Louis Bonaparte

King of Holland, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, member of the House of Buonaparte (1778-1846)

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Fame57.6
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France rank#209
Writers rank#241
Wikipedia47.6K

Lived 1778–1846, aged 68France

France WritersWriter / Author

Wikipedia
57 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in France
#209
Writers
Era
1778–1846
Aged 68
Awards
12
recognised works

Summary

Updated 2026-06-21

Napoleon's younger brother who got handed a kingdom and actually tried to run it for the people who lived there — a choice that cost him the throne when the emperor decided loyalty mattered more than local popularity.

Biography

About

Born Luigi Buonaparte in Corsica in 1778, Louis followed his older brothers into the French Army and rode Napoleon's rise. In 1802 he married Hortense de Beauharnais, stepdaughter of Empress Joséphine, binding him closer to the imperial center. Four years later Napoleon dissolved the Batavian Commonwealth and installed Louis as King of Holland, expecting a compliant client state. Louis had other ideas: he worked to govern independently and won genuine support from his Dutch subjects. Napoleon grew tired of the defiance, annexed Holland outright into the French Empire in 1810, and sent Louis in…

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