Louis Bonaparte

He was married to Hortense de Beauharnias, the daughter of Napoleon’s first wife from a previous marriage. This marriage had been forced upon him by his elder brother despite his pbjection.

The couple was not happy though his wife gave birth to three children whom Louis acknowledged as his. His wife had numerous admirers with whom he suspected her of having affairs and thus he was not really sure of her children’s’ paternity.

He suffered from certain psychological issues and was mentally disturbed. It was also suggested that he was confused about his sexual orientation. He separated from his wife and controlling elder brother during his later years. He died on July 25, 1846.

He was born as Luigi Buonaparte on September 2, 1778 to Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino in Corsica. He had several brothers and sisters. One of his elder brothers was the powerful Napoleon Bonaparte, later known as Napoleon I of France.

He attended military school at Chalons, France. After that he joined his brother Napoleon in his campaigns.

In 1796-97 he accompanied Napoleon I on the Italian campaign and the next year he went on the Egypt campaign with his brother’s army.

Louis was given a commission in the French Military and promoted to Lieutenant in the 4th Artillery Regiment. His quick ascent through the ranks was made possible because of his powerful brother.

Eventually he was made a Captain, again because of his brother’s influence. He was just 25 years old when he became a General! Even Louis knew that he had risen too high too soon. It was no secret to anyone how he could find such tremendous success in a short time.

In spite of all his ostensible military success, Louis was not a man suited to military life. Reserved and soft natured, he knew in his heart of hearts that all his accomplishments had been due to the influence of his brother.

He did not participate in any military activities after 1804 and was made the governor of Paris in 1805.

Louis had served as the king of Holland for a relatively short period from 1806 to 1810. Even though he fought no major battles, he was a popular king as he genuinely cared about his subjects and took steps to promote their welfare.