12. The Other Bonaparte
To be an average person and live in the shadow of a highly accomplished relative can be tough. If you add a layer of sibling rivalry when that highly accomplished relative is one’s kid brother, it becomes tougher yet. But what if that kid brother happens to be Napoleon Bonaparte? That would take things to levels of complexity and awkwardness that most of us never have to deal with. Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844), Napoleon’s older brother, was not so lucky. Joseph’s life was swept up and carried away like a leaf caught up in the tornado that was his younger brother’s career. Joseph was a mild mannered, idealistic, and low key figure who just wanted to be a writer. He was first pressured by his father to become a lawyer, and then by Napoleon to become king of Naples, and then king of Spain.
