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| House of Bokassa | |
|---|---|
.svg) | |
| Country | Central African Empire |
| Founded | 4 December 1976 |
| Founder | Bokassa I |
| Current head | Crown Prince Jean-Bédel Bokassa |
| Final ruler | Bokassa I |
| Titles | Emperor of Central Africa |
| Deposition | 21 September 1979 |
The House of Bokassa claims to be an African Noble and Imperial House. Its founder ruled as Emperor over the territories of the Central African Empire from 4 December 1976, until he was overthrown on 21 September 1979.
Establishment and ruling history
The short-lived "dynasty" was created in 1976, when Jean-Bédel Bokassa, formerly authoritarian President of the Central African Republic, changed the name of the state and transformed it into a monarchy. Jean-Bédel Bokassa II was declared Crown Prince and heir to the imperial throne. Pope Paul VI refused to take part in the coronation ceremony. (In spite of that, Bokassa held the baseless claim that Paul VI had appointed him "the 13th apostle of Christ"; around the same time, he officially declared himself "Grand Master of the International Brotherhood of Knights Collectors of Postage Stamps".) Neither the US nor any European country acknowledged or supported the newly founded monarchy, with the exception of France whose President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing held close ties to Bokassa. By 1979, France had withdrawn its support as well.
The Emperor's sixth wife (he had a total harem of nineteen even after converting to Roman Catholicism), Catherine Denguiadé became Her Imperial Majesty The Empress of Central Africa.
The ruling house was deposed along with Emperor Bokassa I when he was succeeded by David Dacko in 1976. Bokassa continued to consider himself the head of the ruling house in exile, even after being sentenced to death for murder in absentia. He later served a jail sentence in his home country, was pardoned and died of natural causes in 1996. Jean-Bédel Bokassa II claims to be the current head of the Imperial Family and Pretender to the Imperial Throne. He and most of Bokassa's other descendants deny the countless atrocities and human rights violations perpetrated by the self-styled Emperor.
Ancestry
.
Descent
Bokassa I. had 40 children by his 19 wives.
Among these are:
- Georges Bokassa, 24 December 1949. Among others, he is the father of Romuald Bokassa and Estelle-Marguerite Bokassa.
- Martine Bokassa, born 2 February 1953. She herself is the mother of six children, amongst which are Jean-Barthélémy Dédéavode-Bokassa and Marie Catherine Yokowo Dédéavode-Bokassa
- Jean Charles Bokassa
- Saint Cyr Bokassa
- Saint Sylvestre Bokassa
- Jean Le Grand Bokassa
- Charlemagne Bokassa
- Jean-Serge Bokassa
- Jean-Bédel Bokassa II, the Heir Apparent
- Jean Bédel Bokassa Jr., born 1985, last recorded child of Emperor Bokassa
Adopted children
Bokassa also adopted several children, three of which were Africans. One of these, however, was born in Vietnam as Martine Nguyễn Thị Bái and became Martine Bokassa upon her adoption.
Other relatives bearing imperial titles
- Catherine Bagalama, sister of Bokassa I
- Constantin Mbalanga, cousin of Bokassa I
- Elisabeth Kpomanzia, aunt of Bokassa I
Sources
References
 | Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Misplaced Pages's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (October 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
- http://blogcritics.org/politics/article/palaces-of-dictators/
- ibid.
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7803421.stm BBC: "Good old days under Bokassa?"
- http://www.zeit.de/2007/36/Global-Bokassa Article from Germany's weekly "Die Zeit" (in German)