François Joseph Lefebvre | |
|---|---|
 Portrait byCésarine Davin-Mirvault (1807) | |
| Born | (1755-10-25)25 October 1755 Rouffach, France |
| Died | 14 September 1820(1820-09-14) (aged 64) Paris, France |
| Buried | Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France Kingdom of France French First Republic First French Empire Bourbon Restoration |
| Branch | Army |
| Years of service | 1773–1814 |
| Rank | Marshal of the Empire |
| Commands | Army of Sambre and Meuse X Corps IV Corps |
| Battles / wars | See battles
|
| Awards | Grand Cross of theLegion of Honour |
| Signature |  |
François Joseph Lefebvre, Duke of Danzig (/ləˈfɛvrə/lə-FEV-rə,French:[fʁɑ̃swaʒozɛfləfɛvʁ]; 25 October 1755 – 14 September 1820)[1] was a French military commander of theFrench Revolutionary Wars and theNapoleonic Wars, and one of the original eighteenMarshals of the Empire created byNapoleon.
Lefebvre was born on 28 May 1755 inRouffach,Alsace, the son of amiller and retiredhussar.[2] Orphaned at a young age, he was raised by an uncle who, himself a priest, unsuccessfully tried to lead him to a career in the church.[2] After working as a clerk to the prosecutor ofColmar, Lefebvre enlisted in theFrench Guards in 1773.[2] As a commoner, Lefebvre had little prospect for advancement; he was promoted to corporal in 1777 and to sergeant in 1788.[2] In 1783 he marriedCathérine Hübscher, with whom he had 14 children, although all predeceased him. According toLouise Fusil his last son, a general, died in Vilna on 19 December 1812.
Lefebvre was in Paris at the time of theStorming of the Bastille in 1789 and, like his close friend,Michel Ordener, he embraced theFrench Revolution. After his unit was disbanded early in the Revolution, Lefebvre entered the newly-formedNational Guard of Paris, obtaining the rank of lieutenant, and was injured defending KingLouis XVI's during a popular uprising.[2] He was soon transferred to a regular infantry regiment.[2]
Lefebvre held the rank of captain at the start of theWar of the First Coalition in 1792.[2] He quickly rose through the ranks, receiving his promotion tobrigade general on 2 December 1793.[2] Assigned to theArmy of the Moselle, he took part in theBattle of Fleurus on 24 June 1794, and thereafter served on theRhine front for the next years.[1] After GeneralLazare Hoche's death, in September 1797, Lefebvre was appointed commander of theArmy of Sambre and Meuse. He then commanded the vanguard of theArmy of the Danube underJean-Baptiste Jourdan in March 1799, although for the first week of the campaign he was incapacitated withringworm andDominique Vandamme replaced him temporarily. He was later injured at theBattle of Ostrach where the Advance Guard bore the brunt of the early fighting.
In May 1799, Lefebvre, by then a well-knowngeneral of division, entered politics and waselected to theCouncil of Five Hundred, even presenting himself as a candidate for a seat in theDirectory in replacement ofJean Baptiste Treilhard.[2] He failed to be elected but was appointedMilitary governor of Paris.[2] In this role, Lefebvre agreed to supportNapoleon Bonaparte and was crucial for the success of his coup d'état of18 Brumaire.[1] In 1800, his loyalty to Bonaparte was rewarded with a seat in theSénat conservateur.[1] He boughtChâteau de Combault for use as his home in 1802.[3]
On 19 May 1804, Lefebvre was one of four senators to be made aMarshal of the Empire.[4] He presented theJoyeuse to Napoleon in hiscoronation as emperor on 2 December.[2] For the duration of theWar of the Third Coalition, Lefebvre commanded a reserve corps inMainz as well as threedepartments on the left bank of the Rhine.[2] He was appointed commander of theImperial Guard's infantry in the campaign of 1806, during theWar of the Fourth Coalition.[2]
On 23 January 1807 he received the order to captureDanzig.[2] At the head of theX Corps, Lefebvre captured the city on 24 May after atwo-month siege.[2] Four days later, Napoleon awarded him thevictory title "Duke of Danzig" (Duc de Dantzig).[1][2] In 1808, Lefebvre took part in Napoleon's campaign in thePeninsular War, defeating the Spanish at theBattle of Zornoza on 31 October 1808.[1] He commanded theBavarian Army in 1809 during theWar of the Fifth Coalition, fighting at the battles ofArnhofen,Eckmühl,[1] andWagram. That same year, Lefebvre was tasked with suppressing theTyrolean Rebellion, but was replaced in this command byDrouet d'Erlon after a series of setbacks.[5]
Lefebvre commanded the infantry of theOld Guard in the 1812French invasion of Russia, and fought at theBattle of Borodino.[1] He served in theGerman campaign (1813) and in theFrench campaign (1814) of theWar of the Sixth Coalition, and voted for the emperor's deposition at the Senate in April 1814.[2] After the firstBourbon Restoration he was madePeer of France by KingLouis XVIII (4 June 1814), but rallied to Napoleon during theHundred Days.[2]
Lefebvre was excluded from theChamber of Peers during the second Restoration.[2] However, he retained his rank of marshal. Louis XVIII restored his peerage on 5 March 1819. He died in Paris on 14 September 1820,[2] and was buried nearAndré Masséna at thePère-Lachaise Cemetery.
He never forgot the risks he undertook that brought him rank and wealth. When a friend expressed envy of his estate, Lefebvre said, "Come down in the courtyard, and I'll have ten shots at you with a musket at 30 paces. If I miss, the whole estate is yours." After the friend declined this offer, Lefebvre added, "I had a thousand bullets shot at me from much closer range before I got all this."
Lefebvre is portrayed byYves Montand inSacha Guitry's 1955 filmNapoléon.
In the 1931 anthologyIf It Had Happened Otherwise, thealternate history scenario "If the Moors in Spain Had Won" byPhilip Guedalla has Napoleon appointing Lefebvre as King Youssef I ofGranada after deposing theHouse of Boabdil, only to trigger an analog of thePeninsular War.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Military governor of Paris 1799–1800 | Succeeded by |
Marshals of theFirst French Empire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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