François Clary (24 February 1725 – 20 January 1794) was an Irish-French merchant who made a fortune in import and export business. He is an ancestor of many members of European royalty via his daughters Julie Clary, Queen of Spain and Naples, and Désirée Clary, Queen of Sweden and Norway.

Biography

François Clary was born on 24 February 1725 in Saint-Ferréol,

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, Bouches-du-Rhône, Kingdom of France, to Joseph Clary (1693–1748) and his wife, Françoise Agnès Ammoric (1705–1776), who were married on 27 February 1724 in Marseille. His father was of Irish descent. His grandparents were Jacques Clary (1673–1696) and Catherine Barosse (1673–1757), who were married on 24 November 1690 in Marseille. François Clary's great-grandparents were Antoine Clary and Marguerite Canolle. François Clary lived in Marseille and ran an import and export business. In trade with coffee and other colonial products, he acquired great wealth. François Clary died on 20 January 1794 in Marseille, French Republic, aged 68.

Marriages and issue

On 13 April 1751, François Clary married his first wife Gabrielle Fléchon (1732–1758) in Église Notre-Dame-des-Accoules, Marseille. They had four children: * François-Joseph Clary (31 January 1752 – 4 January 1753), died young * Marie-Jeanne Clary (24 April 1754 – May 1815), she married first Louis Honoré Lejeans (1734–1794) and second Emmanuel Mathieu Pézenas, baron de Pluvinal (1754–1841) * Marie Thérèse Catherine Clary (2 September 1755 – 1 November 1818), she married Lazare Lejeans (1738–1803) * Étienne François Clary (8 August 1757 – 25 March 1823), he married Marcelle Guey (died 1804) Gabrielle Fléchon died on 3 May 1758. On 26 June 1759, François Clary married his second wife Françoise Rose Somis (Marseille, 30 August 1737 – Paris, 28 January 1815), daughter of Joseph Ignace Somis and Catherine Rose Soucheiron, in

Église Saint-Ferréol les Augustins The Église Saint-Ferréol les Augustins is a Roman Catholic church in Marseille. Location The church building is located on the Old Port of Marseille. The exact address is Quai des Belges, 13001 Marseille. History The original building on site w ...

, Marseille. They had nine children: * Joseph Nicolas Clary, 1er comte Clary et de l'Empire, (26 March 1760 – 6 June 1823) he married Anne Jeanne Rouyer (1791–1820) * Joseph Honoré Clary (11 June 1762 – 23 July 1764), died young * Marie Anne Rose Clary (25 April 1764 – 19 April 1835), she married Antoine-Ignace Anthoine, baron de Saint-Joseph et de l'Empire (1749–1826), Mayor of Marseille * Marseille Clary (25 April 1764 – 22 March 1784), not married * Justinien François Clary (15 April 1766 – 12 November 1794), not married * Catherine Honorine Clary (19 February 1769 – 18 March 1843), she married Henri Joseph Gabriel Blait de Villeneufve (born 1748) * Marie Julie Clary (26 December 1771 – 7 April 1845), she married Joseph Bonaparte (1768–1844), King of Naples and Sicily (), King of Spain and the Indies (), and elder brother of

Napoleon Bonaparte 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 ...

* Basile Clary (12 January 1774 – 16 June 1781), died young * Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary (8 November 1777 – 17 December 1860), she became engaged to

in 1795, but he broke off the engagement that same year. She married Charles XIV John of Sweden (1763–1844; ), King of Sweden and Norway

Descendants

François Clary and Françoise Rose Somis had 19 grandchildren, including: *

Oscar I of Sweden Oscar I (born Joseph François Oscar Bernadotte; 4 July 1799 – 8 July 1859) was King of Sweden and List of Norwegian monarchs, Norway from 8 March 1844 until his death. He was the second monarch of the House of Bernadotte. The only child of Ki ...

(1799–1859; ), King of Sweden and Norway, he married

Joséphine de Beauharnais Joséphine Bonaparte (, born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie; 23 June 1763 – 29 May 1814) was the first wife of Emperor Napoleon I and as such Empress of the French from 18 May 1804 until their marriage was annulled on 10 Janua ...

(1807–1876), daughter of

Eugène de Beauharnais Eugène Rose de Beauharnais (; 3 September 1781 – 21 February 1824) was a French statesman and military officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Through the second marriage of his mother, Joséphine de Beauharnais, ...

and Augusta of Bavaria * Zénaïde Bonaparte (1801–1854), she married

Charles Lucien Bonaparte Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, 2nd Prince of Canino and Musignano (24 May 1803 – 29 July 1857) was a French naturalist and ornithology, ornithologist, and a nephew of Napoleon. Lucien and his wife had twelve children, including Cardinal ...

(1803–1857), son of Lucien Bonaparte and Alexandrine de Bleschamp * Charlotte Bonaparte (1802–1839), she married Napoléon Louis Bonaparte (1804–1831), son of

Louis Bonaparte Louis Bonaparte (born Luigi Buonaparte; 2 September 1778 – 25 July 1846) was a younger brother of Napoleon, Napoleon I, Emperor of the French. He was a monarch in his own right from 1806 to 1810, ruling over the Kingdom of Holland (a French c ...

and

Hortense de Beauharnais Hortense Eugénie Cécile Bonaparte (; , ; 10 April 1783 – 5 October 1837) was Kingdom of Holland, Queen of Holland as the wife of King Louis Bonaparte. She was the stepdaughter of Emperor Napoléon I as the daughter of his first wife, Joséphi ...

Via Oscar I of Sweden, François Clary and Françoise Rose Somis are the ancestors of many European monarchs and princes, including: * Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden (; ), King of Sweden *

Harald V of Norway Harald V (, ; born 21 February 1937) has been King of Norway since 1991. A member of the House of Glücksburg, Harald was the third child and only son of King Olav V of Norway and Princess Märtha of Sweden. He was second in the Succession to t ...

(; ), King of Norway *

Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri (; , ; born 16 April 1955) is Grand Duke of Luxembourg, reigning since 2000. He is the eldest son of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Grand Duke Jean and Princess Joséphine Charlotte of Belgium, Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium, a ...

(; ) *

Philippe of Belgium Philippe (born 15 April 1960) is King of the Belgians. He is the eldest child of King Albert II and Queen Paola. He succeeded his father upon the former's abdication for health reasons on 21 July 2013. He married Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz in 1 ...

(; ), King of the Belgians *

Frederik X of Denmark Frederik X (Frederik André Henrik Christian, ; born 26 May 1968) is King of Denmark. He acceded to the throne following Abdication of Margrethe II, his mother's abdication in 2024. Frederik is the eldest son of Margrethe II and Prince Henri ...

(; ), King of Denmark

Biography

Marriages and issue

Descendants

References

Further reading