Louis-Félix Guynement de Kéralio
Encyclopedia
Louis-Felix Guinement, chevalier de Kéralio (14 September 1731, Rennes
- 10 December 1793, Groslay
) was a French soldier, writer and academic. He married Françoise Abeille and their daughter was the feminist writer Louise-Félicité de Kéralio
.
, he participated in 1746 in the siege of Tortone, the battle of Piacenza
and the battle of Tidone
on 10 August. His extraordinary valour at Tidone twice threw the Austrians, who wanted to bar the river crossing to the French, into disorder. In 1747 he fought in the attack on the fortifications at Montauban
and Villefranche
, then in the capture of Montauban
, Nice
, Villefranche and Vintimille.
Louis Félix Guynement was demobbed in 1749. Nevertheless, he decided to serve at his own expense in the regiment for 18 months, being recalled to it officially in 1751, before being made aide-major. In 1754 and 1755 he was put in sole charge of the regiment's manoeuvres and exercises, and in 1755 he was made captain. At the start of the Seven Years' War
onwards he was retired from the ranks after being wounded when the regiment was encamped in observation at Calais in 1756 and retired to his birthplace of Valence.
, Louis-Alexandre Berthier and Jean-Baptiste Bernard Viénot de Vaublanc
. In 1771 he was made a knight of the order of Saint Louis
, and then was elected commander of the 3rd bataillon of the National Guard
– the bataillon des Filles-Saint-Thomas - on its creation in 1789.
He was elected a foreign member of Swedens's Royal Academy of Sciences
in Stockholm
early in 1774. On 28 April 1780, he was also elected an academician of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
de Paris.
Around 1780, the chevalier de Keralio and the editor Panckoucke
signed a contract to edit 4 volumes on "Art militaire" in the Encyclopédie Méthodique
, published from 1784 to 1787, for which he wrote a preliminary discourse and several articles. From 1784 he wrote for the Journal des Savants.
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
- 10 December 1793, Groslay
Groslay
Groslay is a commune in the Val-d'Oise department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located 15 km north of Paris, the capital.-Boundaries:The commune is bounded with Montmorency, Saint-Brice-sous-Forêt, Sarcelles, Deuil-la-Barre and Montmagny....
) was a French soldier, writer and academic. He married Françoise Abeille and their daughter was the feminist writer Louise-Félicité de Kéralio
Louise-Félicité de Kéralio
Louise-Félicité Guynement de Kéralio was a French writer and feminist, originating from the minor Breton nobility. She was the daughter of Louis-Félix Guynement de Kéralio and his wife Françoise Abeille...
.
Military career
He joined his brothers Auguste, Agathon and Alexis in the régiment d'infanterie d’Anjou as a lieutenant on 8 March 1746, aged 14. During the War of the Austrian SuccessionWar of the Austrian Succession
The War of the Austrian Succession – including King George's War in North America, the Anglo-Spanish War of Jenkins' Ear, and two of the three Silesian wars – involved most of the powers of Europe over the question of Maria Theresa's succession to the realms of the House of Habsburg.The...
, he participated in 1746 in the siege of Tortone, the battle of Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
and the battle of Tidone
Borgonovo Val Tidone
Borgonovo Val Tidone is a comune in the Province of Piacenza in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 160 km northwest of Bologna and about 20 km west of Piacenza....
on 10 August. His extraordinary valour at Tidone twice threw the Austrians, who wanted to bar the river crossing to the French, into disorder. In 1747 he fought in the attack on the fortifications at Montauban
Montauban
Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....
and Villefranche
Villefranche, Gers
Villefranche is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:...
, then in the capture of Montauban
Montauban
Montauban is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region in southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse....
, Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, Villefranche and Vintimille.
Louis Félix Guynement was demobbed in 1749. Nevertheless, he decided to serve at his own expense in the regiment for 18 months, being recalled to it officially in 1751, before being made aide-major. In 1754 and 1755 he was put in sole charge of the regiment's manoeuvres and exercises, and in 1755 he was made captain. At the start of the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
onwards he was retired from the ranks after being wounded when the regiment was encamped in observation at Calais in 1756 and retired to his birthplace of Valence.
Academic career
On 25 February 1758 he was made deputy-director of studies and professor of tactics at the royal military school in Paris. On 31 July 1759 Louis Félix was made aide-major there and then promoted to major. He taught many future generals of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, such as Armand Samuel de MarescotArmand Samuel de Marescot
Armand Samuel de Marescot, born in Tours on 1 March 1758, died November 5, 1832 at Castle Chaslay near Montoire Loir-et-Cher was a French general of engineering in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars....
, Louis-Alexandre Berthier and Jean-Baptiste Bernard Viénot de Vaublanc
Jean-Baptiste Bernard Viénot de Vaublanc
Jean-Baptiste Bernard Viénot, chevalier de Vaublanc, Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur, was born on 17 September 1761 at Ouanaminthe, Saint-Domingue, Cap-Haïtien and died in Lithuania on 19 December 1812...
. In 1771 he was made a knight of the order of Saint Louis
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
, and then was elected commander of the 3rd bataillon of the National Guard
National Guard (France)
The National Guard was the name given at the time of the French Revolution to the militias formed in each city, in imitation of the National Guard created in Paris. It was a military force separate from the regular army...
– the bataillon des Filles-Saint-Thomas - on its creation in 1789.
He was elected a foreign member of Swedens's Royal Academy of Sciences
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences or Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien is one of the Royal Academies of Sweden. The Academy is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization which acts to promote the sciences, primarily the natural sciences and mathematics.The Academy was founded on 2...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
early in 1774. On 28 April 1780, he was also elected an academician of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres
The Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres is a French learned society devoted to the humanities, founded in February 1663 as one of the five academies of the Institut de France.-History:...
de Paris.
Around 1780, the chevalier de Keralio and the editor Panckoucke
Panckoucke
The Panckoucke family was a French family engaged in publishing and printing.*Andre Joseph Panckoucke *Charles Joseph Panckoucke , son of Andre Joseph*Charles Louis Fleury Panckoucke , son of Charles Joseph...
signed a contract to edit 4 volumes on "Art militaire" in the Encyclopédie Méthodique
Encyclopédie Méthodique
The Encyclopédie méthodique par ordre des matières is a roughly 210 to 216 volumes encyclopedia that was published between 1782 and 1832 by the French publisher Charles Joseph Panckoucke, his son-in-law Henri Agasse, and the latter´s wife, Thérèse-Charlotte Agasse...
, published from 1784 to 1787, for which he wrote a preliminary discourse and several articles. From 1784 he wrote for the Journal des Savants.
Works
- « Règlement pour l'infanterie prussiennePrussian ArmyThe Royal Prussian Army was the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power.The Prussian Army had its roots in the meager mercenary forces of Brandenburg during the Thirty Years' War...
», translation, 1757. - « Recherches sur les principes généraux de la tactique », 1767.
- « Collection de différents morceaux sur l’histoire naturelle et civile du Nord et sur l’histoire naturelle en général », translation, 1763.
- « Voyages en SibérieSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
, contenant la description des mœurs et des usages des peuples, les noms des rivières, la situation des montagnes » , translation 1767. - « Les penchants de la nature », 1768, discourse qui obtient l'accessit à l'académie du prix de l'académie royale des belles-lettres de Prusse.
- « L’histoire naturelle des glacières de Suisse », translation, 1770.
- « Observations élémentaires pour la tactique moderne », 1771.
- « Recherches sur les premiers fondements généraux de la tactique », 1771.
- « Mémoires de l’académie des Sciences de Stockholm concernant l’histoire naturelle, la physique, la médecine, l’anatomie, la chimie, l’économie, les arts, … », translation, 1772.
- « Recueil de lettres de S.M le Roi de Prusse pour servir à l'histoire de la dernière guerre », 1772.
- « Relation de la bataille de RosbachBattle of RossbachThe Battle of Rossbach took place during the Seven Years' War near the village of Roßbach, in the Electorate of Saxony. Frederick the Great defeated the allied armies of France and the Holy Roman/Austrian Empire...
», 1772. - « Histoire de la guerre entre la Russie et la Turquie, et particulièrement de la campagne de 1769 », translation, 1773.
- « Histoire de la guerre des russes et des impériaux contre les turcs de 1736 à 1739 », translation, 1777.
- « Mémoire sur l’origine du peuple suédois », discourse, 1782.
- « Mémoire sur les lois et usages militaires des Grecs et des Romains », discourse, 1784.
- « De la connaissance que les anciens ont eu des pays du Nord de l’Europe », 1793.
- « Discours sur l’amour de la patrie », translation, 1789.
- « De la constitution militaire », 1789.
- « De la liberté d’énoncer, d’écrire et d’imprimer la pensée », 1790.
- « De la liberté de la presse », 1790.
- « L'edda ou la mythologie septentrionale », translation.
- « Extrait de l'histoire naturelle du renne », translation.