Research Symposium

BIO

My name is Alejandro Valdivia, and I am a second-year student from Weston, FL. As a history major, I am fascinated with analyzing the ways in which different cultures interacted throughout world history, especially in the medieval and early modern periods. Working with Theater with a Mission, my research into early Tallahassee uncovered a vibrant world of colorful characters and personalities unknown to many, which I am excited to share with the community. In my spare time, I love to play my saxophone, enjoy fantasy stories, and self-indulge in my personal historical interests.

A Princess in Tallahassee: Catherine Murat (1803-1867) as a conduit of culture on the Florida Frontier

Abstract

In its infancy, Tallahassee was home to many colorful characters and personalities. Among these individuals was Catherine Willis Gray, great-grandniece of George Washington, whose marriage to deposed Napoleonic Prince Achille Murat became one of the most celebrated and mythologized events of the early city. Through her marriage to Achille, Catherine would come to be integrated into French aristocracy and would henceforth carry two distinct elite identities. This research aims to examine Catherine's dual identities as a slave-owning Tallahassee aristocrat and a princess of France, and the ways in which those dual identities were perceived by those around her. From this, insight can be gained as to how Catherine’s fusion of these two identities produced something truly unique to herself. The goal is to demonstrate how the creation of this identity was influenced by the frontier context of early Tallahassee.

Keywords: Tallahassee, Bicentennial, France, Territorial Florida, Frontier