Jean Lannes

Rise before the meeting with Bonaparte

Fifth child of a phratry of eight, it gave up his studies of apprentice dyer in 1792 to engage in the national guard of Lectoure. It is there that he learns the rudiments from the trade of Soldat.

Like good number of his comrades, it quickly joined the 2nd battalion of volunteers of Gers based to Auch to supplement its instruction. He is elected Sous-lieutenant of this Bataillon the June 20th of this same year. This battalion is affected with the Armée with the Eastern Pyrenees. Mid-May 1793, the young second lieutenant is pointed out at the station of Saint-Laurent-with-Cerdans, near to the collar of Coustouge. Gersois hardly arrived are dislodged and put in escape by the Spanish . Jean Lannes, of which it is the baptism of fire, the harangue with heat and succeeds in rejoining the runaways to turn over to the offensive. Surprised, the Spaniards are collapsed.

He shows the same heat in the continuation of the operations, in particular with Peyrestortes, and is promoted lieutenant the September 25th 1793, then hardly one month after the October 31st, Capitaine.

He takes an active part then in the combat of Port-Vendres then to Banyuls where he is wounded. Jean Lannes is sent in convalescence to Perpignan. During this period, the French Army sudden of heavy reverses what will lead the general Basset to send a dispatch to him

Jean Lannes, who did not appreciate in particular the inaction, runs to receive the command of the French avant-garde to the next battle: Villelongue. A long time undecided the battle turns to the advantage of the French when those take by storm a fears strongly strengthened against which the French Army butted, and prevented it from taking the city.

This success is worth to him to be named Chef of brigade (equivalent of Colonel under the Revolution) little time after the December 23rd 1793. Its wound is however not cured and after this success it must regain Perpignan to finish looking after it, where it meets moreover his first wife Jeanne-Joseph Barbe, often called Polette, girl of a banking rich person. The marriage takes place the March 19th 1795. This same year 1795, it is thanked for political reasons, its popularity in the army and the population being growing and its positions being too revolutionists for the new mode set up after the Thermidor 9.

Career after the meeting with Bonaparte

In 1796, it engages as a private in the Armée with Italy. The April 15th 1796, Bonaparte notices it during the battles of Dego, where Lannes is illustrated in a fierce combat with the bayonet for the catch of this city. It is named little time after chief of brigade by Bonaparte. It takes the command of a regiment of pomegranates and is the first to pass the Po, around Plaisance, then with the Bataille of the Bridge of Lodi, May 10th 1796, at the head advances its troops, on the bridge against Austrian artillery. It once again shows an exemplary courage during the Bataille of Bassano of the September 7th. It is wounded the September 15th in Governolo and Bonaparte then requires so that it be reinstated in its Brigadier general rank of .

The November 14th 1796, Bonaparte once again notices the courage of Lannes during the Bataille of the Bridge of Arcole where Lannes although casualty remotive the troops put in difficulty by the Austrians and launches a counter-attack, which makes it possible to prevent that Bonaparte is made prisoner. It adds up at the time of this battle three wounds.

To thank it, Bonaparte gives the flag to him which the legislative body sent to Bonaparte in the honor of the victory and accompanies it by these terms:

General Citizen, the Legislative Body wanted to honor the Armée with Italy in its general. He one moment ago, with the fields of Arcole, where the dubious battle needed the audacity of the chiefs. Full with blood and cover of wounds, you left the ambulance, solved to overcome or die. I constantly live you during this day in the forefront of the brave men. It is with you to be the agent of this honourable flag which covers glory the pomegranates which you constantly ordered.

The January 14th 1797, Jean Lannes is present at the Bataille of Rivoli whereas its convalescence is not finished, it continues then by the catch of Imola. Bonaparte entrusts then a diplomatic mission to him in the Papal States with the mission of restoring the order there. On its return, it is named in 1800 with the head of the consular Garde.

See also: Battle of Montebello (1800)

An accounting scandal led to its ousting in 1802. It is then one of the marshals of the great promotion of 1804, at the sides, inter alia, of Soult, Ney, Murat, Davout and especially Augereau, its former mentor with the army which remained his/her friend.

Starting from 1805, the Lannes marshal orders the 5th body of the Large army to the head of which it is illustrated in particular with Ulm, Austerlitz, Iéna, Pultusk and especially Friedland.

Called in 1808 in a war of Spain which makes him horror quickly, it takes Saragossa before leaving its command to Suchet to join in 1809 the 2nd Large army corps in the war against the Austria.

Whereas it is about to overcome the Austrians close to Vienna to Aspern-Essling, it receives the order to stop in consequence of a rupture of the supply. It takes new provisions and assied on a rock. A ball comes to strike it at the place where its knees are cross. Transferred onto an island of the the Danube, the island Lobeau, it is there amputee of the right leg by Dominique-Jean Larrey, the surgeon of the Garde against the opinion of the Percy surgeon and the reserves of Yvan the personal surgeon of the Emperor; but the Gangrène is declared the following day. He dies after one week of an anguish intersected with long discussions with a extremely affected Napoleon. Its body is buried with the the Pantheon. Its widow, born Louise de Guéhéneuc, lady-in-waiting of the Empress Marie-Louise, will refuse all new marriage.

Lannes showed qualities of attacker (Saragossa, Montebello), of chief of avant-garde (Friedland, Aspern-Essling) or of expert (Ulm, Iéna) which make some, with Davout, one of the best commanders Napoleon had. Its physical courage, its capacities of born leader, his attention with the fate of its soldiers made it adore its troops. Of a temperament likely and coléreux, proud of its outspokenness but not very gifted for the Diplomacy (it makes poor a Ambassadeur with Lisbon between 1802 and 1804), it had many arguments with Napoleon with which it has as of 1805 recommended a policy of peace.

Like several marshals left the row (Augereau, Oudinot, Lefebvre…), he hates the imperial Court which returns well it to him. Fact duke of Montebello then prince de Sievers, it always refuses to carry this last title, preferring its family life with the idea to be caught for a prince. It remains however of a fidelity without fault with the person of Napoleon which could be able to count on that its soldiers called " the Roland of Armée". Lannes is until its death only and the last of the marshals to address as tu his Empereur.

Its body is buried with the Invalids, then with the the Pantheon of Paris in 1810 at the time of an imposing ceremony.

Its death by Napoleon announces

Napoleon with the duchess of Montebello, the May 31st 1809 of Ebersdorf, on the edges of the the Danube:

My cousin, the marshal died this morning of the wounds which it received on the field of honor. My sorrow equalizes yours. I have lost the general more distinguished from my armies, my comrade in arms for sixteen years, that which I regarded as my best friend. Its family and her children will always have care particular to my protection. It is for you to give the insurance of it that I wanted to write this letter to you, because I feel that nothing can reduce the right pain which you test. The present one not being at other end, I request God that it has you, my cousin, in his holy and worthy guard. has Ebersdorf, on May 31st 1809

Glances of the contemporaries

Napoleon shortly after the death of Lannes:

“At Lannes, courage initially carried it on the spirit; but the spirit assembled each day to be equilibrized; I had taken it Pygmy, I lost it giant”

Napoleon with Grey waxbill:

“the Lannes, bravest of all the men was undoubtedly one of the men in the world on which I could count more… The spirit of Lannes had grown on the level of its courage, it had become a giant”.

“Lannes, when I taken it for the first time by the hand, was only a ignàrantaccio. Its education very-had been neglected; nevertheless, it did much progress, and, pour.en to judge, it is enough to say that it would have made a general of first class. He had great experience for the war; he had been in fifty isolated combat, and with hundred more or less important battles. It was a man of an extraordinary bravery: calm in the middle of fire. it had a glance sure and penetrating, prompt to benefit from all the occasions which arised, violate and carried in its expressions, sometimes even my involved. He was to me very-attache. In its accesses of anger, he wanted to make it possible nobody to make him observations, and even he was not always careful of him to speak, when he was in this state of violence. Then, it was accustomed to coming to say me, and me that one could not trust with such and such person. As general it was infinitely above Moreau and Soult. ” (O' Meara.)

Chaptal in My memories on Napoleon published in 1893:

“Two or three generals had preserved near him (Napoleon) a freedom of thought and of control that the others did not have. The Lannes marshal is nevertheless the only one who kept his frankness and his independence. Impassioned for Napoleon, it subscribed forever to the whims of its Master, it forever neither masked to him nor hidden its manner of seeing. On the battle field as at the Court, it did not conceal any truth to him. Also they were almost always scrambled, or rather in boudery; because the most whole reconciliation took place with the first sight, and the marshal almost always finished by saying with mood that it was well to feel sorry for to have for this trollop such an unhappy passion. The Emperor laughed at these jokes, because it knew that if need be, it would always find the marshal. ”

Marriage and descent

Marshal Jean Lannes │ │ │ X 1882 Marianne Trenel (1860-1949) │ │ │ └──> Jean-Claude (February 12th, 1789 - 1817) │ X 16.09.1800, Louise de Guéhenneuc (March 26th, 1782 - July 3rd, 1856), girl of the count François de Guéhenneuc, │ ├──> Louis Napoleon Lannes (July 30th, 1801 - July 19th, 1874), 2nd duke of Montebello and prince de Sievers, Even of France (1815), Senator, Foreign Minister (1839), Minister for the Navy and the Colonies (1847) Grand Cross of the legion of honor (1844) ├──> Alfred-Jean (July 11th, 1802 - June 20th, 1861), count de Montebello, Appointed of Gers (1833-1834) ├──> Jean-Ernest (July 20th, 1803 - November 24th, 1182), baron de Montebello ├──> Gustave-Olivier (December 4th, 1804 - August 25th, 1875), baron de Montebello, Major general (1855), Senator └──> Joséphine Louise (March 4th, 1806 - November 8th, 1889) married to Hippolyte Boissel, Baron de Monville.

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