Ajaccio, musée national de la maison Bonaparte
The end of the 17th century saw the Bonapartes settle in part of the house that has since borne the family name. In 1766, after a long period of family toing and froing and some marriages motivated by money, the "casa" became the most impressive house in Rue Malerba which would later be named Rue Bonaparte. The Bonapartes were well-to-do landowners and their income was derived from their farms and their land. Charles Bonaparte expanded and decorated the home but the Bonapartes found themselves in a difficult situation at the outbreak of the Revolution because the Republican ideas that they supported so fervently, clashed with those of Paoli. Their house and all the family's properties were looted and their home was later requisitioned by the English. Napoleon's brother, Joseph, had to wait until the end of 1796, after the French had driven the English out of Corsica, to be able to return to Ajaccio, and significant improvements to the house were undertaken. The inheritance of the house was then disputed within the family until Joseph Bonaparte took possession of the premises in 1843. In 1852, Napoleon III entirely renovated and furnished the historic home. In 1870, the house was confiscated. It was returned to the Prince Impérial, Louis Napoleon, in 1874 and on his death fell to Eugénie and finally to her heir, the Prince Victor Napoleon who donated it to the State in 1923. The house was declared a Historical Monument and became a national museum in 1967 and is now run in association with the National Museum of the Château de Malmaison.
