Joseph Bonaparte

Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844), older brother of Napoleon, born in Corte, Corsica, and educated in law at Pisa, Italy. In 1796 he participated in his brother's Italian campaign; the following year he served as a diplomat of the First Republic of France, first at the court of Parma and later in Rome. Joseph was a member of the Council of Five Hundred, the lower legislative body of the Directory, in 1798. During the Napoleonic Wars, he acted as an envoy for his brother, signing treaties with the United States, Austria, Great Britain, and the Vatican. In 1806 Napoleon made Joseph king of Naples, where he reigned until 1808, when his brother made him king of Spain. Five years later Joseph, ousted by Spanish insurgents, returned to France. In 1815, after the final defeat of Napoleon, Joseph emigrated to the United States, remaining there until 1832. He then returned to Europe, lived briefly in England, but settled in Italy and died in Florence.