Sextius Alexandre François de Miollis
Encyclopedia
Sextius Alexandre François de Miollis (Aix
, September 18, 1759 – Aix, June 18, 1828) was a French
military officer serving in the American Revolutionary War
, the French Revolutionary Wars
, and the Napoleonic Wars
.
of Aix who was ennobled in 1770 for his services at the legal courts there.
He entered service at age 17 in the infantry regiment of the Soissonnais
. In the last campaigns of the American Revolution, he served as sub-lieutenant under General Rochambeau
. His face was disfigured in battle at the siege of Yorktown
and he returned to France as a captain.
He headed the First National Battalion of volunteers of Bouches-du-Rhône. In the French Revolutionary Wars
, he demonstrated skill and bravery often, becoming a brigadier general in 1796.
Under Napoleon
, he was deployed to Italy, taking part in the siege of Mantua
. Commanding a division after the Treaty of Campo Formio
, he was put in charge of the occupation of Tuscany
.
Under General André Masséna
, he took part in the 1799 defense of Genoa
. He became the governor of Belle-Île-en-Mer in 1803, then of Mantua in 1806. At Mantua, he honored Virgil
with a monument. With some pomp and circumstance, he transferred the ashes of Ariosto to the University of Ferrara
where they received the omage due to them. At Verona, he restored the Arena
, one of the most interesting of Roman antiquities.
In 1807, he commanded in Tuscany, occupying Rome with a division. He carried out his orders there with respect to Pope Pius VII
and the queen of Etruria
, Maria Luisa de Bourbon of Spain. He governed the Papal States until Napoleon's abdication in 1814.
Louis XVIII conferred upon him the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône
and Vaucluse
. Napoleon recalled him to duty during the Hundred Days
to serve at Metz
, where he remained until mid-October 1815, after which he retired permanently from active duty.
His brother attained a doctorate in law in 1781, became a lawyer, and then prefect of Finistare from 1805 to 1815. Another brother held the bishopric of Digne from 1805 to 1838, probably a nepotistic Napoleonic appointment.
His name is engraved on the south side of the Arc de Triomphe
.
Aix-en-Provence
Aix , or Aix-en-Provence to distinguish it from other cities built over hot springs, is a city-commune in southern France, some north of Marseille. It is in the region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, in the département of Bouches-du-Rhône, of which it is a subprefecture. The population of Aix is...
, September 18, 1759 – Aix, June 18, 1828) was a French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
military officer serving in the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the French Revolutionary Wars
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 the 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...
.
Biography
His father was a counselor of the provincial ParlementParlement
Parlements were regional legislative bodies in Ancien Régime France.The political institutions of the Parlement in Ancien Régime France developed out of the previous council of the king, the Conseil du roi or curia regis, and consequently had ancient and customary rights of consultation and...
of Aix who was ennobled in 1770 for his services at the legal courts there.
He entered service at age 17 in the infantry regiment of the Soissonnais
Soissons
Soissons is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France, located on the Aisne River, about northeast of Paris. It is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital of the Suessiones...
. In the last campaigns of the American Revolution, he served as sub-lieutenant under General Rochambeau
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...
. His face was disfigured in battle at the siege of Yorktown
Siege of Yorktown
The Siege of Yorktown, Battle of Yorktown, or Surrender of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington and French forces led by the Comte de Rochambeau over a British Army commanded by Lieutenant General Lord Cornwallis...
and he returned to France as a captain.
He headed the First National Battalion of volunteers of Bouches-du-Rhône. In the French Revolutionary Wars
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...
, he demonstrated skill and bravery often, becoming a brigadier general in 1796.
Under Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
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...
, he was deployed to Italy, taking part in the siege of Mantua
Siege of Mantua (1796-1797)
In the Siege of Mantua, which lasted from 4 July 1796 to 2 February 1797 with a short break, French forces under the overall command of Napoleon Bonaparte besieged and blockaded a large Austrian garrison for many months until it surrendered...
. Commanding a division after the Treaty of Campo Formio
Treaty of Campo Formio
The Treaty of Campo Formio was signed on 18 October 1797 by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of revolutionary France and the Austrian monarchy...
, he was put in charge of the occupation of Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
.
Under General 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....
, he took part in the 1799 defense of Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
. He became the governor of Belle-Île-en-Mer in 1803, then of Mantua in 1806. At Mantua, he honored Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
with a monument. With some pomp and circumstance, he transferred the ashes of Ariosto to the University of Ferrara
University of Ferrara
The University of Ferrara is the main university of the city of Ferrara in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. In the years prior to the First World War the University of Ferrara, with more than 500 students, was the best attended of the free universities in Italy...
where they received the omage due to them. At Verona, he restored the Arena
Verona Arena
The Verona Arena is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy, which is internationally famous for the large-scale opera performances given there. It is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind....
, one of the most interesting of Roman antiquities.
In 1807, he commanded in Tuscany, occupying Rome with a division. He carried out his orders there with respect to Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII
Pope Pius VII , born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti, was a monk, theologian and bishop, who reigned as Pope from 14 March 1800 to 20 August 1823.-Early life:...
and the queen of Etruria
Kingdom of Etruria
The Kingdom of Etruria was a kingdom comprising the larger part of Tuscany which existed between 1801 and 1807. It took its name from Etruria, the old Roman name for the land of the Etruscans.It was created by the Treaty of Aranjuez, signed on 21 March 1801...
, Maria Luisa de Bourbon of Spain. He governed the Papal States until Napoleon's abdication in 1814.
Louis XVIII conferred upon him the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône is a department in the south of France named after the mouth of the Rhône River. It is the most populous department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Its INSEE and postal code is 13.-History of the department:...
and Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
. Napoleon recalled him to duty 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...
to serve at Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, where he remained until mid-October 1815, after which he retired permanently from active duty.
His brother attained a doctorate in law in 1781, became a lawyer, and then prefect of Finistare from 1805 to 1815. Another brother held the bishopric of Digne from 1805 to 1838, probably a nepotistic Napoleonic appointment.
His name is engraved on the south side of 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...
.