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Origin and history

The Bonaparte House, located in Ajaccio, is the former Casa Bozzi, owned by one of the most influential feudal families in Corsica. In the 17th century, it was gradually acquired by the Buonaparte family, notably after the marriage of Giuseppe Buonaparte with Maria Bozzi in 1682. The latter receives in dowry half of the house, 160 m2 spread over two floors and an attic. Subsequent generations, through marriages, inheritances and purchases, consolidated family property, particularly under the leadership of Carlo Maria Buonaparte, Napoleon's father, who settled his family there in 1768.

The house becomes a symbol of the social ascension of the Buonaparte, despite the tensions with the Republic of Genoa. Carlo Maria Buonaparte, after supporting Pasquale Paoli, drew close to the French and in 1771 obtained the recognition of the nobility of his family by the king of France. Napoleon was born there in 1769, and the house was enlarged with a terrace in 1774. During the Revolution, it was looted by Paoli's supporters, then restored under the Executive Board by Joseph Bonaparte, who added a gallery in 1797.

Under the Second Empire, Napoleon III restored the house between 1857 and 1860, adding decorations painted by Jérôme Maglioli. It was listed as a historic monument in 1924 and became a national museum in 1967. Today, it preserves furniture and objects belonging to the Bonaparte family, while evoking the Corsican history and the childhood of Napoleon. A campaign to restore the painted decorations was completed in 2016, and the museum hosted special exhibitions in 2021 for the bicentenary of the emperor's death.

The house, originally divided between several owners, was unified thanks to successive purchases, notably by Don Luciano Buonaparte, who carried out important works there. After the death of Carlo Maria Buonaparte in 1785, the house was run by Letizia Ramolino, the mother of Napoleon, who refused to leave the house despite his son's proposals. It then passed into the hands of several heirs before being given to the State in 1923 by Prince Victor Napoleon.

Architecturally, the house consists of three floors at the time of Napoleon's birth. The ground floor includes a vestibule, a kitchen and cellars, while the first floor houses the living room, the dining room, Carlo Maria Buonaparte's work room and Napoleon's birth room. A gallery, added in 1797, gives access to other rooms. The upper floors contained bedrooms, and the family occupied the first two floors during Napoleon's childhood.

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