Julie CLARY

Julie Clary was the wife of Joseph Bonaparte, Napoleon Iᵉʳ's elder brother, and thus Queen of Naples (1806-1808) and then Queen of Spain (1808-1813).born in Marseille into a wealthy family of merchants (the Clary family), she married Joseph Bonaparte on 1ᵉʳ August 1794 in Cuges-les-Pins. Julie accompanied her husband in his duties, but led a discreet life, preferring reading and music to politics. After the fall of Napoleon, she retired to Switzerland and then Florence, where she died in 1845.

Three anecdotes about Julie Clary:

1. Two sisters, two crowns: Julie and Désirée Clary, daughters of a Marseilles merchant, became Queen of Spain and Queen of Sweden respectively - a unique case in European history.
   
   
2. A queen without a kingdom: Although she was officially queen of Spain, Julie never set foot in Madrid: she remained in France while Joseph reigned, out of prudence and a taste for tranquility.
   
   
3. An illustrious in-law: Before marrying Joseph, her sister Désirée had been briefly engaged to Napoleon Bonaparte himself! Julie sometimes joked that, one way or another, the Clarys were "destined for the crown".