1806 Italian States Lucca Felix & Elisa Silver Franco – gVF
Silver Franco struck under Felice Pasquale Baciocchi & Elisa Bonaparte in the Italian Principality of Lucca and Piombino.
Attractively cabinet toning light wear else graded as Good Very Fine; with nice conjoining portraits of the two.
Description
Origin:Italian States
Denomination:Franco
Composition:Silver
Date:1806
Obverse:FELICE ED ELISA PP • DI LUCCA E PIOMBINO • Circular caption, joint portraits of ELISA BONAPARTE in the foreground, dressed and tiaraed, and FÉLIX BACIOCCHI, bareheaded, facing right.
Reverse:PRINCIPATO DI LUCCA E PIOMBINO· / 1 / FRANCO / 1806, circular legend, value on two lines in the centre of a laurel wreath tied at the centre, date below.
Diameter, Weight & Orientation:26mm, 5.0g; 7h
Grade:Good Very Fine
Provenance:Nobles Numismatics, Auction, Sydney
References:MIR. 245; KM. 23; CNI. 16; Gad 1789. IT 45
Elisa Bonaparte and Felice Baciocchi: Power, Politics, and Piombino
From Corsica to the Court
Born in Corsica in 1777, Maria Anna Elisa Bonaparte was Napoleon’s sharp-witted younger sister. In 1797, she married Felice Pasquale Baciocchi, a minor Corsican noble and military officer. While Felice brought a title, Elisa brought ambition and a direct line to France’s rising star; her brother Napoleon.
Napoleon’s Favour and a New Principality
As Napoleon climbed to power, he didn’t forget his family. In 1805, he created the Principality of Lucca and Piombinoand handed it to Elisa and Felice. Although both held titles, only one truly ruled: Elisa. She governed with an iron fan—stylish, firm, and endlessly pragmatic. Felice, meanwhile, played the violin and nodded politely at state affairs.
Ruling with Reform and Flair
Elisa modernised Lucca’s institutions, improved education, and introduced Napoleonic laws. She didn’t merely mirror her brother’s reforms, she refined them to suit her small but strategic principality. Furthermore, she promoted the arts and boosted the local economy with admirable vigour.
Family Ties and Political Tightropes
Her relationship with Napoleon remained strong, though occasionally strained. He admired her intelligence but disliked her independence. Still, she navigated the Bonaparte family politics more deftly than most.
Legacy in Marble
Though Napoleon’s fall in 1814 ended her rule, Elisa left her mark, not only in policies but also in architecture, education, and local memory. Felice faded quietly into history; Elisa never truly did.
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