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Alexander Colonna-WalewskiFrench politician and diplomat
Date of Birth: 04.05.1810
Country:  France |
Content:
- Alexandre Colonna-Walewski: The Illegitimate Son of Napoleon I
- Career in Politics and Diplomacy
- He served as:
- Senator (1855)
- Other Accomplishments
- Family and Personal Life
- Death and Legacy
Alexandre Colonna-Walewski: The Illegitimate Son of Napoleon I
Early Life and EducationAlexandre Colonna-Walewski was the illegitimate son of Marie Walewska and Emperor Napoleon I Bonaparte. Born in 1810, he was taken to Poland by his uncle after his mother's death in 1817. He studied in Geneva from 1820 to 1824 before returning to Poland, where he rejected an offer to become the personal aide to Grand Duke Konstantin Pavlovich.
Career in Politics and Diplomacy
Walewski fled to France, where he obtained citizenship and carried out political missions for the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Horace de Sébastiani. He fought in the Polish Uprising of 1830-1831, receiving a military cross for his service. After the uprising's defeat, Walewski returned to Paris and was enlisted as a captain in the French army.
He served as:
Minister Plenipotentiary in Copenhagen (1848)Ambassador to Florence (1849)
Ambassador to Naples (1850)
Ambassador to Madrid (1851)
Ambassador to London (later)
Role in French Politics
Walewski played a significant role in the French political landscape under Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte:
Senator (1855)
Minister of Foreign Affairs (1855-1860)Chairman of the Paris Council (1856)
Member of the Privy Council (1858)
State Minister (1860)
Minister of Fine Arts (1860-1863)
President of the Chamber of Deputies (1865-1867)
He secured British recognition of Napoleon III as Emperor and facilitated British-French cooperation in the Crimean War.
Other Accomplishments
Walewski was also:President of the Legislative Corps of France (1867)
Member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts (1868)
Recipient of numerous awards, including the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour (1856)
Family and Personal Life
Walewski married Caroline Montagu in 1831, but both their children died in infancy. He later married Marie-Anne de Ricci in 1846, with whom he had four children. He also had a son, Alexandre, by actress Élise Rachel, whom he legitimised and made his heir alongside his legitimate children.
Death and Legacy
Walewski died on September 27, 1868, while returning from a trip to Germany. His DNA was confirmed to match that of the Bonapartes in 2013. Alexandre Colonna-Walewski, his great-grandson, remains the current Count Colonna-Walewski.
