Louis Lucien Bonaparte facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Louis Lucien Bonaparte |
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| Born | 4 January 1813 Thorngrove, Grimley, Worcestershire, England |
| Died | 3 November 1891 (aged 78) Fano, Italy |
| Burial | St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery, Kensal Green |
| Spouse | Anna Maria Cecchi Clémence Richard |
| Issue | Louis Clovis Bonaparte |
| House | Bonaparte |
| Father | Lucien Bonaparte |
| Mother | Alexandrine de Bleschamp |
| Occupation | Philologist, politician |
Louis Lucien Bonaparte (born January 4, 1813 – died November 3, 1891) was a French expert in languages. He was the third son of Lucien Bonaparte, who was the brother of the famous French leader Napoleon. Louis Lucien lived most of his life outside France because of political reasons. After a short time in politics, he focused on his studies, especially on the Basque language and the Celtic languages.
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Early Life of Louis Lucien Bonaparte
Louis Lucien Bonaparte was born in England in 1813. His father, Lucien Bonaparte, had been under pressure from his brother Napoleon. Napoleon wanted Lucien to divorce his wife and return to France. Instead, Lucien and his wife tried to sail to the United States in 1810. However, the British Navy captured them.
The British government allowed Lucien and his wife to live in England. They first settled in Ludlow, then moved to Thorngrove House in Grimley, Worcestershire. This is where Louis Lucien was born. At the time, Napoleon thought his brother Lucien had gone to Britain to betray him.
Family and Titles
After Napoleon gave up his power in April 1814, Louis Lucien's father returned to France. He then went to Rome. There, on August 18, 1814, Pope Pius VII gave him the titles of Prince of Canino, Count of Apollino, and Lord of Nemori. Later, in 1824, Pope Leo XII made him Prince of Musignano.
When Napoleon returned to France from exile in Elba in 1815, Lucien supported his brother again. Napoleon made Lucien a French prince and included his children in the Imperial Family. But this was not recognized by the new French government after Napoleon lost power again. In 1815, Lucien was banned from France and lost his place in the French Academy.
Louis Lucien Bonaparte grew up in Italy. He went to a Jesuit college in Urbino. There, he studied chemistry and mineralogy, which is the study of minerals.
Louis Lucien Bonaparte's Career
Louis Lucien Bonaparte was a philologist, meaning he studied languages and their history. He also had a brief career in politics. He spent most of his early life in Italy. He went to the first meeting of Italian natural scientists in Pisa. He also published some early scientific work in Italy. When his father died on June 29, 1840, Louis Lucien inherited several important titles from the Pope. His first book about languages, called Specimen lexici comparativi, was published in Florence in 1847.
Political Life and Move to London
Louis Lucien did not go to France until 1848. He then served two one-year terms in the French National Assembly. He represented Corsica in 1848 and the Seine department in 1849. In 1852, he became a Senator. However, he soon moved to London, England. He lived there for most of the rest of his life.
He even had a printing press in his home in London. He used it to print 10 books in 1857 and five more in 1858. In 1866, he became a member of the Athenaeum Club. He gave the club 137 of his publications, which were bound into 24 volumes.
Language Studies
Louis Lucien Bonaparte spent a lot of time studying the different ways people spoke the Basque language. His work on classifying these dialects is still used today. He also studied the Cornish language. He pointed out that another scholar, William Pryce, had copied research from Edward Lhuyd about Cornish and other Celtic languages.
Louis Lucien Bonaparte's Private Life
On October 4, 1833, Louis Lucien Bonaparte married Maria Anna Cecchi in Florence, Italy. She was the daughter of a sculptor from Florence. In 1850, he separated from his wife. Later, he began living with Clémence Richard. They had a son together named Louis Clovis Bonaparte (1859–1894).
Maria Anna died on March 17, 1891. After her death, Louis Lucien and Clémence Richard got married in Kensington, England, in 1891.
Their son, Louis Clovis, became a civil engineer. On October 14, 1891, he married Laura Elizabeth Scott in Reigate. She was the daughter of another engineer, F. W. Scott.
Louis Lucien Bonaparte passed away in Fano, Italy. His wife, Clémence Bonaparte, lived until 1915. He is buried at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery in Kensal Green. He rests next to his son and his second wife. His amazing collection of chemical elements was given to the Science Museum, London. It was shown there in 2019 during the UNESCO "International Year of the Periodic Table."
His large library of books was bought by the Newberry Library in Chicago.
Images for kids
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Map of the seven Basque Provinces
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Map of the seven Basque Provinces
