Désirée Clary

**Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary** (8 November 1777 – 17 December 1860) was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 5 February 1818 to 8 March 1844. Her husband was King Charles XIV John. Her son was King Oscar I. Before she married, she was engaged to Napoleon Bonaparte.

## Life

Clary was born in Marseille, France. Her father was François Clary, a silk manufacturer and merchant. Her mother was Françoise Rose Somis.

Clary's sister was Julie Clary. Julie married Joseph Bonaparte. She later became Queen of Naples and Spain.

Clary's brother was Nicholas Joseph Clary, later Count Clary.

When Clary was a child, she was educated in a convent. When she was 11 years old, the French Revolution took place and convents were closed. Clary returned to live with her parents. She was home-schooled after that.

In 1794, Clary met Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. Joseph was soon engaged to Julie Clary. Désirée was engaged to Napoleon Bonaparte on 21 April 1795. Napoleon became involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais. He broke the engagement to Clary on 6 September 1795. He married Joséphine in 1796.

For a short time, Clary was engaged to Mathurin-Léonard Duphot, a French general. People thought that the engagement was Napoleon's idea to make up for breaking their engagement. Duphot liked Clary's dowry and the fact that she was the sister-in-law of Napoleon. On 30 December 1797, Duphot was killed in a riot in Rome. Later in her life, Clary said that her engagement to Duphot had never existed.

On 17 August 1798, Clary married Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, another French general and politician. On 4 July 1799, their son, Oscar, was born. They never had any other children.

In August 1810, Bernadotte was elected heir to the throne of Sweden. Clary did not want to leave France, but had to move to Sweden. Her husband moved first. She and their son left later and arrived there on 22 December 1810.

## In Sweden

Clary did not like Sweden. She hated the snow so much that she cried. In summer 1811, she returned to France without her husband and son. She lived there as a private citizen and not as royalty.

In summer 1822, Clary's son traveled outside Sweden to find a wife. He met with Clary two times during his travels. In 1823, Clary went to Sweden with Josephine of Leuchtenberg, the woman her son was going to marry. Clary stayed in Sweden the rest of her life.

On 21 August 1829, Clary was crowned Queen of Sweden. She was never crowned Queen of Norway because of religious differences.

In 1844, Clary's husband, Charles XIV John, died, and her son Oscar became king. When Oscar died in 1859, his son Charles became king.

In December 1860, Clary died at age 83.

## Infobox (royalty)

- **consort**: yes
- **succession**: Queen consort of Sweden and List of Norwegian consorts, Norway
- **image**: Queen desideria by locati-2.jpeg
- **caption**: Portrait by Fredric Westin, 1830
- **reign**: 5 February 1818 – 8 March 1844
- **coronation**: 21 August 1829
- **issue**: Oscar I of Sweden
- **house**: House of Bernadotte, Bernadotte (by marriage)
- **father**: François Clary
- **mother**: Françoise Rose Clary, Françoise Rose Somis
- **birth name**: Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary
- **birth place**: Marseille, Kingdom of France, France
- **death place**: Stockholm, Sweden
- **burial place**: Riddarholm Church
- **religion**: Catholic Church, Roman Catholicism
- **signature**: Queen Desideria's signature.svg