Pauline Bonaparte
was born in Corsica, in 1780. She was the middle sister of Napoleon and
generally felt to be his favorite, who was most loyal to him….
She was named Maria
Paola, as the family were Italian speaking... and called Paoletta as a
child. Later, she and her siblings used French
versions of their names or adopted new names that were French... in order to
pursue a new life in France. Her
youngest Sister, Annunziata used the
name Caroline, as an adult.. and the eldest Maria Anna, was called Elisa…or
Elise…
The family moved to
France in 1793. They were not well
off. They had been minor gentry, with
some property but their wealth had diminished after the death of Carlo, their
father. Then the English occupation of Corsica
had cut off the income that they had had from their vineyards. Napoleon studied to join the arm. His brother Joseph married Julie Clary, daughter
of a wealthy merchant. But the family
struggled to survive on a small income… Their mother Letizia was shrewd and
frugal… However, the daughters were allowed to grow up with minimal education. Later, Elisa would become something of a scholar..
but it was generally not felt necessary for Corsican women to be well educated.
Pauline was growing
into a beauty as a teenager but she was wild and wilful, and highly sexed. Napoleon had old fashioned ideas about women,
and their place and had been somewhat scandalised by the freedom that French society
women had, running salons, living separate lives to their husbands etc. He too did not see any great need for women
to have much education.. seeing women as housekeepers and mothers of families….
He arranged a
marriage for his sister when she was 17, to General Leclerc, who became commander
of the French army in Italy….A year later, she had a son Dermide – a French form
of the Irish name Dermot…
Napoleon seized power
from the corrupt Directorate and made himself First Consul and virtual dictator
of France. He was not just an excellent soldier
but a highly intelligent administrator and he worked hard at reforming the government. However, he was a dictator who had no real
intent of giving up his power, and ultimately he was committed to war, since
his popularity sprang to an extent form his military victories.
In 1801, Napoleon ordered
his brother in law to Saint Dominique (now Haiti) where the island was in
rebellion against French rule. He wanted
Leclerc to restore order there. Slavery had been abolished in the island but
the locals feared it might be re-established and rebellion continued. Leclerc defeated the rebels, but the island
was ravaged by yellow fever,. The strain of life there, plus the fever, undermined
Pauline’s health. However she did enjoy
being the Governor General’s wife…
There were rumours
that she took lovers but it seems unlikely at that time; she was fond of her
husband and was also often in poor health…
1n 1802, Leclerc caught yellow
fever and died, and Pauline and her son came home to France with his
remains. She was genuinely grieved at
the loss of her husband, but she was a young woman – only 23, and soon she
began to find the strict code of mourning for widows which was prescribed in
Napoleonic France….tiresome and irritating.
She began to long for social life again
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