Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon
Encyclopedia
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. Serving throughout, he subsequently chose to go into exile on the British governed island of St Helena with the ex-emperor after Napoleon's second abdication.
It has been alleged that he poisoned Napoleon.
Early life and career
Montholon was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and was trained for a military career from a young age. In his tenth year he shared in the expedition of Admiral Laurent Truguet to the coast of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
.
Entering the army in 1797, he rose with rapidity and avowed himself, when chef d'escadron
Chef d'escadron
In the French armed forces , Chef d'escadron is the title of a commandant in the Artillery and Baggage Train Corps and in the Gendarmerie....
in Paris at the time of the coup d'état
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
of 18 Brumaire
18 Brumaire
The coup of 18 Brumaire was the coup d'état by which General Napoleon Bonaparte overthrew the French Directory, replacing it with the French Consulate...
(November 1799), entirely devoted to Bonaparte.
War Service
He served in several of the ensuing campaigns, participating in the Battle of Jena (1806) and distinguishing himself at the battle of Aspern-EsslingBattle of Aspern-Essling
In the Battle of Aspern-Essling , Napoleon attempted a forced crossing of the Danube near Vienna, but the French and their allies were driven back by the Austrians under Archduke Charles...
(May 1809) where he was wounded. At the end of that campaign on the Danube he received the title of count and remained in close attendance on Napoleon, who confided to him several important duties. He was chosen for a mission to discuss diplomatic matters with the Austrian commander Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este
Archduke Ferdinand Karl Joseph of Austria-Este was the third son of Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Este and of his wife Princess Maria Beatrice Ricciarda d'Este, last member and heiress of the house of Este. For much of the Napoleonic Wars he was in command of the Austrian army.Ferdinand was born...
at Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
among others.
At the time of the first abdication of Napoleon at Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
(April 11, 1814), Montholon was one of the few generals who advocated one more attempt to rally the French troops for the overthrow of the allies.
In exile with Napoleon
After the second abdication (June 22, 1815) he with his wife, Albine de MontholonAlbine de Montholon
Albine de Montholon was reputed to be the mistress of Napoleon I during his final years of exile on Saint Helena and the wife of Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon, Napoleon's devoted companion and confidant....
, accompanied the emperor to Rochefort
Rochefort, Charente-Maritime
Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a port on the Charente estuary. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime department.-History:...
, where Napoleon and his friends finally adopted the proposal, which emanated from Count Las Cases, that he should throw himself on the generosity of the British nation and surrender to H.M.S. Bellerophon
HMS Bellerophon (1786)
The first HMS Bellerophon of the Royal Navy was a 74-gun third-rate ship of the line launched on 6 October 1786 at Frindsbury on the River Medway, near Chatham. She was built at the shipyard of Edward Greaves to the specifications of the Arrogant, designed by Sir Thomas Slade in 1758, the lead ship...
. Montholon afterwards, at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, asserted that the conduct of Captain Maitland of the "Bellerophon" had been altogether honourable, and that the responsibility for the failure must rest largely with Las Cases.
Montholon and his wife accompanied the ex-emperor to Saint Helena
Saint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
. Napoleon chiefly dictated to Montholon the notes on his career which form so interesting, though far from trustworthy, a commentary on the events of the first part of his life. Montholon is known to have despised and flouted Las Cases, though in later writings he affected to laud his services to Napoleon. With Gourgaud
Gaspar, baron Gourgaud
Gaspard, Baron Gourgaud , also known simply as Gaspard Gourgaud, was a French soldier, prominent in the Napoleonic wars....
, who was no less vain and sensitive than himself, there was a standing feud which would have led to a duel
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
but for the express prohibition of Napoleon.
Las Cases left the island in November 1816, and Gourgaud in January 1818; but Montholon, despite the departure of his wife, stayed on at Longwood
Longwood, Saint Helena
Longwood is a settlement and a district of the British island of Saint Helena, where Napoleon was exiled from 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821. France owns the land around Napoleon's original grave, but the United Kingdom retains full sovereignty....
to the end of the emperor's life (May, 1821).
Montholon had to spend many years in what is now Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, and in 1840 acted as "chief of staff" in the absurd "expedition" conducted by Louis Napoleon from London to Boulogne. He was condemned to imprisonment at Ham
Château de Ham
The Château de Ham is a castle in the commune of Ham in the Somme département in Picardy, France.- History :...
, but was released in 1847 thanks to the efforts of Gourgaud who was then in favour with the administration; he then retired to England and published the Récits de la captivité de Napoleon a Ste Hélène. In 1849 he became one of the deputies for the Legislative Assembly under the Second French Republic.
Those who believe that Napoleon was murdered by poisoning now regard Montholon as the most likely suspect.
Doubts on military service
Montholon's military service would ultimately enable him to join Napoleon at the Emperor's final exile on Saint HelenaSaint Helena
Saint Helena , named after St Helena of Constantinople, is an island of volcanic origin in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha which also includes Ascension Island and the islands of Tristan da Cunha...
-- however closer scrutiny of his military service reveal several falsehoods.
Montholon claimed he had won a sword of honour during 1800's Hohenlinden campaign but in fact, he was not at the campaign as he was facing expulsion from the army for corruption at the time. He was reintegrated into the army thanks to influential friends and family, including his brother-in-law Marshal Macdonald. (2) (source: ibid)
In 1809 Montholon claimed to be wounded at the Battle of Jena, an event which his commanding officer swore did not happen in a later affidavit.(3) As well, during Napoleon's first exile in 1814, Montholon lost his commission under the Royalists after only seven days after he was charged with taking money meant to pay his troops in Clermont-Ferrand. (4) (sources: ibid)