Letizia Ramolino
From Freepedia
Maria Letizia Bonaparte nee Ramonlino (Marie-Lætitia Ramolino) (24 August 1750, Ajaccio - 2 February 1836, Rome) was born to Giovanni Geronimo Ramolino (April 13, 1723 - 1755) and Angela Maria Pietrasanta (c. 1725 - 1790).
The Ramolinos were a family of mediocre rank of nobility in the Republic of Genoa. Letizia had no education growing up.
At a young age of 14 she married attorney Carlo Buonaparte. They married on June 2, 1764. She had a total of 13 children, of whom 8 survived. She was the mother of Napoleon I of France. Most of the surviving children were made monarchs by Napoleon. Her children were:
- Napoleone Buonaparte (1764/1765 - August 17 1765).
- Maria Anna Buonaparte (January 3 1767 - January 1 1768).
- Joseph Bonaparte (January 7 1768 - July 28 1844).
- Napoleon I of France (August 15 1769 - May 5 1821), Emperor of the French. Namesake of his deceased older brother.
- Maria Anna Buonaparte (1770). Namesake of her deceased older sister.
- Maria Anna Buonaparte (July 14 - November 23 1771). Namesake of her deceased older sisters.
- A stillborn son.
- Lucien Bonaparte (May 21 1775 - June 29 1840), Prince of Canino
- Elisa Bonaparte (January 13 1777 - August 7 1820), Grand Duchess of Tuscany.
- Louis Bonaparte (September 2 1779 - July 25 1844), King of Holland.
- Pauline Bonaparte (October 20 1780 - June 9 1825), Sovereign Princess and Duchess of Guastalla.
- Caroline Bonaparte (March 24 1782 - May 18 1839), Grand Duchess of Berg and Cleves. Wife of Joachim Murat, later queen consort of Naples.
- Jérôme Bonaparte (November 15 1784 - June 24,1860), King of Westphalia.
When France under the Ancien Régime took control of Corsica in 1769, the French language became the national language, but it stayed a mystery to her forever. At the age of 35 she was widowed when her husband died of cancer. She was decreed "Her Imperial Highness Madame, Mère of the Emperor" on March 23 1805.
She was a harsh mother, and she had a very down to earth view on most things. She was a woman ahead of her time though; every other day she had her children bathing, when most other mothers (even those in the upper class) took a bath perhaps once a month.
This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopaedia.
