emperor appointed his only remaining uncle, Prince Jérôme Napoléon, former King of Westphalia, as heir presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
, again bypassing the male line of Lucien. In May 1870, that order of succession
Order of succession
An order of succession is a formula or algorithm that determines who inherits an office upon the death, resignation, or removal of its current occupant.-Monarchies and nobility:...
was confirmed by referendum, except that Prince Napoléon Joseph
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...
(1822-1891), Jérôme's surviving son by his second wife, Duchess Catherine of Wurttemberg, was named to follow the emperor's son, the Prince Imperial Napoléon Eugène
Napoléon Eugène, Prince Imperial
Napoléon, Prince Imperial, , Prince Imperial, Fils de France, was the only child of Emperor Napoleon III of France and his Empress consort Eugénie de Montijo...
in the succession line. However, a few months later the French Empire was abolished, and has not been restored. Meanwhile, the agnatic descendants of Jérôme Napoléon's branch (the Prince Napoléon Line) are still extant, and still hold the dynastic claim
Pretender
A pretender is one who claims entitlement to an unavailable position of honour or rank. Most often it refers to a former monarch, or descendant thereof, whose throne is occupied or claimed by a rival, or has been abolished....
to the Napoleonic legacy.
Princes of Canino and Musignano
- Lucien BonaparteLucien BonaparteLucien Bonaparte, Prince Français, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano , born Luciano Buonaparte, was the third surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and his wife Letizia Ramolino....
d.1840 - Charles Lucien BonaparteCharles Lucien BonaparteCharles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano was a French naturalist and ornithologist.-Biography:...
1840-1857 - Joseph BonaparteJoseph Lucien BonaparteJoseph Lucien Charles Napoléon Bonaparte, 3rd Prince of Canino and Musignano was born in Philadelphia the son of Charles Lucien Bonaparte and his cousin Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte....
1857-1865 - Lucien Cardinal BonaparteLucien-Louis-Joseph-Napoleon Cardinal BonaparteLucien Louis Joseph Napoleon Cardinal Bonaparte, 4th Prince of Canino and Musignano was a French cardinal.He was born in Rome, the son of Charles Lucien Bonaparte and his wife Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte....
1865-1895 - Napoléon BonapartePrince Napoléon Bonaparte of CaninoNapoléon Charles Grégoire Jacques Philippe Bonaparte, 5th Prince of Canino and Musignano was born in Rome the son of Prince Charles Lucien Bonaparte and Princess Zénaïde Bonaparte, but his real mother was Maria Testaferrata, Charles' mistress.Prince Napoléon Charles served in the French Army and...
1895-1899 - Roland Bonaparte 1899-1924
At this point, the male line ended.
Family tree
Lucien BonaparteLucien Bonaparte
Lucien Bonaparte, Prince Français, 1st Prince of Canino and Musignano , born Luciano Buonaparte, was the third surviving son of Carlo Buonaparte and his wife Letizia Ramolino....
(1775–1840) married twice: first to Christine Boyer, who gave birth to a stillborn son and three daughters; and second to Alexandrine de Bleschamp
Alexandrine de Bleschamp
Alexandrine de Bleschamp was a French noblewoman. She was already the widow of the banker Hippolyte Jouberthon , and thus known as "Madame Jouberthon", when she became the second wife of Lucien Bonaparte...
and had eight children.
Children from his second marriage include:
- Charles Lucien BonaparteCharles Lucien BonaparteCharles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano was a French naturalist and ornithologist.-Biography:...
(1803–1857).- Married Zénaïde BonaparteZénaïde Laetitia Julie BonaparteZénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte, Princess of Canino and Musignano was the elder daughter of Joseph Bonaparte and Julie Clary, and the wife of Charles Lucien Bonaparte, who was also her cousin...
; 12 children including:
- Joseph Lucien BonaparteJoseph Lucien BonaparteJoseph Lucien Charles Napoléon Bonaparte, 3rd Prince of Canino and Musignano was born in Philadelphia the son of Charles Lucien Bonaparte and his cousin Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte....
(1824–1865) - Lucien Cardinal BonaparteLucien-Louis-Joseph-Napoleon Cardinal BonaparteLucien Louis Joseph Napoleon Cardinal Bonaparte, 4th Prince of Canino and Musignano was a French cardinal.He was born in Rome, the son of Charles Lucien Bonaparte and his wife Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte....
(1828–1895) - Napoléon Charles Bonaparte (1839–1899).
- Married Cristina Ruspoli; three daughters including:
- Marie Bonaparte (1870–1947). Married Enrico Gotti; no children.
- Eugenie BonaparteEugenie BonaparteEugénie Laetitia Bonaparte was the youngest daughter of Prince Napoléon Bonaparte of Canino and Christine Ruspoli.Eugénie Laetitia Barbe Caroline Lucienne Marie Jeanne Bonaparte was born in Grotta Ferrata, Italy...
(1872–1949). Married Napoleon Ney, duc d'Elchingen; no children.
- Married Zénaïde Bonaparte
- Pierre Napoleon BonapartePierre Napoleon BonapartePierre-Napoléon Bonaparte was born in Rome, Italy, the son of Lucien Bonaparte and his second wife Alexandrine de Bleschamp....
(1815–1881).- Married Justine Eléonore Ruffin; 1 son:
- Roland BonaparteRoland BonaparteRoland Bonaparte, 6th Prince of Canino and Musignano was a French prince and president of the Société de Géographie from 1910 until his death.-Biography:...
(1858–1924).- Married Marie Blanc; one daughter:
- Princess Marie BonapartePrincess Marie BonapartePrincess Marie Bonaparte was a French author and psychoanalyst, closely linked with Sigmund Freud. Her wealth contributed to the popularity of psychoanalysis, and enabled Freud's escape from Nazi Germany....
(1882–1962).- Married Prince George of Greece and DenmarkPrince George of Greece and Denmarkalign=right| Prince George of Greece and Denmark was the second son of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga, and is remembered chiefly for having saved the life of a future Emperor of Russia, Nicholas II...
; 2 children:
- Prince Peter of Greece and DenmarkPrince Peter of Greece and DenmarkPrince Peter of Greece and Denmark was the eldest child and only son of Prince George of Greece and Denmark, the second child of King George I of the Hellenes and Grand Duchess Olga Konstantinova of Russia, and Princess Marie Bonaparte, daughter of Prince Roland Bonaparte, and great-grand-niece of...
(1908–1980). Married Irina Aleksandrovna Ovtchinnikova; no children. - Princess Eugénie of Greece and DenmarkPrincess Eugénie of Greece and DenmarkPrincess Eugénie of Greece and Denmark was the youngest child and only daughter of Prince George of Greece and Denmark and his wife, Marie Bonaparte, daughter of Prince Roland Bonaparte...
(1910–1988).- Married first Prince Dominic Radziwiłł; two children including:
- Prince George Radziwiłł (1942–2001), unmarried.
- Married second Raymundo, Duke of Castel Duino; one son:
- Carlo Alessandro, Duke of Castel DuinoCarlo Alessandro, Duke of Castel DuinoCarlo Alessandro, Prince della Torre e Tasso, 3rd Duke of Castel Duino, full Italian name: Carlo Alessandro, Principe della Torre e Tasso, Duca di Castel Duino is the current head of the Castel Duino branch of the House of Thurn and Taxis.-Family:Carlo Alessandro is the only child of Raimundo, 2nd...
(b. 1952).- Married Veronique Lantz; three children including:
- Prince Dimitri della Torre e Tasso (b. 1977)
- Married Prince George of Greece and Denmark