Julie Clary
Marie Julie Bonaparte (née Clary), Queen Consort, of Naples and Sicily, Queen Consort, permanently absent but living at Mortefontaine, France, of Spain and the Indies (December 26, 1771, Marseille – April 7, 1845, Florence) was the wife of King Joseph Bonaparte of Naples from January 1806 to June 1808, and Sicily, later Spain and the Indies from 25th June 1808 to June 1813.
Early life and family
Julie Clary was born in Marseille, France, the daughter of François Clary (Marseille, St. Ferreol, February 24 1725 – Marseille, January 20 1794), a wealthy silk manufacturer and merchant, and his second wife (married on June 26, 1759) Françoise Rose Somis (Marseille, St. Ferreol, August 30 1737 – Paris, January 28 1815). He had been previously married at Marseille, April 13 1751 to Gabrielle Fléchon (1732 – May 3 1758), without issue.
Her sister Désirée Clary, six years younger than Julie, became Queen of Sweden and Norway (as Desideria) when her husband, Marshal Bernadotte, was crowned King Charles XIV John of Sweden (Charles III John of Norway).
Her brother Nicholas Joseph Clary was created 1st Comte Clary and married Anne Jeanne Rouyer, by whom he had Zénaïde Françoise Clary (Paris, November 25 1812 – Paris, April 27 1884), wife of Napoléon Berthier de Wagram, 2nd Duc de Wagram (September 10 1810 – February 10, 1887), son of Marshal Berthier, and had issue.
Her paternal grandparents were Joseph Clary (Marseille, November 22 1693 – Marseille, August 30 1748, son of Jacques Clary - son of Antoine Clary and wife Marguerite Canolle - and wife Catherine Barosse - daughter of Angelin Barosse and wife Jeanne Pélissière), and wife (married at Marseille, February 27 1724) Françoise-Agnès Amaurric (Marseille, March 6 1705 – Marseille, December 21 1776, daughter of François Ammoric and wife Jeanne Boisson).
Her maternal grandparents were Joseph Ignace Somis (c. 1710 – Marseille, April 29 1750, son of Jean Louis Somis and wife Françoise Bouchard), and wife (married at Marseille, May 27 1736) Catherine Rose Soucheiron (Marseille, January 11 1696 – Marseille, February 18 1776, daughter of François Soucheiron and wife Anne Cautier).
Marriage
On August 1, 1794 at Cuges she married Joseph Bonaparte, elder brother of Napoléon Bonaparte, and later King of Naples and King of Spain.
While living at Mortefontaine she kept informed from Vichy and Plombières about the new Spanish sexual adventures of her (much loved always)fiddling husband José I Bonaparte in Spain, either with the caribbean - cuban born Dowager Countess of Jaruco, Teresa de Montalvo or0ne of his first spanish loves, Maria del Pilar Acedo, Marquesse of Montehermoso, rewarded with the Dukedom of Montehermoso or others by the Duke of Frías, a title pro - napoleonic nobleman from the highest nobility since the last third of the XV Century.
The defeat of the French Napoleonica Army at the Battle of Vitoria, on 21 June 1813 and the entry of allied troops in Paris in 1814 led Julie to buy in Switzerland the Castle of Prangins, near Lehman Lake.
The Battle of Waterloo meant the doom for the Corsican born Bonaparte, and José, surnamed Count of Survilliers, bought an important property in the State of New York, near River Delaware with costly and beautiful stolen Spanish paintings ransacked from Madrid and Palaces, Castles, Monasteries and Town Halls "found" along the route back to France.
Later life
Julie, however, went with her daughters to Frankfurt where she stayed for some 6 years, away from her French - American husband, settling after in Brussels and then to better climates, to Florence, Italy, Serristori Palace living practically alone from French people and being recognized by all sorts of people as a charming, quite, peaceful lady, spanning this period of European travels for some 26 years and departing from the company of her younger sister Désirée, pretended long ago, without much success by Napoleon Bonaparte itself, as the Swedish people and her husband, the new Swedish King and former French General Bernadotte wished her to be in Stockholm.
It is only in 1840 that ailing former ephimerous King of Naples and Sicily, Spain and the Indies, José I, decided to leave the U. S. A. and see his former Queen at Florence, who still seemed to love hiim in spite of his "macho" behavior, full of dignity and much loved by many people apparently.
José I Bonaparte died at her arms on 28th July 1844 while she informed on this event, aged 73, referring to "my beloved husband" in spite also of former adventures and pregnancies by José in Naples and Sicily which she knew about, too.
She died 8 months later on 7th April 1845, aged 74, being both buried by the side at the Santa Croce of Florence.
17 years later, 1862, self proclaimed French Emperor Napoleon III brought José to be near, to the right of, José younger brother Napoleon I.
Julie, always discrete, always a French Revolution Lady coming from bourgeois background, stays still at Santa Croce, Florence, near her daughter, Charlotte, a refined childless widow put pregnant by an unknown, probably flamboyant, fathering male, but with artistic and literary likings who died in Lucca, Italy, on 3 March 1839, aged around 37 delivering a still born baby.
Family and issue
On August 1, 1794 at Cuges she married Joseph Bonaparte, elder brother of Napoléon Bonaparte, and later King of Naples and King of Spain.
They had three daughters:
- Julie Joséphine Bonaparte (1796-1796)
- Zénaïde Laetitia Julie Bonaparte (1801-1854, with 12 children issue).
- Charlotte Napoléone Bonaparte (1802 - married 1826 with Napoleon Louis, eldest son of Louis Bonaparte, King of Holland, and Hortense de Behaurnais - widow 1830 - Lucca from child birth by unknown father, 3 March 1839).
References
Manuel RIOS MAZCARELLE, "Reinas de España, Casa de Borbón, I", Aldebarán Ed.Madrid, (1999). ISBN 84 - 88676 - 57 - 3. In Spanish. 291 pages.