Désirée Clary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Désirée Clary | ||
|---|---|---|
| Queen of Sweden and Norway | ||
 |
||
| Titles | HM Queen Desideria of Sweden & Norway (1844-1860) HM The Queen of Sweden (1818-1844) |
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| Born | November 8, 1777 | |
| Marseille, France | ||
| Died | December 17, 1860 | |
| Stockholm, Sweden | ||
| Consort | February 5, 1818 – March 8, 1844 | |
| Consort to | Charles XIV | |
| Issue | Oscar I | |
| Father | François Clary | |
| Mother | Françoise Rose Somis | |
Desideria, Queen of Sweden and Norway (Bernhardine Eugenie Désirée Bernadotte, née Clary) (November 8, 1777 – December 17, 1860) was the wife of King Charles XIV of Sweden and a one-time fiancée of Napoleon Bonaparte.
She was born in Marseille, France, the daughter of François Clary (1725-1794), a wealthy silk manufacturer and merchant, and his wife Françoise Rose Somis (1737-1815). Her sister, Julie Clary, married Joseph Bonaparte, and later became Queen of Naples and Spain.
Though engaged for two years (1794-96) to Napoleon Bonaparte, the engagement was broken off by the future emperor, in the face of her parents' opposition and their concern over his lack of fortune. On 17 August 1798, at Sceaux, Désirée Clary married Marshal Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, a French general who was made heir to the Swedish throne in 1810 and, after successful warfare led by himself, to the Norwegian throne in 1814. The couple became King and Queen in 1818, with Désirée's first name being translated as Desideria.
They had only one child, Oscar, who eventually became King Oscar I of Sweden and Norway (1799-1859).
Queen Desideria never became very accustomed to Swedish ways or to the climate. For long periods, especially before 1823, she lived in Paris apart from her family.
She died in Stockholm.
[edit] Notes
- Désirée Clary is the subject of two films:
- Le Destin fabuleux de Désirée Clary (1942) a French film made by Sacha Guitry
- Désirée (1954), an American film with Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando
[edit] References
- Désirée Clary d'après sa correspondance inédite avec Bonaparte, Bernadotte et sa famille, Gabriel Girod de l'Ain, Paris: Hachette (1959).
[edit] External links
- Désirée Clary
- The story of Desiree (ger.)
- Désirée at the Internet Movie Database
