As a child, a quick-witted brother did his homework for him. Later, he also chose his wife and title.
Shifting work onto others and enjoying the fruits of others' achievements is taught in childhood. Mama's sons grow up and continue the harmful practice of riding on someone else's hump. And if there is a great person in the family? It would seem that it will be even easier for an eternal child with such a relative, but the fate of Louis - Napoleon Bonaparte's brother - proves the opposite.
Childhood
The Bonaparte couple were Corsican nobility and were famous for their extraordinary fertility - 7 children! The mother was strict with them, especially the elders, who, in her opinion, prevented her from spending her youth carefreely. Louis, born in 1778, was one of her favorites. Until the age of 13, she kept the boy by her side, hoping that her older brother would find a warm place for him in France.
In 1791, the teenager came to Osan, where his brother served. For the new tenant of a modest apartment, the dressing room had to be vacated, although there was no bed for him. Napoleon wanted to give him an education, got him to school, but the mischief-maker said that mathematics was not given to him and if no one helped him, he would be expelled. The blackmail worked - a young artillery officer sat over his textbooks in the evenings, and the boy wandered around the city looking for adventure.
Army service
Louis was able to get a diploma and was accepted into military service. Naturally, there was no benefit from him, because all his knowledge boiled down to how to make the elder work for himself. Napoleon, forgiving the youngest all the misdeeds, made a significant contribution to the education of this vicious nature. After the capture of Toulon in 1793, Bonaparte was promoted to brigadier general and immediately made his parasite lieutenant. Several times Louis was given the opportunity to prove himself on the battlefield, but the young man clearly lacked knowledge, he was only able to carry out commands.
A military ignoramus should not be kept in the vanguard, but his obedience could become an indispensable quality for staff work. So the future emperor of France reasoned and found a place where the career of his dear brother went uphill. Louis did not waste time - a good salary and the opportunity to show off next to celebrities opened the way for him to new entertainments. The young man became a famous carousel and Don Juan. The fun continued until the moment when he caught a bad illness during one of his fleeting hobbies.
Unhappy marriage
In 1802, the active Corsican was preparing the ground for his accession to the throne. Concerns about their position in society also affected the status of Louis. The unlucky brother had to be married. The bride was found quickly - it was Hortense de Beauharnais, Napoleon's stepdaughter. The girl was neither clever nor beautiful, therefore, the groom, who had already tasted the joys of love, opposed this decision of his brother. The riot was suppressed by order. In the same year, the young went to the altar and settled in Paris.
Soon after the wedding, a scandal broke out in the newlyweds' house. Louis lashed out at his wife, accusing her of making fun of himself. The poor thing did not run away from home only for fear of the anger of her mother Josephine. At the end of 1802 Hortense gave birth to a child whom she named Napoleon Louis Charles. This drove the happy father to hysterics - why was his brother's name first? He tried to add fuel to the fire - he expressed a desire to adopt a baby, since he himself was childless in marriage. Two years later, the family will again replenish with a son, this time the mother will give him the name Napoleon Louis, which will lead to a final quarrel between the spouses.
Kingdom
Having received the title of emperor in 1804, Napoleon continued to expand the possessions of France. If earlier he acted in the name of spreading republican values and the liberation of peoples from the oppression of the monarchy, now he seized the lands that his dynasty would rule. In 1806 he endowed Louis Bonaparte with the title of King of Holland. The capricious mama's son dared to ask if there could be a warmer and more comfortable country for him. He did not like the Netherlands because of the damp climate. The emperor laughed and offered to take while they give. The spineless Louis agreed again.
Ruined personal life and constant comparisons with more successful relatives and friends knocked down Louis. In the quiet harbor of his new domain, he was able to improve his nerves and find many interesting things to do. Good-natured by nature, he donated large sums to help victims of floods, abolished the death penalty, and in 1810 founded the Royal Institute of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts. The servants fell in love with their ruler and jokingly called him a rabbit and, with gratitude, a kind king.
Disillusionment
While her husband ruled the Netherlands, Hortense had fun and even gave reason to think that all her children were from lovers. In addition to amorous adventures, she was occupied with palace intrigues. In 1810, she managed to achieve the abdication of Louis Bonaparte from the throne in favor of her son. The title for the baby cost the swindler dearly - Holland was annexed by France. The unlucky former king was granted the title of Count of Saint-Leu.
When the older brother got into a difficult situation, the younger, instead of running to rescue him, stayed away from the battlefield. He wandered around the countries of Europe, finding no refuge for himself anywhere. The name of the former emperor of France no longer worked. In 1846 Louis died in the Italian city of Livorno. Later, one of his sons will be crowned in Paris and will transport the ashes of his unlucky daddy to the capital.
The image of Louis Bonaparte in art is ignored. Only the court artists captured him in their work and not otherwise than by order. Having given the initiative to his brother, this historical character turned into his puppet, his dull and full of defeats biography is an instructive example for descendants.
