Caroline Bonaparte

Carolina Maria Annunziata Bonaparte Murat Macdonald (French: Caroline Marie Annonciade Bonaparte; 25 March 1782 – 18 May 1839), better known as Caroline Bonaparte, was an Imperial French princess; the seventh child and third daughter of Carlo Buonaparte and Letizia Ramolino, and a younger sister of Napoleon I of France. She was queen of Naples during the reign of her spouse there, and regent of Naples during his absence four times: in 1812–1813, 1813, 1814, and 1815. In 1800, Caroline married Joachim Murat, Marshal of the Empire, Prince Murat and later King of Naples, one of Napoleon's most important and notorious generals. Early years Caroline was born in Ajaccio, Corsica to Carlo Bonaparte and Letizia Ramolino. She was a younger sister of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoléon Bonaparte, Lucien Bonaparte, Elisa Bonaparte, Louis Bonaparte, and Pauline Bonaparte. She was an older sister of Jérôme Bonaparte. Highly regarded for her beauty and intelligence, Caroline was also complex in temperament, ambitious and politically savvy. In 1793, Caroline moved with her family to France during the French Revolution. Caroline was educated as a pupil at the school in St-Germain-en-Laye founded by Madame Jeanne Campan. She attended the school at the same time as Hortense, Joséphine's daughter and Caroline's brother Louis' wife.