Carlo Bonaparte

Carlo Maria Buonaparte (27 March 1746 – 24 February 1785), also known as Carlo Maria di Buonaparte and Charles-Marie Bonaparte, was a Corsican attorney, nobleman, and official, best known as the father of Napoleon Bonaparte and grandfather of Napoleon III.

Initially a supporter of Corsican independence, he briefly served as an aide to Pasquale Paoli, fighting against the Republic of Genoa and later resisting the French invasion. After France annexed Corsica, he aligned with the new regime and in 1777 became the island’s representative at the court of Louis XVI. Twenty years after his death, his second surviving son, Napoleon, became Emperor of the French, elevating several of his siblings to royal status through marriage and noble titles.