Jean-Étienne Championnet | |
|---|---|
 General Jean-Étienne Championnet | |
| Born | 13 April 1762 (1762-04-13) Alixan, France |
| Died | 9 January 1800 (1800-01-10) (aged 37) |
| Allegiance |  France |
| Branch | Infantry |
| Years of service | 1789–1800 |
| Rank | General of Division |
| Battles / wars | |
Jean-Étienne Vachier Championnet (French pronunciation:[ʒɑ̃etjɛnvaʃjeʃɑ̃pjɔnɛ]; 13 April 1762 – 9 January 1800) was aFrench Army officer who led aRepublican French division in several important battles of theFrench Revolutionary Wars. He became commander-in-chief of theArmy of Rome in 1798 and of theArmy of Italy in 1799. He died in early 1800 oftyphus. His name is one of thenames inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on Column 3.
Championnet joined theFrench Army at an early age and served in theGreat Siege of Gibraltar.[1] During theFrench Revolution, he took a prominent part in the movement and was elected by the men of a battalion to command them. In May 1793 he was charged with the suppression of the civil disturbances in the Jura, which he quelled without bloodshed. UnderCharles Pichegru he took part in theRhine campaign of 1793 as a brigade commander, and at Weissenburg and in the Palatinate won the commendation ofLazare Hoche.[1]
AtFleurus his stubborn fighting in the centre of the field contributed greatly toJourdan's victory. In the subsequent campaigns he commanded the left wing ‘of the French armies on theRhine betweenNeuwied andDüsseldorf, and took a part in expeditions to theLahn and theMain rivers.[1] At the conclusion of theRhine Campaign of 1796, he briefly commanded theArmy of Sambre and Meuse from 24 January–31 January 1797.[2]
In 1798 Championnet was named commander-in-chief of theArmy of Rome which was tasked with protecting theRoman Republic against attacks by theKingdom of Naples and theRoyal Navy.[3] Nominally 32,000 strong, the army scarcely numbered 8000 effectives, with a bare fifteen cartridges per man. Leading the Neapolitan army, the Austrian generalKarl Mack von Leiberich had a tenfold superiority in numbers, but Championnet held his own and capturedNaples itself, and there established theParthenopaean Republic. His intense earnestness and intolerance of opposition, plus his penchant for looting and an unwillingness to curb atrocities by his troops, soon embroiled him with the civil population.[1] He became involved in a quarrel withGuillaume-Charles Faipoult, one of the "Representatives on mission" (political commissar), was relieved with the accusation of graft, and subsequently imprisoned for a short time.[4]
The following year, however, saw him again in the field as commander-in-chief of theArmy of the Alps. This, too, was at first a mere paper force, but after three months' hard work it was able to take the field.[1] AfterBarthélemy Catherine Joubert was killed at theBattle of Novi, Championnet assumed control over theArmy of Italy.[citation needed] The campaign which followed was uniformly unsuccessful and, worn out by the unequal struggle, Championnet died atAntibes in the French Maritime Alps. In 1848 a statue was erected in his honour atValence.[1]
According toNapoleon, Championette "was brave, full of zeal, active, devoted to his country; he was a good General of Division, an indifferent Commander-in-Chief."[5]
The figure of General Championnet is linked to the traditional carnival ofFrosinone, which had been part of the short-lived Parthenopaean Republic, during which a puppet representing the general is carried around the streets of the city and then given to the flames.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Championnet, Jean Étienne".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 5 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 829–830.{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)