Jerome had incurred the anger of Napoleon by marrying a beautiful young
lady of Baltimore, a Mica Paterson, but, more obedient than Lucien, he
submitted to have this marriage annulled by his all-powerful brother, and
in reward he received the brand-new Kingdom of Westphalia, and the hand
of a daughter of the King of Wartemberg, "the cleverest King in Europe,"
according to Napoleon. Jerome is said to have ruled rather more as a
Heliogabalus than a Solomon, but the new Kingdom had the advantage of
starting with good administrators, and with the example of "the Code."

In 1812 Jerome was given the command of the right wing of the Grand Army
in its advance against Russia, but he did not fulfil the expectations of
his brother, and Davoust took the command instead. Every king feels
himself a born general: whatever else they cannot do, war is an art which
comes with the crown, and Jerome, unwilling to serve under a mere
Marshal, withdrew in disgust. In 1813 he had the good feeling and the
good sense to refuse the treacherous offer of the Allies to allow him to
retain his kingdom if he joined them against his brother, a snare his
sister Caroline fell into at Naples.

On the downfall of Napoleon, Jerome, as the Count of Gratz, went to
Switzerland, and then to Gratz and Trieste.

His wife, the ex-Queen Catherine, fell into the hands of Maubreuil, the
officer sent on a mysterious mission, believed to be intended for the
murder of Napoleon, but which only resulted in the robbery of the Queen's
jewels and of some 80,000 francs. The jewels were for the most part
recovered, being fished up from the bed of the Seine, but not the cash.

In 1815 Jerome joined his brother, and appeared at the Champ de Mai. A