Story Highlights
- Historical event:
- 24 August 1750
- Letizia Ramolino is interesting because she was only 13 years old when she married Napoleon’s father Carlo Buonaparte. As many as four of Letizia’s sons became kings, one daughter became a queen, one a grand duchess, and one a princess.
On this day in 1750, Letizia Ramolino, mother of Napoleon Bonaparte, was born in the small town of Ajaccio in Corsica.
She was a member of the Ramolino family, who were low-ranking nobility. Letizia Ramolino is interesting because she was only 13 years old when she married Napoleon’s father Carlo Buonaparte (their Italian surname Buonaparte was later changed to Bonaparte, which sounded more French, in accordance with the fact that the island of Corsica belonged to France).
Letizia gave birth to thirteen children, of whom Napoleon was the fourth. Due to Napoleon’s great success, many of Letizia’s sons and daughters became European rulers.
As many as four of her sons became kings, one daughter became a queen, one a grand duchess and one a princess. Thus, a total of seven of her children were created monarchs in Europe.
It’s rather unusual that Letizia outlived her son Napoleon for fifteen years. She died at the age of 85 in papal Rome.
