Pourquoi Napoléon a changé son nom en 1796, juste après son mariage avec Joséphine ?
13 Vendémiaire

After the Fall of Maximilien Robespierre in July 1794, Bonaparte's association with leading Jacobins made him politically suspect to the new regime. He was arrested on 9 August but released two weeks later. He was asked to draw up plans to attack Italian positions as part of France's war with Austria and, in March 1795, he took part in an expedition to take back Corsica from the British, but the French were repulsed by the Royal Navy.

From 1794, Bonaparte was in a romantic relationship with Désirée Clary whose sister Julie Clary had married Bonaparte's elder brother Joseph. In April 1795, Bonaparte was assigned to the Army of the West, which was engaged in the War in the Vendée —a civil war and royalist counter-revolution in the Vendée region. As an infantry command, it was a demotion from artillery general and he pleaded poor health to avoid the posting. During this period, he wrote the romantic novella Clisson et Eugénie, about a soldier and his lover, in a clear parallel to Bonaparte's own relationship with Clary.

In August, he obtained a position with the Bureau of Topography where he worked on military planning. On 15 September, Bonaparte was removed from the list of generals in regular service for refusing to serve in the Vendée campaign. He sought a transfer to Constantinople to offer his services to Sultan Selim III. The request was eventually granted, but he never took up the post.

On 3 October, royalists in Paris declared a rebellion against the National Convention. Paul Barras, a leader of the Thermidorian Reaction, knew of Bonaparte's military exploits at Toulon and made him second in command of the forces defending the convention in the Tuileries Palace. Bonaparte had seen the massacre of the King's Swiss Guard during the Insurrection of 10 August 1792 there three years earlier and realized that artillery would be the key to its defence. He ordered a young cavalry officer, Joachim Murat, to seize cannons and Bonaparte deployed them in key positions. On 5 October 1795— 13 Vendémiaire An IV in the French Republican calendar —he fired on the rebels with canister rounds (later called: "a whiff of grapeshot "). About 300 to 1,400 rebels died in the uprising.

Bonaparte's role in defeating the rebellion earned him and his family the patronage of the new government, the French Directory. On 26 October, he was promoted to commander of the Army of the Interior, and in January 1796 he was appointed head of the Army of Italy.

Within weeks of the Vendémiaire uprising, Bonaparte was romantically involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais, the former mistress of Barras. Josephine had been born in the French colonies in the Lesser Antilles, and her family owned slaves on sugar plantations The couple married on 9 March 1796 in a civil ceremony. Bonaparte now habitually styled himself "Napoleon Bonaparte" rather than using the Italian form "Napoleone di Buonaparte."
**Consolidation de l'Empire**

L'union de Napoléon avec Joséphine n'avait pas donné d'enfant, et il décida de sécuriser la dynastie et de renforcer sa position en Europe par un mariage stratégique avec l'une des grandes familles royales européennes. En novembre 1809, il annonça sa décision de divorcer de Joséphine et le mariage fut annulé en janvier 1810. Napoléon avait déjà entamé des négociations pour le mariage d'Anna, la sœur du tsar Alexandre, mais ce dernier répondit qu'elle était trop jeune. Napoléon se tourna alors vers l'Autriche, et un mariage avec la fille de l'empereur autrichien, Marie-Louise, fut rapidement conclu.

Le mariage fut officialisé lors d'une cérémonie civile le 1er avril et d'une cérémonie religieuse au Louvre le jour suivant. Le mariage avec Marie-Louise fut largement perçu comme un tournant dans la politique française, orientant les relations vers des liens plus forts avec l'Autriche et s'éloignant de la relation déjà tendue avec la Russie. Le 20 mars 1811, Marie-Louise donna naissance à l'héritier présomptif, François Charles Joseph Napoléon, roi de Rome.

Avec l'annexion des États pontificaux (mai 1809, février 1810), des Pays-Bas (juillet 1810) et des régions côtières du nord de la Westphalie (août 1810), la France continentale augmenta davantage son territoire. Napoléon régnait désormais sur environ 40 % de la population européenne, directement ou indirectement, par le biais de ses royaumes vassaux.
### Query ###
Pourquoi Napoléon a changé son nom en 1796, juste après son mariage avec Joséphine ?

### Main Text ###
13 Vendémiaire

After the Fall of Maximilien Robespierre in July 1794, Bonaparte's association with leading Jacobins made him politically suspect to the new regime. He was arrested on 9 August but released two weeks later. He was asked to draw up plans to attack Italian positions as part of France's war with Austria and, in March 1795, he took part in an expedition to take back Corsica from the British, but the French were repulsed by the Royal Navy.

From 1794, Bonaparte was in a romantic relationship with Désirée Clary whose sister Julie Clary had married Bonaparte's elder brother Joseph. In April 1795, Bonaparte was assigned to the Army of the West, which was engaged in the War in the Vendée —a civil war and royalist counter-revolution in the Vendée region. As an infantry command, it was a demotion from artillery general and he pleaded poor health to avoid the posting. During this period, he wrote the romantic novella Clisson et Eugénie, about a soldier and his lover, in a clear parallel to Bonaparte's own relationship with Clary.

In August, he obtained a position with the Bureau of Topography where he worked on military planning. On 15 September, Bonaparte was removed from the list of generals in regular service for refusing to serve in the Vendée campaign. He sought a transfer to Constantinople to offer his services to Sultan Selim III. The request was eventually granted, but he never took up the post.

On 3 October, royalists in Paris declared a rebellion against the National Convention. Paul Barras, a leader of the Thermidorian Reaction, knew of Bonaparte's military exploits at Toulon and made him second in command of the forces defending the convention in the Tuileries Palace. Bonaparte had seen the massacre of the King's Swiss Guard during the Insurrection of 10 August 1792 there three years earlier and realized that artillery would be the key to its defence. He ordered a young cavalry officer, Joachim Murat, to seize cannons and Bonaparte deployed them in key positions. On 5 October 1795— 13 Vendémiaire An IV in the French Republican calendar —he fired on the rebels with canister rounds (later called: "a whiff of grapeshot "). About 300 to 1,400 rebels died in the uprising.

Bonaparte's role in defeating the rebellion earned him and his family the patronage of the new government, the French Directory. On 26 October, he was promoted to commander of the Army of the Interior, and in January 1796 he was appointed head of the Army of Italy.

Within weeks of the Vendémiaire uprising, Bonaparte was romantically involved with Joséphine de Beauharnais, the former mistress of Barras. Josephine had been born in the French colonies in the Lesser Antilles, and her family owned slaves on sugar plantations The couple married on 9 March 1796 in a civil ceremony. Bonaparte now habitually styled himself "Napoleon Bonaparte" rather than using the Italian form "Napoleone di Buonaparte."

### Supplementary Text ###
**Consolidation de l'Empire**

L'union de Napoléon avec Joséphine n'avait pas donné d'enfant, et il décida de sécuriser la dynastie et de renforcer sa position en Europe par un mariage stratégique avec l'une des grandes familles royales européennes. En novembre 1809, il annonça sa décision de divorcer de Joséphine et le mariage fut annulé en janvier 1810. Napoléon avait déjà entamé des négociations pour le mariage d'Anna, la sœur du tsar Alexandre, mais ce dernier répondit qu'elle était trop jeune. Napoléon se tourna alors vers l'Autriche, et un mariage avec la fille de l'empereur autrichien, Marie-Louise, fut rapidement conclu.

Le mariage fut officialisé lors d'une cérémonie civile le 1er avril et d'une cérémonie religieuse au Louvre le jour suivant. Le mariage avec Marie-Louise fut largement perçu comme un tournant dans la politique française, orientant les relations vers des liens plus forts avec l'Autriche et s'éloignant de la relation déjà tendue avec la Russie. Le 20 mars 1811, Marie-Louise donna naissance à l'héritier présomptif, François Charles Joseph Napoléon, roi de Rome.

Avec l'annexion des États pontificaux (mai 1809, février 1810), des Pays-Bas (juillet 1810) et des régions côtières du nord de la Westphalie (août 1810), la France continentale augmenta davantage son territoire. Napoléon régnait désormais sur environ 40 % de la population européenne, directement ou indirectement, par le biais de ses royaumes vassaux.

### Draft ###

### 1. Query Parsing & Timeline Verification

"Pourquoi Napoléon a changé son nom en 1796" → Why Napoleon changed name in 1796.

"juste après son mariage avec Joséphine" → immediately after marriage to Josephine.

Key claim to verify: temporal coincidence. ● High confidence on 1796 dating, ◐ partial on causation-marriage link.

### 2. Chronological Cross-Check

Marriage date: March 9, 1796 ●
Name change: Consistent usage from 1796 onward ●
→ Temporal proximity confirmed

But causation ≠ correlation. Need deeper analysis.

### 3. Pre-1796 Name Variants

Italian form: Napoleone Buonaparte ●
French variants: Napoléon Bonaparte/Bonapart ◐

? Key question: Why "Bonaparte" vs "Buonaparte"? Italian vs French orthography shift suggests political calculation.

### 4. Political Context Triangulation

1796 = critical transition year:
- Directory consolidating power
- Napoleon rising through military ranks  
- Italian campaigns imminent
- Republican ideology emphasizing French identity

∴ Name change fits broader pattern of political rebranding.

### 5. Causal Hypothesis Testing

H1: Marriage to Josephine influenced name change
- Social status elevation
- French integration symbolism
- ⚠ Confounding: other political factors concurrent

H2: Political ambition driving name change
- Italian background potentially disadvantageous
- "Bonaparte" more distinctly French
- Military career advancement

H3: Combination factors
- Political necessity + social aspiration
- Directory influence/pressure

### 6. Evidence Synthesis

Convergence of factors in 1796:
├─ Political: Republican nationalism rising
├─ Social: Marriage to prominent Frenchwoman  
├─ Career: Military leadership opportunities
└─ Cultural: French identity emphasis

**Most likely explanation**: Name change was strategic repositioning, accelerated by marriage timing. Josephine connection reinforced French integration narrative.

### 7. Information Limitations

◐ Partial visibility on private motivations
○ Uncertain about Directory's potential role
● Strong evidence for political calculation

**Conclusion**: Temporal coincidence real, causation probable but multifaceted. Name change reflected Napoleon's political adaptation strategy, with Josephine marriage providing additional legitimacy/integration rationale.

NB: 1796 proved pivotal year - military success, political consolidation, personal transformation all converging.

### Answer###
Napoléon a effectivement changé son nom de "Napoleone di Buonaparte" vers "Napoleon Bonaparte" vers 1796, et cette transformation coïncide avec son mariage avec Joséphine. Il a commencé à utiliser cette forme française de son nom dès son mariage civil avec Joséphine le 9 mars 1796.

Cette modification reflète probablement une évolution dans son identité politique et sociale. À cette époque, Napoléon était en train de gravir les échelons du pouvoir militaire français et cherchait à s'intégrer pleinement dans la société française. Le changement de l'orthographe italienne vers la forme française "Bonaparte" plutôt que "Buonaparte" suggère une volonté de se présenter comme un Français plutôt que de conserver son héritage italien.

Il convient de noter que cette période était marquée par une consolidation progressive de son pouvoir politique, culminant avec sa nomination à la tête de l'Armée d'Italie en janvier 1796, juste après son mariage. Cette évolution de son identité nomiatque s'inscrit dans une stratégie plus large d'adaptation à son nouveau contexte politique et social français.