History & Society

Élisa Bonaparte

sister of Napoleon
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Also known as: Maria Anna Elisa Buonaparte, Marie-Anne-Élisa Bonaparte
Elisa Bonaparte with her daughter Napoleona Baciocchi, 1810.
Elisa Bonaparte with her daughter Napoleona Baciocchi, 1810.
Original Italian:
Maria Anna Elisa Buonaparte
Born:
Jan. 3, 1777, Ajaccio, Corsica
Died:
Aug. 7, 1820, Sant’Andrea, near Trieste (aged 43)
House / Dynasty:
Bonaparte family
Notable Family Members:
father Carlo Maria Buonaparte
mother Letizia Buonaparte
brother Joseph Bonaparte
brother Lucien Bonaparte
brother Napoleon I
brother Louis Bonaparte
brother Jérôme Bonaparte
sister Pauline Bonaparte
sister Caroline Bonaparte

Élisa Bonaparte (born Jan. 3, 1777, Ajaccio, Corsica—died Aug. 7, 1820, Sant’Andrea, near Trieste) Napoleon I’s eldest sister to survive infancy.

She was married on May 1, 1797, to Félix Baciocchi, a member of a Corsican noble family. Napoleon gave her the principality of Piombino in March 1805 and the principality of Lucca in the following June and finally, in March 1809, made her grand duchess of Tuscany. Her pride and ability had great influence on the administration and on Italian affairs in general. Her relations with Napoleon were frequently strained; in 1813–14 she abetted Joachim Murat in his enterprises. After her brother’s fall she retired, with the title of contessa (countess) di Compignano, first to Bologna and afterward to Sant’Andrea near Trieste.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Rick Livingston.