Jean-Baptiste Philibert Vaillant
Encyclopedia
Jean-Baptiste Philibert Vaillant, 1st Comte Vaillant (December 6, 1790 – June 4, 1872), born in Dijon
, was a Marshal of France
.
Vaillant entered the French army in 1809 in the corps of engineers. He served in the Russian campaign of 1812 and the next year became a prisoner of war after the Battle of Kulm
. During the Hundred Days
Vaillant fought at Ligny
and Waterloo
. Vaillant commanded a battalion in the 1830 campaign against Algiers
. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, he served under Gérard
in the expedition in to Belgium
in 1831.
Vaillant commanded the fortress at Algiers from 1837 to 1838, recalled to France, he was made director of the École polytechnique
. Promoted to lieutenant general, Vaillant was put in charge of the building of the Parisian fortifications in 1845 under the command of Dode de la Brunerie
. In 1849, Vaillant was given command of the engineers in the French expeditionary corps to Rome. Promoted to Marshal of France in 1851, Vaillant served as minister of war from 1854 to 1859, holding the position throughout the Crimean War
, but was replaced following the outbreak of the Franco-Austrian War
that broke out in the latter year. In 1860, Vaillant became minister responsible for the Imperial House and in 1864, he was made Grand Chancellor of the Legion d'Honneur
. After the fall of the second empire in September 1870, Vaillant was banished from France but was allowed back, returning in 1871. He died in Paris the next year.
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
, 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...
.
Vaillant entered the French army in 1809 in the corps of engineers. He served in the Russian campaign of 1812 and the next year became a prisoner of war after the Battle of Kulm
Battle of Kulm
The Battle of Kulm was a battle near the town Kulm and the village Přestanov in northern Bohemia. It was fought on 29–30 August 1813, during the War of the Sixth Coalition...
. During the Hundred Days
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days, sometimes known as the Hundred Days of Napoleon or Napoleon's Hundred Days for specificity, marked the period between Emperor Napoleon I of France's return from exile on Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815...
Vaillant fought at Ligny
Battle of Ligny
The Battle of Ligny was the last victory of the military career of Napoleon I. In this battle, French troops of the Armée du Nord under Napoleon's command, defeated a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher, near Ligny in present-day Belgium. The bulk of the Prussian army survived, however, and...
and Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
. Vaillant commanded a battalion in the 1830 campaign against Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
. Promoted to lieutenant colonel, he served under Gérard
Étienne Maurice Gérard
Étienne Maurice Gérard, comte Gérard was a French general and statesman. He served under a succession of French governments including the ancien regime monarchy, the Revolutionary governments, the Restorations, the July Monarchy, the First and Second Republics, and the First Empire , becoming...
in the expedition in to 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...
in 1831.
Vaillant commanded the fortress at Algiers from 1837 to 1838, recalled to France, he was made director of the École polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
. Promoted to lieutenant general, Vaillant was put in charge of the building of the Parisian fortifications in 1845 under the command of Dode de la Brunerie
Guillaume Dode de la Brunerie
Guillaume Dode de la Brunerie was a Marshal of France. On February 12, 1812, he married the daughter of Marshal Pérignon, Agathe-Virginie.-Early life and French revolutionary wars:...
. In 1849, Vaillant was given command of the engineers in the French expeditionary corps to Rome. Promoted to Marshal of France in 1851, Vaillant served as minister of war from 1854 to 1859, holding the position throughout the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
, but was replaced following the outbreak of the Franco-Austrian War
First Italian War of Independence
The First Italian War of Independence was fought in 1848 between the Kingdom of Sardinia and the Austrian Empire. The war saw main battles at Custoza and Novara in which the Austrians under Radetzky managed to defeat the Piedmontese....
that broke out in the latter year. In 1860, Vaillant became minister responsible for the Imperial House and in 1864, he was made Grand Chancellor of the Legion d'Honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. After the fall of the second empire in September 1870, Vaillant was banished from France but was allowed back, returning in 1871. He died in Paris the next year.