Étienne Tardif de Pommeroux de Bordesoulle
Encyclopedia
Étienne Tardif de Pommeroux, comte de Bordesoulle (4 April 1771, Luzeret
– 3 October 1837, Fontaine-Chaalis
, Oise
) was a French nobleman and soldier, who fought in the Napoleonic Wars
and the Spanish expedition.
in the armies fighting on the River Rhine, and then from 1792 to year 1801 in the armée du Rhin
, the armée de Rhin-et-Moselle, the armée d'Allemagne
, the armée d'Angleterre, the armée de Mayence, the armée d'Italie. Wounded several times, Bordessoulle was made sous-lieutenant in August 1794, then lieutenant
in July 1796 and captain in January 1798. He fought with panache at Novi on 15 August 1799, being wounded again whilst covering the army's retreat. He rose rapidly through the ranks, being promoted to chef d'escadron
in the 6th Hussards in May 1799 and receiving an honorary sabre in 1802.
s on 27 December 1805. He next fought at Austerlitz
on 2 December before being transferred to 4th corps under Soult in October 1806. On 9 June 1807, at the head of 60 men from his regiment, he crossed the Guttsdat passage, charged and completely tore to pieces a Russian battalion, and received two bayonet wounds on his right forearm and in the chest. He distinguished himself again at Heilsberg
the following day and at Friedland
on 12 June, and was made général de brigade of the light cavalry (9th Hussards, 7th and 20th Chasseurs) on 25 June. On 1 August he was moved to Brune's army corps and in December was put in charge of the light cavalry attached to the defence of Danzig.
On 21 September 1808 he was ordered to go to Bayonne
, and that November he was made commander of the 2nd brigade of mounted chasseurs (the cavalry reserve of the armée d'Espagne) within Lasalle's division. In December he destroyed the remains of Castanos
's army around Madrid
and on 28 March 1809 contributed to the French victory at Medellín
, leading the 5th and 10th chasseurs in destroying 60,000 Spanish infantrymen even whilst marshal Belluno
's whole corps was retreating and even though Bordesoulle had himself received orders to retreat.
's 4th corps. Bordessoulle set out for Germany and on arrival replaced Fouler as head of 2nd brigade of the 3rd cuirassiers division. He was wounded at the battle of Wagram
on 6 July and made a baron of the Empire by Napoleon in May 1810. He was employed in the observation corps in Holland in May 1810 and put in command of the 3rd light cavalry brigade of the armée d'Allemagne on 2 December. From 1810 to 1812, Bordessoulle commanded several light cavalry brigades in Germany, a period during which he also spent time in the army's observation corps on the River Elbe (during November 1811). That observation corps became a corps of the Grande Armée and so in June 1812 Bordesoulle was summoned to head that corps 2nd light cavalry brigade.
During the French invasion of Russia
he served in the light cavalry of Davout's 1st corps. On 30 June he fought Barclay de Tolly
's vanguard at Soleschniki, and on 23 July commanded marshal prince d'Eckmuhl's vanguard, made up of the 3rd regiment of chasseurs and one infantry regiment. At the head of that vanguard he captured Mohilev, 900 prisoners, the enemy magazines and baggage train, and over 600 oxen intended for prince Bagration
. He fought again at Smolensk
on 15 April 1812, at Borodino
on 7 September (receiving a broken-jaw from a long-range biscaïen shot) and at Krasnoë
(where he took 8 cannons after capturing a corps of 1,500 men, broken an infantry square, taken 300 more prisoners and leaving the 9th Polish lancers gravely compromised).
He was promoted to général de division on 4 December 1812 and put in command of the 1st division of cuirassiers of the Grande Armée's 1st cavalry corps, which he led in all the major battles of the Saxony campaign of 1813 (such as Lützen
on 2 May, and Bautzen
on 21 May). Already confirmed as a baron of the Empire by being given a dotation, he was made a commander of the Légion d'honneur on 14 May 1813. At the battle of Dresden
on 26 August he led several vigorous charges, broke 12 enemy infantry squares, took 6,000 prisoners and helped force the large enemy force threatening the French army to retreat back into the mountains of Bohemia
. He then fought at the battle of Leipzig
on 16 to 19 October, where he gave new evidence of his bravery - at Hanau
, where he supported a largely orderly retreat and with only a few men calmed a fearful large cavalry body. In November he was put in command of the 2nd cavalry corps of the Grande Armée in place of Sébastiani
.
Made the commander of two cavalry divisions gathered at Versailles
on 3 June 1814, Bordessoulle fought in the battles of Champaubert
and had a hand in the French success against Blücher
at Vauchamps
on 12 February. He then beat the Allied force at Villeneuve
on 17 February, took part in the recapture of Reims
on 13 March and the Battle of La Fère-Champenoise on 25 March and finally commanded a heavy cavalry division of 1st corps in the Battle of Paris
on 30 March.
monarchy, Bordesoulle's noble origins got him an appointment as inspector general of the cavalry in May 1814, knight of the order of Saint Louis
on 2 June and grand officer of the Légion d'honneur
on 23 August. On Napoleon's return from Elba, Bordesoulle took provisional command of 9 cavalry squadrons of the 2nd military division headed for Châlons
on 12 March 1815 and was confirmed in this role by the royal government on 16 March. He followed Louis XVIII of France
to Ghent
, where he was made chief of staff to the Comte d'Artois (later Charles X of France
) on 25 June 1815. He returned to France with the Duke of Berry in July 1815 after the Hundred Days
and was made grand-cross of the Légion d'honneur by the king on 13 August and on appointed to command and reorganise the cavalry of the royal guard on 8 September. Bordesoulle was then elected a centre-right député
for Indre
in the "Chambre introuvable
" of 1815-1816, and on 12 October was made a member of the commission charged with investigating the conduct of officers during the Hundred Days.
On 13 May 1816 he was made a commander of the order of Saint Louis
, and exchanged his Napoleonic title of baron for the Bourbon one of comte. An honorary aide-de-camp honoraire to the comte d'Artois
from 2 June 1807, and a member of the committee of the inspectors-general on 25 October, he became a privy councillor of the duc d'Angoulême
on 2 July 1820. He was made a grand-cross of Saint Louis on 1 May 1821 and was made governor of the École polytechnique
on 17 September 1822, all the while retaining his role in the royal guard. In 1823, he took part in the Spanish expedition. Summoned on 16 February 1823 to be commander-in-chief of the guard-troops within the armée des Pyrénées
, Bordesoulle organised the bombardment and blockade of Cadiz
and was mentioned in despatches on 31 August for his part in the taking of Trocadéro
.
After the war, he was made a peer of France on 9 October and received the grand-cross of the order of Charles III of Spain on 4 November the same years. His opinions were strongly patriotic and constitutional. His advice to the duc d'Angoulême
was crucial in getting many acts friendly to friends of liberty passed : these included the ordinance of Andujar, imposed by Ferdinand VII of Spain. In the month of December he resumed his command of the royal guard's cavalry division. On Louis XVIII's death, Charles X did not keep Bordesoulle on as an honorary aide-de-camp in the new army list of 4 November 1824, and he became a member of the superior council for war in 1828.
Made a knight commander of the order of the Holy Spirit
, in the chapter held on 21 February 1830, he tried in vain to enact the king's resolutions in July and during the "Three Glorious Days"
retired to Saint-Cloud
, ready to defend his person. He was at Rambouillet
only to leave it, continuing to exercise his command in the dissolved royal guard until 21 August, at which date he put himself at the dispoal of Louis-Philippe of France
. Put on the reserve list with the rank of état-major général on 7 February 1831, he was allowed to retire on 14 March 1832. He remained on the sidelines from then on, though he still occasionally attended the Chambre des pairs from then until his death in 1837.
Luzeret
Luzeret is a commune in the Indre department in central France.-References:*...
– 3 October 1837, Fontaine-Chaalis
Fontaine-Chaalis
Fontaine-Chaalis is a small village in northern France. It is designated municipally as a commune within the département of Oise.On 3 March 1974 Turkish Airlines Flight 981 crashed in this commune, in the Ermenonville Forest.-References:*...
, Oise
Oise
Oise is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise.-History:Oise is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
) was a French nobleman and soldier, who fought in 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...
and the Spanish expedition.
Early career
He entered the army in 1789 at private rank, in the 2nd mounted chasseurs regiment and fought with distinction in nearly all the campaigns of the French Revolutionary WarsFrench 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...
in the armies fighting on the River Rhine, and then from 1792 to year 1801 in the armée du Rhin
Armée du Rhin
The Army of the Rhine is the overall name for one of the main French Revolutionary armies, that operated in the German theater along the River Rhine...
, the armée de Rhin-et-Moselle, the armée d'Allemagne
Armée d'Allemagne (1797)
The Army of Germany was one of the French Revolutionary armies, formed by a decree of the French Directory dated 29 September 1797 by merging the armée de Sambre-et-Meuse and the armée de Rhin-et-Moselle and commanded from the decree until 6 October by général Saint-Cyr under général Hoche...
, the armée d'Angleterre, the armée de Mayence, the armée d'Italie. Wounded several times, Bordessoulle was made sous-lieutenant in August 1794, then lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
in July 1796 and captain in January 1798. He fought with panache at Novi on 15 August 1799, being wounded again whilst covering the army's retreat. He rose rapidly through the ranks, being promoted to chef d'escadron
Chef d'escadron
In the French armed forces , Chef d'escadron is the title of a commandant in the Artillery and Baggage Train Corps and in the Gendarmerie....
in the 6th Hussards in May 1799 and receiving an honorary sabre in 1802.
Light cavalry
He served in the Bruges camp in 1803 and 1804. He then fought in the campaigns of 1805 to 1807 in Austria, Prussia and Poland in the 2nd corps of the Grande Armée, rising to colonel of the 22nd regiment of chasseurChasseur
Chasseur [sha-sur; Fr. sha-sœr] is the designation given to certain regiments of French light infantry or light cavalry troops, trained for rapid action.-History:...
s on 27 December 1805. He next fought at Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
on 2 December before being transferred to 4th corps under Soult in October 1806. On 9 June 1807, at the head of 60 men from his regiment, he crossed the Guttsdat passage, charged and completely tore to pieces a Russian battalion, and received two bayonet wounds on his right forearm and in the chest. He distinguished himself again at Heilsberg
Heilsberg
Heilsberg:* German name of Lidzbark Warmiński* Battle of Heilsberg* Transmitter Heilsberg- See also :* Lidzbark* Lidzbark * Lidzbarski...
the following day and at Friedland
Battle of Friedland
The Battle of Friedland saw Napoleon I's French army decisively defeat Count von Bennigsen's Russian army about twenty-seven miles southeast of Königsberg...
on 12 June, and was made général de brigade of the light cavalry (9th Hussards, 7th and 20th Chasseurs) on 25 June. On 1 August he was moved to Brune's army corps and in December was put in charge of the light cavalry attached to the defence of Danzig.
On 21 September 1808 he was ordered to go to Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
, and that November he was made commander of the 2nd brigade of mounted chasseurs (the cavalry reserve of the armée d'Espagne) within Lasalle's division. In December he destroyed the remains of Castanos
Castaños
Castaños is a city in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila.It is located at 101° 25' 58" West, 26° 47' 3" North, in the state's central region .There were 22,401 inhabitants in 2000.-External links:...
's army around Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and on 28 March 1809 contributed to the French victory at Medellín
Battle of Medellín
In the Peninsular War, the Battle of Medellín was fought on March 28, 1809 and resulted in a victory of the French under Marshal Victor against the Spanish under General Don Gregorio Garcia de la Cuesta...
, leading the 5th and 10th chasseurs in destroying 60,000 Spanish infantrymen even whilst marshal Belluno
Claude Victor-Perrin, duc de Belluno
Claude Victor-Perrin, First Duc de Belluno was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars...
's whole corps was retreating and even though Bordesoulle had himself received orders to retreat.
Cuirassiers
Recalled to the armée d'Allemagne on 25 May 1809 to command a cavalry brigade in MassénaAndré Masséna
André Masséna 1st Duc de Rivoli, 1st Prince d'Essling was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars....
's 4th corps. Bordessoulle set out for Germany and on arrival replaced Fouler as head of 2nd brigade of the 3rd cuirassiers division. He was wounded 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...
on 6 July and made a baron of the Empire by Napoleon in May 1810. He was employed in the observation corps in Holland in May 1810 and put in command of the 3rd light cavalry brigade of the armée d'Allemagne on 2 December. From 1810 to 1812, Bordessoulle commanded several light cavalry brigades in Germany, a period during which he also spent time in the army's observation corps on the River Elbe (during November 1811). That observation corps became a corps of the Grande Armée and so in June 1812 Bordesoulle was summoned to head that corps 2nd light cavalry brigade.
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...
he served in the light cavalry of Davout's 1st corps. On 30 June he fought Barclay de Tolly
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly
Prince Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly , was a Russian Field Marshal and Minister of War during Napoleon's invasion in 1812 and War of the Sixth Coalition.-Early life:...
's vanguard at Soleschniki, and on 23 July commanded marshal prince d'Eckmuhl's vanguard, made up of the 3rd regiment of chasseurs and one infantry regiment. At the head of that vanguard he captured Mohilev, 900 prisoners, the enemy magazines and baggage train, and over 600 oxen intended for prince Bagration
Pyotr Bagration
Prince Pyotr Ivanovich Bagration was a general of the Russian army. He was a descendant of the Georgian royal family of the Bagrations.- Life :...
. He fought again at Smolensk
Battle of Smolensk (1812)
The Battle of Smolensk, the first major battle of the French invasion of Russia took place on August 16–18, 1812, between 175,000 men of the Grande Armée under Napoleon Bonaparte and 130,000 Russians under Barclay de Tolly, though only about 50,000 and 60,000 respectively were actually engaged...
on 15 April 1812, at 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...
on 7 September (receiving a broken-jaw from a long-range biscaïen shot) and at Krasnoë
Krasny
Krasny , Krasnaya , or Krasnoye may refer to:People*Michael Krasny , several peoplePlaces*Krasny, Russia , name of several inhabited localities in Russia...
(where he took 8 cannons after capturing a corps of 1,500 men, broken an infantry square, taken 300 more prisoners and leaving the 9th Polish lancers gravely compromised).
He was promoted to général de division on 4 December 1812 and put in command of the 1st division of cuirassiers of the Grande Armée's 1st cavalry corps, which he led in all the major battles of the Saxony campaign of 1813 (such as Lützen
Battle of Lützen (1813)
In the Battle of Lützen , Napoleon I of France lured a combined Prussian and Russian force into a trap, halting the advances of the Sixth Coalition after his devastating losses in Russia. The Russian commander, Prince Peter Wittgenstein, attempting to undo Napoleon's capture of Leipzig, attacked...
on 2 May, and Bautzen
Battle of Bautzen
In the Battle of Bautzen a combined Russian/Prussian army was pushed back by Napoleon, but escaped destruction, some sources claim, because Michel Ney failed to block their retreat...
on 21 May). Already confirmed as a baron of the Empire by being given a dotation, he was made a commander of the Légion d'honneur on 14 May 1813. At the battle of Dresden
Battle of Dresden
The Battle of Dresden was fought on 26–27 August 1813 around Dresden, Germany, resulting in a French victory under Napoleon I against forces of the Sixth Coalition of Austrians, Russians and Prussians under Field Marshal Schwartzenberg. However, Napoleon's victory was not as complete as it could...
on 26 August he led several vigorous charges, broke 12 enemy infantry squares, took 6,000 prisoners and helped force the large enemy force threatening the French army to retreat back into the mountains of Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
. He then fought at the battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
on 16 to 19 October, where he gave new evidence of his bravery - at Hanau
Hanau
Hanau is a town in the Main-Kinzig-Kreis, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 25 km east of Frankfurt am Main. Its station is a major railway junction.- Geography :...
, where he supported a largely orderly retreat and with only a few men calmed a fearful large cavalry body. In November he was put in command of the 2nd cavalry corps of the Grande Armée in place of Sébastiani
Sebastiani
Sebastiani may refer to any of the following people:*Christian Sebastiani, French situationist*Don Sebastiani, American politician*Horace François Bastien Sébastiani de La Porta, French diplomat, soldier and politician, and his brother Tiburce Sébastiani, soldier and politician*Sergio Sebastiani,...
.
Made the commander of two cavalry divisions gathered at Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
on 3 June 1814, Bordessoulle fought in the battles of Champaubert
Battle of Champaubert
The Battle of Champaubert was the opening engagement of the Six Days Campaign. It was fought on February 10, 1814 by a French force under Napoleon I against Russians and Prussians under General Olssufiev...
and had a hand in the French success against Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher
Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher, Fürst von Wahlstatt , Graf , later elevated to Fürst von Wahlstatt, was a Prussian Generalfeldmarschall who led his army against Napoleon I at the Battle of the Nations at Leipzig in 1813 and at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 with the Duke of Wellington.He is...
at Vauchamps
Battle of Vauchamps
The Battle of Vauchamps, the final major engagement of the Six Days Campaign of the War of the Sixth Coalition, was fought on 14 February 1814...
on 12 February. He then beat the Allied force at Villeneuve
Villeneuve
-People:*Andrew Villeneuve, founder and executive director the Northwest Progressive Institute in the U.S.*Annie Villeneuve , Singer from Quebec, Canada*Denis Villeneuve , film director...
on 17 February, took part in the recapture of Reims
Reims
Reims , a city in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France, lies east-northeast of Paris. Founded by the Gauls, it became a major city during the period of the Roman Empire....
on 13 March and the Battle of La Fère-Champenoise on 25 March and finally commanded a heavy cavalry division of 1st corps in the Battle of Paris
Battle of Paris (1814)
The Battle of Paris was fought during the Napoleonic Wars in 1814. The French defeat led directly to the abdication of Napoleon I.-Background:...
on 30 March.
Bourbon loyalist
On the first return of the BourbonBourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
monarchy, Bordesoulle's noble origins got him an appointment as inspector general of the cavalry in May 1814, 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...
on 2 June and grand officer of the Légion 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...
on 23 August. On Napoleon's return from Elba, Bordesoulle took provisional command of 9 cavalry squadrons of the 2nd military division headed for Châlons
Chalons
Chalons may refer to:Places* Châlons, in France's Isère département* Châlons-en-Champagne, formerly Châlons-sur-Marne, in the Marne département* Chalon-sur-Saône, in the Saône-et-Loire département* Roman Catholic Diocese of Châlons...
on 12 March 1815 and was confirmed in this role by the royal government on 16 March. He followed Louis XVIII of France
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...
to Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, where he was made chief of staff to the Comte d'Artois (later Charles X of France
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
) on 25 June 1815. He returned to France with the Duke of Berry in July 1815 after 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...
and was made grand-cross of the Légion d'honneur by the king on 13 August and on appointed to command and reorganise the cavalry of the royal guard on 8 September. Bordesoulle was then elected a centre-right député
Chamber of Deputies of France
Chamber of Deputies was the name given to several parliamentary bodies in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the Lower chamber of the French Parliament, elected by census suffrage.*...
for Indre
Indre
Indre is a department in the center of France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are called Indriens.-History:Indre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
in the "Chambre introuvable
Chambre introuvable
La Chambre introuvable was the first Chamber of Deputies elected after the Second Bourbon Restoration in 1815. It was dominated by Ultra-royalists who completely refused to accept the results of the French Revolution...
" of 1815-1816, and on 12 October was made a member of the commission charged with investigating the conduct of officers during the Hundred Days.
On 13 May 1816 he was made a commander 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 exchanged his Napoleonic title of baron for the Bourbon one of comte. An honorary aide-de-camp honoraire to the comte d'Artois
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
from 2 June 1807, and a member of the committee of the inspectors-general on 25 October, he became a privy councillor of the duc d'Angoulême
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
on 2 July 1820. He was made a grand-cross of Saint Louis on 1 May 1821 and was made governor 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...
on 17 September 1822, all the while retaining his role in the royal guard. In 1823, he took part in the Spanish expedition. Summoned on 16 February 1823 to be commander-in-chief of the guard-troops within the armée des Pyrénées
Armée des Pyrénées
One of the French Revolutionary armies, the Army of the Pyrenees was created by a decree of the National Convention dated 1 October 1792 and formed out of the right wing of the Armée du Midi...
, Bordesoulle organised the bombardment and blockade of Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
and was mentioned in despatches on 31 August for his part in the taking of Trocadéro
Trocadéro
The Trocadéro, , site of the Palais de Chaillot, , is an area of Paris, France, in the 16th arrondissement, across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower. The hill of the Trocadéro is the hill of Chaillot, a former village.- Origin of the name :...
.
After the war, he was made a peer of France on 9 October and received the grand-cross of the order of Charles III of Spain on 4 November the same years. His opinions were strongly patriotic and constitutional. His advice to the duc d'Angoulême
Charles X of France
Charles X was known for most of his life as the Comte d'Artois before he reigned as King of France and of Navarre from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. A younger brother to Kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile and eventually succeeded him...
was crucial in getting many acts friendly to friends of liberty passed : these included the ordinance of Andujar, imposed by Ferdinand VII of Spain. In the month of December he resumed his command of the royal guard's cavalry division. On Louis XVIII's death, Charles X did not keep Bordesoulle on as an honorary aide-de-camp in the new army list of 4 November 1824, and he became a member of the superior council for war in 1828.
Made a knight commander of the order of the Holy Spirit
Order of the Holy Spirit
The Order of the Holy Spirit, also known as the Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit, was an Order of Chivalry under the French Monarchy. It should not be confused with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost or with the Order of the Holy Ghost...
, in the chapter held on 21 February 1830, he tried in vain to enact the king's resolutions in July and during the "Three Glorious Days"
July Revolution
The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution or in French, saw the overthrow of King Charles X of France, the French Bourbon monarch, and the ascent of his cousin Louis-Philippe, Duke of Orléans, who himself, after 18 precarious years on the throne, would in turn be overthrown...
retired to Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud
Saint-Cloud is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.Like other communes of the Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine or Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of the wealthiest cities in France, ranked 22nd out of the 36500 in...
, ready to defend his person. He was at Rambouillet
Rambouillet
Rambouillet is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France.It is located in the suburbs of Paris southwest from the center...
only to leave it, continuing to exercise his command in the dissolved royal guard until 21 August, at which date he put himself at the dispoal of Louis-Philippe of France
Louis-Philippe of France
Louis Philippe I was King of the French from 1830 to 1848 in what was known as the July Monarchy. His father was a duke who supported the French Revolution but was nevertheless guillotined. Louis Philippe fled France as a young man and spent 21 years in exile, including considerable time in the...
. Put on the reserve list with the rank of état-major général on 7 February 1831, he was allowed to retire on 14 March 1832. He remained on the sidelines from then on, though he still occasionally attended the Chambre des pairs from then until his death in 1837.