Bonaparte: Pauline Bonaparte

Pauline Bonaparte

Pauline, 1780–1825, was Napoleon's favorite sister. A woman of great beauty and a notoriously promiscuous seductress, she was the subject of considerable scandal. She accompanied her husband, General Leclerc, on the expedition to Haiti. After Leclerc's death Napoleon arranged her marriage (1803) to Camillo Borghese, a member of the Roman nobility, but they soon separated. Pauline, made princess of Guastalla in 1806, fell into temporary disfavor with her brother because of her hostility to Empress Marie Louise, but when Napoleon's fortune failed, Pauline, the only sibling to join him in exile on Elba, showed herself more loyal than any of his other sisters and brothers.

Sections in this article:

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: French History: Biographies