Prince Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte

Prince Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte
Prince of Montfort
Photograph, c.1875
Head of the House of Bonaparte
(disputed)
Tenure1 June 1879 – 17 March 1891
PredecessorNapoléon Eugène, Prince Imperial
SuccessorVictor, Prince Napoléon
Born(1822-09-09)9 September 1822
Trieste, Austria
Died17 March 1891(1891-03-17) (aged 68)
Rome, Italy
Burial
Spouse
(m. 1859)
Issue
HouseBonaparte
FatherJérôme Bonaparte
MotherCatharina of Württemberg

Prince Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte (9 September 1822 17 March 1891), usually called Napoléon-Jérôme Bonaparte or Jérôme Bonaparte, was the second son of Jérôme, King of Westphalia, youngest brother of Napoleon I, and his second wife Catharina of Württemberg. Following the death of his cousin Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial in 1879, he claimed headship of the House of Bonaparte until his death in 1891. An outspoken liberal however, he was passed over as heir in his cousin's final will, which instead chose his elder son Victor, who was favored by most Bonapartists. From the 1880s onwards, he was one of the stronger supporters of General Georges Boulanger, together with other monarchist forces.

As well as bearing the title of Prince Napoléon, given to him by his cousin Emperor Napoleon III in 1852, he was also 2nd Prince of Montfort, 1st Count of Meudon and Count of Moncalieri, following his marriage with Maria Clotilde of Savoy in 1859. His popular nickname, Plon-Plon, stemmed from his difficulty in pronouncing his own name while still a child, although other notable historians and contemporary letters by his nephew Colonel Jérôme Bonaparte claim it was because he ran in cowardice during battle when the bombs fell. Another nickname, "Craint-Plomb" ("Afraid-of-Lead",) was given to him by the army due to his absence from the Battle of Solferino.