His Eminence His Most Eminent Highness His Serene Highness
Joseph Fesch
Cardinal, Archbishop of Lyon Sovereign Prince Prince of the Empire Peer of France Roman Prince
Cardinal Fesch by Charles Meynier, 1806
See
Lyon
Installed
15 August 1802
Term ended
13 May 1839
Other post(s)
Cardinal-Priest of Santa Maria della Vittoria (1803–1822); in commendam (1822–1839) Cardinal-Priest of San Lorenzo in Lucina Grand Almoner of France (1805 - 1814)
Orders
Ordination
1787
Consecration
15 August 1802 by Giovanni Battista Caprara
Created cardinal
17 January 1803 by Pius VII
Rank
Cardinal-Priest
Personal details
Born
(1763-01-03)3 January 1763
Ajaccio, Republic of Genoa
Died
13 May 1839(1839-05-13) (aged 76) Rome, Papal States
Nationality
French
Denomination
Roman Catholic
Coat of arms
Joseph Cardinal Fesch, Prince of the Empire (3 January 1763 – 13 May 1839) was a French priest and diplomat, who was the maternal half-uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte (half-brother of Napoleon's mother Laetitia). In the wake of his nephew, he became Archbishop of Lyon and cardinal. He was also one of the most famous art collectors of his period, remembered for having established the Musée Fesch in Ajaccio, which remains one of the most important Napoleonic collections of art.
Born in Corsica, he was the son of Swiss-born Franz Faesch and Angela Maria Pietrasanta, and belonged on his father's side to the Faesch family, one of the most prominent patrician families of Basel. He rose to great prominence in France following Napoleon's coup d'état of 1799. Fesch became Archbishop of Lyon in 1802, a Cardinal in 1803, Ambassador to the Holy See in 1804, a French senator and count in 1805, Grand Almoner of France in 1805, a sovereign prince in 1806, Prince of the Empire ("French Prince") in 1807 (a dignity he shared only with Napoleon's siblings, brother-in-law Joachim Murat, and adopted son Eugène de Beauharnais), and Peer of France in 1815, and was named a Prince of the Papal States by the Pope. He was a member of the Imperial House, and was included in the order of succession to the French imperial throne[citation needed] in accordance with the French constitution of 1804 (Title III, Article 9, "The Imperial Family").
He was Napoleon's most important diplomat in regard to Pope Pius VII, but Napoleon's relationship with his uncle deteriorated as his relationship with the Pope soured. Nevertheless, Napoleon remained loyal to his uncle. Fesch wed his nephew to Joséphine de Beauharnais in Paris in 1804, the day before Bonaparte was crowned as Emperor of the French,[1] in 1810 he wed Napoleon to Marie Louise of Austria, and in 1811 baptized the Emperor's son Napoleon II.
After the end of the French Empire in 1815, he was banished from France in 1815, like the rest of the Imperial House. He relocated to Rome with his half-sister Laetitia, and took up residence at the Palazzo Falconieri, dedicating himself to art and to beneficence.
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Compare: Bingham, Denis Arthur, ed. (1884). A Selection from the Letters and Despatches of the First Napoleon: With Explanatory Notes. Cambridge Library Collection - European History. Vol. 3. Cambridge University Press (published 2010). p. 5. ISBN 9781108023429. Retrieved 29 November 2014. [I]t is still a matter of doubt whether Napoleon and Josephine were ever married at the altar. There is not a scrap of evidence to prove it. The official account relates that on the eve of the coronation the Pope refused to officiate unless the Emperor made Josephine his wife, the Church not recognising the[ir] civil marriage. To avoid a scandal Napoleon consented, and the religious ceremony was secretly performed at the Tuileries by Cardinal Fesch, with the consent of the Pope, and in the presence of Duroc, Berthier, and Talleyrand, on the night of the 1st December, 1804.
Joseph Cardinal Fesch, Prince of the Empire (3 January 1763 – 13 May 1839) was a French priest and diplomat, who was the maternal half-uncle of Napoleon...
retirement from the position of French ambassador to Rome, Cardinal JosephFesch was assisted by François-René de Chateaubriand[clarification needed]...
Franz Fesch (1711–1775) entered the service of the Republic of Genoa and established a branch in Corsica. Its most famous member, Cardinal JosephFesch (1763–1839)...
unaccompanied by the usual additional ceremonies) by JosephFesch with his full name of Napoleon François Charles Joseph. The baptism, inspired by the baptismal ceremony...
close relatives, namely his brother-in-law Joachim Murat, his uncle JosephFesch, and his stepson Eugène de Beauharnais. Between 1852 and 1870, there...
two children, including Letizia's half-brother, the future Cardinal JosephFesch. On 2 June 1764, at the age of 14, Letizia married Carlo Buonaparte,...
seminarians from France to staff the school. A friend of Portier, Cardinal JosephFesch, Archbishop of Lyons, was a major benefactor to the fledgling College...
law of the Emperor Napoleon 1st, Grand Duke of Tuscany JosephFesch (1763–1839), cardinal Joseph Bonaparte (1768-1844), French statesman, King of Naples...
Mona Vanna, 16th century, from collection of Napoleon's uncle Cardinal JosephFesch (1763-1839) La Belle Gabrielle, 16th century, from collection of Earl...
friend David. She became close friends with Napoleon's uncle, Cardinal JosephFesch. During the Peace of Amiens, she gave British visitors tours of the cardinal's...
Vianney (Curé d'Ars). He was ordained a priest around 1817 by Cardinal JosephFesch for the Archdiocese of Lyon. He soon became the Superior of the ecclesiastical...
Basel among numerous other offices. Among his descendants were Cardinal JosephFesch, Napoleon's uncle, who became a Prince of France, a member of the Imperial...
Rota [it] in the Rione of Regola. From 1814, it was occupied by cardinal JosephFesch, Napoleon's uncle. In 1638, Orazio Falconieri purchased a palace on the...
to 11 January 1794, the date of his death on the scaffold. (Cardinal) JosephFesch (29 July 1802 – 13 May 1839) Archbishop of Lyon-Vienne-Embrun (until...
befriended the likes of Père Lacordaire and Cardinals Thomas Weld and JosephFesch. Abandoning his pursuit of the degree of Doctor of Divinity in Rome,...
1786-1791 : Louis-Joseph de Montmorency-Laval (1724-1808), Prince-Bishop of Metz, Cardinal in 1789. First French Empire 1805-1814 : JosephFesch (1763-1839)...
Amasia in partibus infidelium. The official archbishop remained cardinal JosephFesch, uncle of Napoleon I, who had refused to resign and lived in Rome. Antonetti...
until 1980 when a copy of a manuscript of Joseph was found in London's Royal Academy of Music. De Fesch's music was influenced by the Italians, particularly...
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