Joseph Bonaparte

Joseph Bonaparte was born Giuseppe di Buonaparte in Corsica on 7 January 1768, trained as a lawyer and diplomat before his younger brother rewrote the map of Europe. In 1806 Napoleon installed him as King of Naples, then shuffled him to the Spanish throne in 1808 as José I — crowns awarded, not earned. When Napoleon fell, the kingdoms evaporated. Joseph reinvented himself as the Comte de Survilliers, a title he simply adopted, and emigrated to the United States. He settled at Point Breeze, an estate in Bordentown, New Jersey, where he lived until his death on 28 July 1844.