Guide to the Prince Achille Murat Papers, 1809-1845 M0079

Processed by Mrs. Willis E.Lamb, Jr. ; machine-readable finding aid created by C. Del Anderson
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
2003
Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford 94305-6064
specialcollections@stanford.edu


Language of Material: English
Contributing Institution: Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: Prince Achille Murat Papers
Creator: Murat, Achille
Identifier/Call Number: M0079
Identifier/Call Number: 301
Physical Description: 3.5 Linear Feet
Date (inclusive): 1809-1845

Scope and Content

Primarily letters from various members of the Murat and Bonaparte families to Murat. Includes correspondence regarding Murat's attempt to organize a Belgium Foreign Legion in the 1830's; manuscripts of his writings on politics, slavery, economics, and literature; and family legal papers. The letters are in French, English, and Italian. Napoleon is not represented.

Biography

Achille Murat, son of Caroline Bonaparte and Joachim Murat (King of Naples, 1808-1815), grew up in Paris and Naples as heir presumptive to his father's titles. After the fall of Napoleon he lived in exile with his mother, brother Lucien, and sisters Letizia and Louise at Frohscorf Castle in Austria. Upon reaching his majority he petitioned for a passport to America. In 1823, he arrived in New York where news of a Spanish liberal revolution reached him. He decided to violate his promise never to return to Europe and sailed for Gibraltar, but he arrived too late. Upon his return to New York, he took out American citizenship papers and married a great-grand-niece of Washington, Catherine Willis Gray. He lived in Florida and for a time in New Orleans engaged in farming and various highly speculative business ventures. In the revolutionary 1830s he returned to Europe to become head of the Foreign Legion of the new Kingdom of Belgium, hoping for a "call from Italy" which never came. Back in America he published a book on the United States which failed to catch the public fancy. Murat was a staunch supporter of slavery though he professed to fight for the liberation of man. He was engaged in continuous litigation with the French Government for the Murat properties seized in 1815. He also tried to compel his uncle Joseph (Napoleon's elder brother) to give an accounting of funds the Emperor had given him to us "as I would use it."

Preferred Citation:

[Identification of item] Prince Achille Murat Papers, M0079, Dept. of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.

Provenance

Gift of Homer Spence, 1947-1951.

Publication Rights

Property rights reside with the repository. Literary rights reside with the creators of the documents or their heirs. To obtain permission to publish or reproduce, please contact the Public Services Librarian of the Dept. of Special Collections.

Access Restrictions

None.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Italy
France.
Bonaparte family
Lafayette, Marie Joseph Paul Y
Murat family
Murat, Achille

 

Series 1. Family Correspondence 130633

box 1, folder 1

Laetitia Ramolino Bonaparte (grandmother) 130697

box 1, folder 2

Cardinal Fesch (brother of Laetitia and great uncle of Achille) 130695

box 1, folder 3

Joseph Bonaparte (uncle of Achille) 130693

box 1, folder 4

Joseph Bonapart to Marechal Clauzel? 130691

box 1, folder 5

Julie (wife of Joseph) 130689

box 1, folder 6

Empress Marie Lousie (aunt of Achille) 130687

box 1, folder 7

Lucien Bonaparte (uncle to Achille) 130685

box 1, folder 8

Alexandrine (wife of Lucien) 130683

box 1, folder 9

Louis Bonaparte (brother of Napoleon) 130681

box 1, folder 10

Hortense (daughter of Napoleon's first wife, Josephine Beauharnais) 130679

box 1, folder 11

Elisa (sister of Napoleon) 130677

box 1, folder 12

Felix Baciochi (husband of Elisa) 130675

box 1, folder 13

Pauline Borghese (sister of Napoleon) 130673

box 1, folder 14

Camille (husband of Pauline) 130671

box 1, folder 15

Jerome Bonaparte (brother of Napoleon) 130669

box 1, folder 16

Joachim Murat (father of Achille) 130667

box 1, folder 17

Caroline (wife of Joachim and mother of Achille) 130665 1809 - 1810

box 1, folder 18

Caroline (wife of Joachim and mother of Achille) 130663 1811 - ca. 1814

box 1, folder 19

Caroline (wife of Joachim and mother of Achille) 130661 circa 1815, undated

box 1, folder 20

Caroline (wife of Joachim and mother of Achille), nos. 1 - 28, 130659 1816 - 1824

box 1, folder 21

Caroline (wife of Joachim and mother of Achille), nos. 1 - 28, 130657 1825 - 1829

Box 2, folder 1-2

Caroline (wife of Joachim and mother of Achille) 1823-1830

Box 2, folder 3-4

Letitia (sister of Achille) 130639

Box 2, folder 5-6

Louise M. Rasponi (sister of Achille) 130637

box 2, folder 7

Lucien (younger brother of Achille) 130655

box 2, folder 8

Christine Bonaparte (daughter of Lucien) 130653

box 2, folder 9

Zenaide & Mathilde (daughters of Joseph) 130651

box 2, folder 10

Letitia and Marie (daughters of Lucien) 130649

box 2, folder 11

Catherine D. Murat 130647

box 2, folder 12

Antoniette de Hohenzollern 130643

Box 2A, folder 13

Copies of letters by Achille Murat. 130641

box 4, folder 1

Caroline Murat to Achille (oversize) 130635

 

Series 2. General Correspondence 130589

Box 2A, folder 14

de Bandus (Achilles tutor) 130631

Box 2A, folder 15

Henry Bradfield. 130629

Box 2A, folder 16

Letters B. 130627

Box 2A, folder 17

Letters C. 130625

Box 2A, folder 18

Letters D. including D'Hautemesnil. 130623

box 3, folder 1

Philippi Girard. 130621

box 3, folder 2

Letter G. 130619

box 3, folder 3

Hopkinson. 130617

box 3, folder 4

Letters H & K 130615

box 3, folder 5

Letters L. 130613

box 3, folder 6

Lafayette/Levasseur 130611

box 3, folder 7

General Felix MacDonald. 130609

box 3, folder 8

Mercey. 130607

box 3, folder 9

Mosbourg. 130605

box 3, folder 10

Letters M. 130603

box 3, folder 11

Letters 0-S. 130601

box 3, folder 12

Thibaudeau 130599

box 3, folder 13

Letters V-W. 130597

box 3, folder 14

Achille Murat to Lebel 130595

box 3, folder 15

Unidentified letters [1 of 2] 130593

box 3, folder 16

Unidentified letters [2 of 2] 130591

 

Series 3. Papers 130559

box 4, folder 2

Family papers (properties, wills, etc.). 130587

box 4, folder 3

Murat papers on politics, economics, etc. 130585

box 4, folder 4

On Slavery. 130583

box 4, folder 7

Official Documents 130581

box 4, folder 56

Business. 130579

box 5, folder 1

Murat Papers: Miscellaneous. 130577

box 5, folder 2

Murat Papers: politics, 130575 1815 - 1822

box 5, folder 3

Murat Papers: Literature and studies. 130573

box 5, folder 4

Murat Papers: Works, 130571 1824

box 5, folder 5

Murat Papers: American subjects. 130569

box 5, folder 6

Murat Papers: General topic. 130567

box 5, folder 7

Murat Letters about America, to Thibeaudeau. 130565

box 5, folder 8

Misc. manuscripts and printed items. 130563

Box 6

Index of Letters, 130561 1840 - 1845