Raymond-Gaspard de Bonardi de Saint-Sulpice
Encyclopedia
Raymond-Gaspard de Bonardi comte de Saint-Sulpice (23 October 1761 - 20 June 1835) was a French general of the French Revolutionary Wars
and Napoleonic Wars
, noted for his actions as a heavy cavalry
commander and who became a Peer of France towards the end of his life.
, the career of Saint-Sulpice seems to stagnate until 1803, when he is finally promoted to brigadier general
. With the proclamation of the Empire
, Saint-Sulpice gets a position as Écuyer cavalcadour of the Empress Joséphine
.
, Saint-Sulpice is given the command of a cuirassier
brigade in d'Hautpoul's
2nd heavy cavalry division of the cavalry reserve of the Grande Armée, which he will command between 1805 and 1807. At the battle of Eylau
in 1807 Saint-Sulpice is wounded, but a week later, on the 14 of February, he gets promoted to general of division and takes command of the 2nd heavy cavalry division, replacing d'Hautpoul, who had died of his injuries. Named count of the Empire in 1808, he fights in most of the major engagements of the Fifth Coalition in 1809: Abensberg
, Eckmühl
, Ratisbon
, Aspern-Essling
and Wagram
. During the French invasion of Russia
, Saint-Sulpice is given command of the dragoon regiment of the Guard. The next year, in March 1813, he is named governor of the castle of Fontainebleau
but then is called to serve in the Grande Armée again for the War of the Sixth Coalition
, fighting in Saxony
. In 1814, as the fighting continued, this time on French soil, Saint-Sulpice is assigned to serve under Marshal of the Empire Pierre Augereau, whose orders were to defend Lyon
against the invading Allied armies. Retiring from active service, he became a Peer of France in 1831. His name appears on the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris
.
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
and Napoleonic Wars
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...
, noted for his actions as a heavy cavalry
Heavy cavalry
Heavy cavalry is a class of cavalry whose primary role was to engage in direct combat with enemy forces . Although their equipment differed greatly depending on the region and historical period, they were generally mounted on large powerful horses, and were often equipped with some form of scale,...
commander and who became a Peer of France towards the end of his life.
Early life and Revolutionary Wars
A nobleman by birth, Saint-Sulpice joins the army as a sublieutenant in 1777, becoming a lieutenant-colonel in 1792 in the Army of the Alps. He is then suspended, from September 1793 to May 1795, because of his aristocratic ascendance. Despite the proclamation of the French ConsulateFrench Consulate
The Consulate was the government of France between the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire in 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire in 1804...
, the career of Saint-Sulpice seems to stagnate until 1803, when he is finally promoted to brigadier general
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
. With the proclamation of the Empire
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
, Saint-Sulpice gets a position as Écuyer cavalcadour of the Empress Joséphine
Joséphine de Beauharnais
Joséphine de Beauharnais was the first wife of Napoléon Bonaparte, and thus the first Empress of the French. Her first husband Alexandre de Beauharnais had been guillotined during the Reign of Terror, and she had been imprisoned in the Carmes prison until her release five days after Alexandre's...
.
Napoleonic Wars and Bourbon Restoration
With the outbreak of the Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic 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...
, Saint-Sulpice is given the command of a cuirassier
Cuirassier
Cuirassiers were mounted cavalry soldiers equipped with armour and firearms, first appearing in late 15th-century Europe. They were the successors of the medieval armoured knights...
brigade in d'Hautpoul's
Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul
Jean-Joseph Ange d'Hautpoul was a French cavalry general of the Napoleonic wars. He came from an old noble family of France whose military tradition extended for several centuries....
2nd heavy cavalry division of the cavalry reserve of the Grande Armée, which he will command between 1805 and 1807. At the battle of Eylau
Battle of Eylau
The Battle of Eylau or Battle of Preussisch-Eylau, 7 and 8 February 1807, was a bloody and inconclusive battle between Napoléon's Grande Armée and a Russian Empire army under Levin August, Count von Bennigsen near the town of Preußisch Eylau in East Prussia. Late in the battle, the Russians...
in 1807 Saint-Sulpice is wounded, but a week later, on the 14 of February, he gets promoted to general of division and takes command of the 2nd heavy cavalry division, replacing d'Hautpoul, who had died of his injuries. Named count of the Empire in 1808, he fights in most of the major engagements of the Fifth Coalition in 1809: Abensberg
Battle of Abensberg
The Battle of Abensberg took place on 20 April 1809, between a Franco-German force under the command of Emperor Napoleon I of France and a reinforced Austrian corps led by Feldmarschall-Leutnant Archduke Louis of Austria. As the day wore on, Feldmarschall-Leutnant Johann von Hiller arrived with...
, Eckmühl
Battle of Eckmühl
The Battle of Eckmühl fought on 21 April – 22 April 1809, was the turning point of the 1809 Campaign, also known as the War of the Fifth Coalition...
, Ratisbon
Battle of Ratisbon
The Battle of Ratisbon, also called the Battle of Regensburg, of the Napoleonic Wars was fought on the 23 April 1809 between the army of the First French Empire, led by Napoleon I, and that of the Austrian Empire, led by Archduke Charles...
, Aspern-Essling
Battle 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...
and 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...
. During the French invasion of Russia
French invasion of Russia
The French invasion of Russia of 1812 was a turning point in the Napoleonic Wars. It reduced the French and allied invasion forces to a tiny fraction of their initial strength and triggered a major shift in European politics as it dramatically weakened French hegemony in Europe...
, Saint-Sulpice is given command of the dragoon regiment of the Guard. The next year, in March 1813, he is named governor of the castle of 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...
but then is called to serve in the Grande Armée again for the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
, fighting in Saxony
Kingdom of Saxony
The Kingdom of Saxony , lasting between 1806 and 1918, was an independent member of a number of historical confederacies in Napoleonic through post-Napoleonic Germany. From 1871 it was part of the German Empire. It became a Free state in the era of Weimar Republic in 1918 after the end of World War...
. In 1814, as the fighting continued, this time on French soil, Saint-Sulpice is assigned to serve under Marshal of the Empire Pierre Augereau, whose orders were to defend Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
against the invading Allied armies. Retiring from active service, he became a Peer of France in 1831. His name appears on the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
in Paris
Paris
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...
.