Catherine-Dominique de Pérignon Marquis de Pérignon | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byPhilippe-Auguste Hennequin | |
| Born | 31 May 1754 (1754-05-31) |
| Died | 25 December 1818 (1818-12-26) (aged 64) |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France Kingdom of the French First French Republic First French Empire Bourbon Restoration |
| Branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1769–1818 |
| Rank | Marshal of the Empire |
| Commands | Armée des Pyrénées orientales |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | Grand Cross of theLegion of Honour Order of Saint Louis |
Catherine-Dominique de Pérignon,1stMarquis de Pérignon (French pronunciation:[katʁindɔminikdəpeʁiɲɔ̃], 31 May 1754 inGrenade – 25 December 1818) was aFrench general during theFrench Revolutionary Wars, and was appointedMarshal of the Empire in 1804 byNapoleon Bonaparte.[1][2]
Pérignon was born to a family ofthe lesser nobility inGrenade-sur-Garonne,Languedoc. After aroturier appointment in thegrenadier corps of theAquitaine Regiment, he retired to hisestate. Pérignon welcomed theFrench Revolution, and gained a seat in theLegislative Assembly (1791), where he sat on theRight, but soon resigned and made his military career during theFrench Revolutionary Wars.
From 1793 to 1795, Pérignon held commands in theArmy of the Eastern Pyrenees, defeating theSpanish troops at the battle of Escola with "a sombre kind of energy". He succeededJacques François Dugommier as army commander after that general's death at theBattle of the Black Mountain. He successfully concluded theSiege of Roses in early 1795. In 1796, he was elected by Haute-Garonne to theCouncil of Five Hundred. He became theFrench Directory'sambassador to Spain, concluding theTreaty of San Ildefonso against theKingdom of Great Britain.
Pérignon subsequently became involved in asmuggling affair and was compromised by a young woman who was aRoyalist spy. In 1798 he was recalled and remanded to the Army inLiguria where he was assigned to command the left wing. Wounded and captured bySecond Coalition armies at theBattle of Novi, he returned to France in 1800.
Pérignon was a supporter ofNapoleon Bonaparte, and was made asenator (1801), Marshal (1804) andcount of theFrench Empire; in 1805, he received theLegion of Honor. From September 18, 1806, to July 23, 1808, he was theGovernor-general of theDuchy of Parma. Later moved to theKingdom of Naples, Pérignon, recently ennobled, became a close acquaintance of the royal couple (KingJoachim Murat and QueenCaroline Bonaparte).
He returned to France in 1814 and rallied to theBourbon Restoration andLouis XVIII - he was stricken off the list of Marshals during theHundred Days, and voted in favor of thedeath penalty forMichel Ney. He was raised tomarquis de Pérignon, aPeer of France, and awarded theOrder of Saint Louis. As Dr. George Ostermann commented, "M. de Perignon died as if the Empire he served well, though reluctantly, had never existed."
Media related toCatherine-Dominique de Pérignon at Wikimedia Commons
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