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King Bonaparte and the Jersey Devil: Surprising Facts About a Bonaparte’s Life in America

Khalid Elhassan March 12, 2025 13 min

Bonaparte - Joseph Bonaparte had a run in with the Jersey Devil — Joseph Bonaparte had a run in with the Jersey Devil. Fine Art America

9. The Bonaparte Brothers Seize Control of France

Bonaparte - General Bonaparte During the Coup d'Etat of 18 Brumaire in Saint Cloud, by Francois Bouchot, 1840 — General Bonaparte During the Coup d’Etat of 18 Brumaire in Saint Cloud, by Francois Bouchot, 1840. Histoire

As Napoleon continued his rise, Joseph Bonaparte served the French Republic as a legislator in its lower house, the Council of Five Hundred, in the upper house, the Council of Ancients, and as diplomat. In the latter role, Joseph represented France as ambassador in Rome, and also as a minister plenipotentiary who negotiated a treaty of friendship and commerce with the United States. When Napoleon overthrew the government, he was fortunate to have two brothers as prominent members of the French legislature. While older brother Joseph served in the Council of Ancients, equivalent to the US Senate, younger brother Lucien served as President of the Council of Five Hundred – equivalent to US Speaker of the House. The Bonaparte brothers were thus well positioned to help Napoleon seize power on November 9^th, 1799, otherwise known as the Coup of 18 Brumaire, after its date on the French Revolutionary Calendar.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.