43 Facts About Elisa Bonaparte

Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte Baciocchi Levoy, better known as Elisa Bonaparte, was an imperial French princess and sister of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Elisa Bonaparte was Princess of Lucca and Piombino, Grand Duchess of Tuscany and Countess of Compignano by appointment of her brother.

Elisa Bonaparte was the fourth surviving child and eldest surviving daughter of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino.

Elisa Bonaparte was christened Maria-Anna, but later officially adopted the nickname "Elisa".

Elisa Bonaparte set up home at 125 rue de Miromesnil, in the Quartier du Roule, where she held receptions and put on plays.

On 14 May 1800, on the death of Lucien's first wife, Christine Boyer, Elisa Bonaparte took Lucien's two daughters under her protection.

Elisa Bonaparte placed Charlotte, the eldest, in Madame Campan's boarding school for young women at Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

Elisa Bonaparte took Elisa's husband, Felix Baciocchi, as his secretary.

Elisa Bonaparte remained in Paris, but maintained a regular correspondence with her brother.

Felice and Elisa Bonaparte took the titles "Prince and Princess of Piombino".

Elisa Bonaparte set up a court and court etiquette inspired by those at the Tuileries.

Carrara was one of the biggest white marble suppliers in Europe and Elisa Bonaparte bolstered her prestige by establishing an Academie des Beaux-Arts, designed to host the greatest sculptors and thus make Carrara an exporter of marble statues, which had a greater value than the raw marble.

Elisa Bonaparte set up the Banque Elisienne to give financial aid to sculptors and workers on marble taxes.

Elisa Bonaparte reformed the clergy at Lucca and Piombino from May 1806, during which reforms she nationalised their goods and lands and closed down convents which did not function as hotels or schools.

Elisa Bonaparte carried out legislative reform in Lucca, producing laws inspired by the Code Napoleon and producing a new penal code which was promulgated in 1807 and first reformed in 1810.

Elisa Bonaparte demolished Piombino's hospital to build a new one in the former monastery of Sant' Anastasia, with the new building opening in 1810, and set up the Casa Sanitaria, a dispensary in the town's port.

Elisa Bonaparte set up many teaching establishments in Lucca and, in 1809, a "Direction Generale de l'Instruction Publique".

On 2 July 1807, Elisa Bonaparte founded the "Institut Elisa Bonaparte" within the limits of a former convent for noble-born girls, to produce well-educated and cultivated future wives.

On 29 July 1812, Elisa Bonaparte set up an establishment for young poor girls, the "Congregazione San Felice", though this did not long outlive Elisa Bonaparte's fall.

Elisa Bonaparte razed an entire block in Lucca to build a piazza in the French style in front of her city residence.

Elisa Bonaparte began road construction, notably the "route Friedland" to link Massa and Carrara, with work beginning on 15 August 1807 but becoming delayed and only completed in 1820.

Elisa Bonaparte began construction of an aqueduct into Lucca in 1811, but this too was only completed after her fall.

Elisa Bonaparte wished to become Governess of Tuscany in 1808, but she contracted an illness late in the year that prevented her from taking part in state affairs.

However, the terms of the decree required Elisa Bonaparte to enforce the decisions of Napoleon and his ministers and denied her the power to modify any of these decisions.

Elisa Bonaparte was the only woman Napoleon entrusted with a real political responsibility.

Elisa Bonaparte normally disliked politically active women, and while he did appoint his second wife regent during his absence, that post was nominal only.

Elisa Bonaparte was thus an exceptional case for Napoleon in this issue.

On 2 April 1809, Elisa Bonaparte arrived in Florence, where she was coldly received by the nobility.

Elisa Bonaparte later became unwillingly involved in Napoleon's removal of Pope Pius VII.

The pope passed by Florence where Elisa Bonaparte did not welcome him in person and asked Pius to leave the region soon as possible, so as not to displease her brother by being seen as welcoming his enemy.

On 17 March 1810, Elisa Bonaparte arrived in Paris for Napoleon's marriage to Marie-Louise of Austria, but Napoleon took advantage of her visit to reclaim the payments from his grants of Massa and Carrara.

When Elisa Bonaparte returned to Tuscany, she found Napoleon still sought to claim payment of these grants via his envoys.

Elisa Bonaparte refused to pay a second time, arguing that the territories had too few resources to pay Napoleon's demanded 200,000 lira.

Napoleon threatened to seize Carrara from Elisa Bonaparte and demanded Lucca raise men by conscription.

Elisa Bonaparte returned to Lucca from Florence and restored the villa now known as the Villa Reale di Marlia, despite the cold reception of the local community.

An Anglo-Austrian force under Lord William Bentinck captured Lucca soon after, forcing the pregnant Elisa Bonaparte to flee on the night of 13 March 1814.

Elisa Bonaparte was forced to abdicate as Grand Duchess of Tuscany in favor of Grand Duke Ferdinand III's restoration.

Elisa Bonaparte made several short stays in Italy and France, notably seeking support in Marseille to return to Italy as a private individual.

The former duchess' requests were denied, but she was able to stay in Austria for a time thanks to the efforts of her brother, Jerome Elisa Bonaparte, before moving to the Villa Caprara in Trieste.

Napoleon was exiled to Elba on 13 April 1814 under the Treaty of Fontainebleau, and Elisa Bonaparte was arrested on 25 March and interned in the Austrian fortress of Brunn.

Elisa Bonaparte acquired a country house at Villa Vicentina near Cervignano after her release and financed several archaeological digs in the region.

Elisa Bonaparte contracted a fatal illness in June 1820, probably at an excavation site, and died on 7 August at the age of 43.

Elisa Bonaparte was buried in the San Petronio Basilica of Bologna.