'' Don'' Camillo Filippo Ludovico Borghese, Prince of Sulmona and of Rossano, Duke and Prince of Guastalla (19 July 1775 – 9 May 1832), was a member of the Borghese family and was best known for being a brother-in-law of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. In 1803, Borghese married Napoleon's younger sister,

Pauline Bonaparte Paula Maria Bonaparte Leclerc Borghese (, ; 20 October 1780 – 9 June 1825), better known as Pauline Bonaparte, was an imperial French princess, the first sovereign Duchess of Guastalla, and the princess consort of Sulmona and Rossano. She was th ...

, which led to Napoleon granting him multiple titles. After Napoleon was defeated, Borghese fled from France and left his wife behind. Consequently, he was stripped of the titles granted to him by Napoleon, although he retained his family's ancestral titles. While in

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

, he died at the age of 56, and the cause of death is unknown.

Life and career

Camillo Borghese was born in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

as the son of the pro-Napoleon Marcantonio Borghese, 5th Prince of Sulmona. His younger brother was Francesco Borghese (1776–1839), who eventually became the 7th

Prince of Sulmona Prince of Sulmona (Italian language, Italian: ''Principe di Sulmona'') is a nobility, noble title of Italian origin. The title derives its name from Sulmona, a town in Abruzzo. It was originally granted in 1526 with Grandee, Grandeeship of Spain, d ...

. Borghese entered France's service in 1796. He became the second husband of Napoleon's sister

in 1803 after the death of her first husband, General

Charles Leclerc Charles Marc Hervé Perceval Leclerc (; born 16 October 1997) is a Monégasque racing driver who competes in Formula One for Ferrari. Leclerc was runner-up in the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in with Ferrari, and has won Grands ...

.Larousse, p. 1004 Following his marriage, Borghese was made regimental chief of the Tirailleurs du Po, which was recruited from the region that he governed. He remained in this position until 24 January 1804, when he retired from military life. Shortly afterwards, he was made a Prince of the French Empire and subsequently promoted to squadron chief in the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the emperor and/or empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial force ...

in 1805 (as an honorary rank). On 10 February 1805, he was anointed with the Grand Eagle of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

. On 27 December 1805, he was promoted to Colonel. He became the

Duke of Guastalla This is a list of rulers of Guastalla, a town in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, on the right bank of the Po River. The County of Guastalla was established in 1406 for the Torelli family. In 1456, the county was partitioned, with county of Montechiarugolo ...

in 1806, but this area was annexed by the

Duchy of Parma The Duchy of Parma and Piacenza (, ) was an Italian state created in 1545 and located in northern Italy, in the current region of Emilia-Romagna. Originally a realm of the Farnese family after Pope Paul III made it a hereditary duchy for his s ...

shortly thereafter. In 1807, Borghese was forced to sell his art collection for around 3 million francs, which was held in the Abbey of Lucedio near Turin, which itself had an estimated worth of around 4 million francs. His collection is now held at the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

in Paris. On 14 May 1807, Borghese was promoted to Brigade General, and on 23 January 1808, he became Divisional General. In 1808, he was made overall military commander in

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

, and in 1809, this command was split into the 27th and 28th Military Divisions (Districts), which were integrated into the French Imperial Army. These divisions encompassed the regions of Piedmont that were previously part of the Austrian Italian provinces. Subsequently, he was made grand dignitary and governor general of Piedmont, overseeing the regions of Piedmont,

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

and

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

. After ten years there with a long-term mistress, Borghese was reluctantly convinced by the pope into receiving Pauline back, only 3 months before she died of cancer. He then continued in secret and futile Bonapartist plots until his own death, which occurred in Florence on 10 April 1832. During his time as Prince of Sulmona and of Rossano, Borghese was considered to be the richest Roman prince of his time. His family was also heavily involved in the murder of General Duphot in 1798.

Gallery

File:Coat of Arms of Camillo Borghese, 6th Prince of Sulmona.svg,

Coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

of Camillo Borghese File:Pauline Bonaparte Lefevre.jpg, Portrait of

Footnotes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Borghese, Camillo, 6th Prince Of Sulmona Borghese, Camillo Borghese, Camillo 19th-century Italian nobility Italian military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars Camillo Military personnel from Rome Rome in the Napoleonic Wars Princes of the First French Empire Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain Nobility from Rome