The Woman Who Raised an Emperor

Napoleon Bonaparte did not rule alone; he was guided by his mother, Letizia. She famously predicted his rapid rise and fall, remaining notoriously frugal even as her family sat on Europe's thrones.

Letizia Bonaparte was a stern, practical woman who never fully embraced the luxury of the French imperial court. She famously saved her money during the height of the Empire, often telling her children that she was preparing for the day they would all be poor again. Her foresight proved correct after Napoleon was exiled, yet she remained the bedrock of the Bonaparte family. She refused to move to Paris until she was ready, maintaining her own sense of identity despite her son's global fame.