15 novembre 1784
24 juin 1860
Jérôme Bonaparte (roi de Westphalie ; 1784-1860)
Montfort, Jérôme (1784-1860 ; comte de)
Jérôme (1784-1860 ; roi de Westphalie)
Jérôme Bonaparte, né le 15 novembre 1784 à Ajaccio (Corse), est le fils de Charles-Marie Bonaparte et de Maria-Letizia Ramolino, et le plus jeune frère de Napoléon.
Élevé au collège de Juilly, il entre dans la marine après le coup d'État de brumaire, et accompagne, avec le grade de lieutenant, son beau-frère le général Leclerc, à Saint-Domingue. Commandant de la frégate l'Épervier, il part pour la Martinique, est chargé, en 1802, d'établir une croisière devant île de Tabago, puis se retire à New York, où il épouse (1803) la fille d'un riche commerçant de Baltimore, Mlle Paterson. Ce mariage gêne bientôt les vues politiques de l'Empereur, qui autorise Jérôme à rentrer en France, mais sans sa femme. Jérôme rejoint son frère en Piémont, et se réconcilie avec lui, en consentant à divorcer pour cause de minorité. Nommé capitaine de frégate, il se présente en août suivant devant Alger à la tête d'une escadre de six vaisseaux, obtient du dey la délivrance des esclaves d'origine française et génoise, et est récompensé du succès de sa mission par le grade de capitaine de vaisseau. Il commande à la Martinique une escadre de huit vaisseaux de ligne, et rentré en France, est promu contre-amiral. Il sert dans l'armée de terre pendant la campagne de 1807, s'empare de la Silésie à la tête d'un corps de Wurtembergeois et de Bavarois, est nommé général de division, le 14 mars 1807, marié, le 12 août, à la princesse Frédérique-Catherine, fille du roi de Wurtemberg, et, six jours après, est créé roi de Westphalie. Il montre plus d'ardeur pour les plaisirs que pour les affaires, et se soumet d'ailleurs aveuglément aux exigences de la politique napoléonienne. En 1812, à la tête d'un corps d'armée allemand, il prend part aux combats d'Ostrowa et de Mohilew ; mais surpris à Smolensk, il est renvoyé à Cassel, qu'il doit abandonner. En mars 1814, Jérôme accompagne à Blois l'impératrice Marie-Louise, puis rejoint la reine Catherine à la cour de Stutgard, pour se rendre de là en Italie où il compte résider. Ayant appris à Trieste le retour de l'île d'Elbe, il s'embarque en secret et gagne Paris. Napoléon le nomme à la Chambre des pairs (2 juin 1815), et l'emmene avec lui en Belgique ; sa conduite à Waterloo est héroïque.
Après la seconde abdication, il revient encore près de son beau-père, qui lui donna le château d'Elvangers et le titre de prince de Montfort (juillet 1816) ; il réside tantôt près de Vienne, tantôt à Trieste, mais reste, pendant la Restauration, en dehors de la politique. La princesse Catherine meurt en 1836. Le prince Jérôme songe alors à profiter personnellement des dispositions bienveillantes de Louis-Philippe pour les membres de la famille Bonaparte, et écrit de Bruxelles au gouvernement français (1847), pour demander l'autorisation de rentrer en France, autorisation qui lui est accordée pour trois mois, le 22 décembre. Il va remercier Louis-Philippe, et est très bien reçu aux Tuileries.
La révolution de 1848 fait cesser l'exil de sa famille. Il favorise, autant qu'il le peut, l'élection de son neveu, le prince Louis-Napoléon, à la présidence de la République, après avoir songé un instant à se présenter. Du moins il est promu gouverneur des Invalides (27 décembre 1848), et maréchal de France (1er janvier 1850). Mais le coup d'État de 1851 le surprend, et il hésite sur le parti à prendre, craignant surtout les remontrances de son fils, très lié alors avec le parti montagnard. Il se décide pourtant à aller à l'Élysée ; Napoléon III lui donne la présidence du Sénat, le titre de premier prince du sang, ainsi que les avantages pécuniaires et honorifiques attachés à cette dignité. Le prince Jérôme préside plusieurs fois le conseil des ministres pendant l'absence de l'Empereur. Il meurt le 24 juin 1860, en son château de la Villegenis, et est inhumé aux Invalides.
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