Jean-Baptiste Bessières
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Bessières, 1st Duc d' Istria
(6 August 1768 – 1 May 1813) was a Marshal of France
of the Napoleonic Era
. His younger brother, Bertrand
, followed in his footsteps and eventually became a Divisional General
. Their cousin, Géraud-Pierre-Henri-Julien also served Napoleon I
as a diplomat and Imperial official.
near Cahors
in southern France. He served for a short time in the "Constitutional Guard
" of Louis XVI
and as a non-commissioned officer took part in the war against Spain
.
In the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees
and in the Army of the Moselle he repeatedly distinguished himself for valour, and in 1796, as captain, he served in Napoleon Bonaparte's Italian campaign. At Rovereto
his conduct brought him to his chief's notice, and after the Battle of Rivoli
he was sent to France to deliver the captured colours to the Directory. Hastening back to the front, he accompanied Napoleon in the invasion of Styria in command of the "Guides," who formed the nucleus of the later Consular and Imperial Guards.
As a chef de brigade he next served in the Egyptian expedition, and won further distinction at Acre
and Aboukir
.
Returning to Europe with Napoleon, he was present at Marengo (1800) as second-in-command of the Consular Guard, and led a brilliant and successful cavalry charge at the close of the day, though its effect on the battle was not as decisive as Napoleon pretended.
Promoted to general of division in 1802 and marshal of France in 1804, he made the most famous campaigns of the Grande Armée as colonel-general of the Guard Cavalry (1805, 1806 and 1807).
In 1805 he received the Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honour, and in 1809 was entitled Duke of Istria, or duc d'Istrie. It was a duché grand-fief, a rare, nominal, but hereditary honor (extinguished in 1856) in Napoleon's own Kingdom of Italy.
With the outbreak of the Peninsular War, Marshal Bessières had his first opportunity of an independent command, and his crushing victory over the Spaniards in the Battle of Medina del Rio Seco
(1808) justified Napoleon's choice. When disaster in other parts
of the theatre of war called Napoleon himself to the Peninsula, Bessiêres continued to give the Emperor the very greatest assistance in his campaign.
In 1809 he was again with the Grande Armée in the Danube
valley. At Essling
his repeated and desperate charges checked the Austrians in the full tide of their success. At the Battle of Wagram
he had a horse killed under him. Replacing Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
in the command of the Army of the North, a little later in the same year, the newly-created Duke of Istria successfully opposed the British Walcheren expedition, and in 1811 he was back again, in a still more important command, in Spain. As André Masséna
's second-in-command he was present at the battle of Fuentes d'Onoro, but Napoleon never detached him for very long. In 1812 he commanded the Guard Cavalry at the Battle of Borodino
and in the retreat from Moscow
. Wherever engaged he won further distinction, and at the beginning of the 1813 campaign he was appointed to the command of the whole of Napoleon's cavalry.
Three days after the opening of the campaign, while reconnoitering the defile
of Poserna-Rippach, Bessières was killed by a cannon ball which ricocheted off a wall and hit him in the chest. He died instantly. Napoleon, who deeply felt the loss of one of his truest friends and ablest commanders, protected his children, and his eldest son was made a member of the Chamber of Peers by Louis XVIII
.
As a commander, especially of cavalry, Bessières left a reputation excelled by very few of Napoleon's marshals, and his dauntless courage and cool judgement made him a safe leader in independent command. He was personally beloved to an extraordinary extent amongst his soldiers, and respected amongst his opponents. It is said that masses were performed for his soul by the priests of insurgent Spain, and the king of Saxony
raised a monument to his memory. Napoleon once said that he could have won at Waterloo if Bessières had been there.
Istria
Istria , formerly Histria , is the largest peninsula in the Adriatic Sea. The peninsula is located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Bay of Kvarner...
(6 August 1768 – 1 May 1813) was a Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
of the Napoleonic Era
Napoleonic Era
The Napoleonic Era is a period in the history of France and Europe. It is generally classified as including the fourth and final stage of the French Revolution, the first being the National Assembly, the second being the Legislative Assembly, and the third being the Directory...
. His younger brother, Bertrand
Bertrand Bessières
Bertrand Bessières, 1st Baron Bessières , was a French general of the Napoleonic Wars...
, followed in his footsteps and eventually became a Divisional General
Divisional General
Divisional General is a rank used in many armies to denote a rank of general, corresponding to command of a division. For convenience Divisional General is almost always translated into English as Major-General, the equivalent rank used by the UK, USA, etc., although this translation is, strictly...
. Their cousin, Géraud-Pierre-Henri-Julien also served Napoleon I
Napoleon I
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
as a diplomat and Imperial official.
Biography
Bessières was born in PrayssacPrayssac
Prayssac is a commune in the Lot department in south-western France....
near Cahors
Cahors
Cahors is the capital of the Lot department in south-western France.Its site is dramatic being contained on three sides within an udder shaped twist in the river Lot known as a 'presqu'île' or peninsula...
in southern France. He served for a short time in the "Constitutional Guard
Constitutional Guard
When the National Constituent Assembly split on 3 September 1791, it decreed that king Louis XVI should have a Constitutional Guard, also known as the garde Brissac after its commander Louis Hercule Timolon de Cossé, duc de Brissac...
" of Louis XVI
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
and as a non-commissioned officer took part in the war against Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
In the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
and in the Army of the Moselle he repeatedly distinguished himself for valour, and in 1796, as captain, he served in Napoleon Bonaparte's Italian campaign. At Rovereto
Rovereto
Rovereto is a city and comune in Trentino in northern Italy, located in the Vallagarina valley of the Adige River.-History:Rovereto was an ancient fortress town standing at the frontier between the bishopric of Trento - an independent state until 1797 - and the republic of Venice, and later...
his conduct brought him to his chief's notice, and after the Battle of Rivoli
Battle of Rivoli
The Battle of Rivoli was a key victory in the French campaign in Italy against Austria. Napoleon Bonaparte's 23,000 Frenchmen defeated an attack of 28,000 Austrians under Feldzeugmeister Jozsef Alvinczi, ending Austria's fourth and final attempt to relieve the Siege of Mantua...
he was sent to France to deliver the captured colours to the Directory. Hastening back to the front, he accompanied Napoleon in the invasion of Styria in command of the "Guides," who formed the nucleus of the later Consular and Imperial Guards.
As a chef de brigade he next served in the Egyptian expedition, and won further distinction at Acre
Siege of Acre (1799)
The Siege of Acre of 1799 was an unsuccessful French siege of the Ottoman-defended, walled city of Acre and was the turning point of Napoleon's invasion of Egypt and Syria.-Background:...
and Aboukir
Battle of the Nile
The Battle of the Nile was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay on the Mediterranean coast of Egypt from 1–3 August 1798...
.
Returning to Europe with Napoleon, he was present at Marengo (1800) as second-in-command of the Consular Guard, and led a brilliant and successful cavalry charge at the close of the day, though its effect on the battle was not as decisive as Napoleon pretended.
Promoted to general of division in 1802 and marshal of France in 1804, he made the most famous campaigns of the Grande Armée as colonel-general of the Guard Cavalry (1805, 1806 and 1807).
In 1805 he received the Grand Eagle of the Legion of Honour, and in 1809 was entitled Duke of Istria, or duc d'Istrie. It was a duché grand-fief, a rare, nominal, but hereditary honor (extinguished in 1856) in Napoleon's own Kingdom of Italy.
With the outbreak of the Peninsular War, Marshal Bessières had his first opportunity of an independent command, and his crushing victory over the Spaniards in the Battle of Medina del Rio Seco
Battle of Medina del Rio Seco
The Battle of Medina de Rioseco was fought during the Peninsular War on 14 July 1808 when a combined body of Spanish militia and regulars moved to rupture the French line of communications to Madrid...
(1808) justified Napoleon's choice. When disaster in other parts
Battle of Bailén
The Battle of Bailén was contested in 1808 between the Spanish Army of Andalusia, led by Generals Francisco Castaños and Theodor von Reding, and the Imperial French Army's II corps d'observation de la Gironde under General Pierre Dupont de l'Étang...
of the theatre of war called Napoleon himself to the Peninsula, Bessiêres continued to give the Emperor the very greatest assistance in his campaign.
In 1809 he was again with the Grande Armée in the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
valley. At Essling
Essling
Essling is part of Donaustadt, the 22nd district of Vienna.The area is known because of the Battle of Aspern-Essling, which was fought nearby on May 21 and May 22, 1809....
his repeated and desperate charges checked the Austrians in the full tide of their success. At the Battle of Wagram
Battle of Wagram
The Battle of Wagram was the decisive military engagement of the War of the Fifth Coalition. It took place on the Marchfeld plain, on the north bank of the Danube. An important site of the battle was the village of Deutsch-Wagram, 10 kilometres northeast of Vienna, which would give its name to the...
he had a horse killed under him. Replacing Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte
Charles XIV John of Sweden
Charles XIV & III John, also Carl John, Swedish and Norwegian: Karl Johan was King of Sweden and King of Norway from 1818 until his death...
in the command of the Army of the North, a little later in the same year, the newly-created Duke of Istria successfully opposed the British Walcheren expedition, and in 1811 he was back again, in a still more important command, in Spain. As André Masséna
André Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
's second-in-command he was present at the battle of Fuentes d'Onoro, but Napoleon never detached him for very long. In 1812 he commanded the Guard Cavalry at the Battle of Borodino
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino , fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the French invasion of Russia and all Napoleonic Wars, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulting in at least 70,000 casualties...
and in the retreat from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. Wherever engaged he won further distinction, and at the beginning of the 1813 campaign he was appointed to the command of the whole of Napoleon's cavalry.
Defile (geography)
Defile is a geographic term for a narrow pass or gorge between mountains or hills. It has its origins as a military description of a pass through which troops can march only in a narrow column or with a narrow front...
of Poserna-Rippach, Bessières was killed by a cannon ball which ricocheted off a wall and hit him in the chest. He died instantly. Napoleon, who deeply felt the loss of one of his truest friends and ablest commanders, protected his children, and his eldest son was made a member of the Chamber of Peers by Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
.
As a commander, especially of cavalry, Bessières left a reputation excelled by very few of Napoleon's marshals, and his dauntless courage and cool judgement made him a safe leader in independent command. He was personally beloved to an extraordinary extent amongst his soldiers, and respected amongst his opponents. It is said that masses were performed for his soul by the priests of insurgent Spain, and the king of Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
raised a monument to his memory. Napoleon once said that he could have won at Waterloo if Bessières had been there.