Joseph Bonaparte

Joseph Bonaparte (January 7, 1768 – July 28, 1844) was the elder brother of the French Emperor Napoleon I, who made him King of Naples (1806–1808) and Spain (1808–1813).

Bonaparte was born Giuseppe Buonaparte at Corte in Corsica. As a lawyer, politician, and diplomat, he served in the Cinq-Cents and was the French ambassador to Rome. He married Julie Clary on August 1, 1794 in Cuges-les-Pins, France. The couple later had two children, Zénaïde and Charlotte.

The Château de Villandry had been seized by the French Revolutionary government and in the early 1800's Joseph's brother, Emperor Napoleon, acquired the château for him. In 1806, Bonaparte was given military command of Naples, and shortly afterward was made king by Napoleon. He became King of Spain two years later after his sister's husband, Joachim Murat, was made king of Naples. The Spanish people nicknamed him Pepe Botella ("Joe Bottle") pointing to an alleged tendency to drunkenness. His supporters were called josefinos.

Bonaparte fled Spain and returned to France after defeat at the Battle of Vitoria. When his brother lost power after the Hundred Days, Bonaparte resided for 17 years at Bordentown in the U.S. state of New Jersey, where he supposedly saw the Jersey Devil. He died in Florence, Italy and is buried in Les Invalides building complex in Paris.

The Joseph Bonaparte Gulf in the Northern Territory of Australia was named for him.