Napoleon’s Brother Married an American
Here’s a fun fact for you. Napoleon Bonaparte’s younger brother, Jérôme, married an American from Baltimore and it was “disastrous.” It all started when Napoleon sent Jérôme overseas to the United States. While in Baltimore, he met and fell in love with socialite Elizabeth “Betsy” Patterson. They were married on December 24, 1803.
This all seems very romantic, except for the fact that Jérôme’s older brother did not approve of the marriage. Napoleon ordered Jérôme back to France without Elizabeth, even though she was pregnant with their first and only child. Napoleon didn’t consider their marriage to be legit, so he had no problem marrying his brother off to someone else and making him king of Westphalia. The couple would never see each other again, but Elizabeth continued to thrive as a socialite afterward.