Jean François Aimé Dejean

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Jean Francois Aime Dejean. Jean Francois Aime Dejean (1749-1824).jpg
Jean François Aimé Dejean.

Jean-François Aimé, Count of Dejean (1749–1824), was a French army officer and minister of state in the service of the First French Republic and the First French Empire.

First French Empire Empire of Napoleon I of France between 1804–1815

The First French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the empire of Napoleon Bonaparte of France and the dominant power in much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. Although France had already established an overseas colonial empire beginning in the 17th century, the French state had remained a kingdom under the Bourbons and a republic after the Revolution. Historians refer to Napoleon's regime as the First Empire to distinguish it from the restorationist Second Empire (1852–1870) ruled by his nephew as Napoleon III.

Contents

Biography

Jean-François was born in 1749 in Castelnaudary, Languedoc. He entered the Royal French army as a second lieutenant in the engineering school of Mézières in 1766. [1]

Castelnaudary Commune in Occitanie, France

Castelnaudary is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region in south France. It is in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capital, and of which it is a major producer.

Languedoc Place in France

Languedoc is a former province of France. Its territory is now contained in the modern-day region of Occitanie in the south of France. Its capital city was Toulouse. It had an area of approximately 42,700 square kilometers.

At the time of the French Revolution, Dejean embraced the principles of moderate reform. His talents in military administration gained him rapid advancement through the ranks of the army engineers. [2] He replaced Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville as commander of the Army of the North on 16 September 1796 [3] and his tenure lasted until 24 September 1797 when he handed the assignment back to Beurnonville. [4]

French Revolution social and political revolution in France and its colonies occurring from 1789 to 1798

The French Revolution was a period of far-reaching social and political upheaval in France and its colonies beginning in 1789. The Revolution overthrew the monarchy, established a republic, catalyzed violent periods of political turmoil, and finally culminated in a dictatorship under Napoleon who brought many of its principles to areas he conquered in Western Europe and beyond. Inspired by liberal and radical ideas, the Revolution profoundly altered the course of modern history, triggering the global decline of absolute monarchies while replacing them with republics and liberal democracies. Through the Revolutionary Wars, it unleashed a wave of global conflicts that extended from the Caribbean to the Middle East. Historians widely regard the Revolution as one of the most important events in human history.

Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville Marshal of France

Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars and later a marshal of France and Deputy Grand Master of Grand Orient de France.

Army of the North (France)

The Army of the North or Armée du Nord is a name given to several historical units of the French Army. The first was one of the French Revolutionary Armies that fought with distinction against the First Coalition from 1792 to 1795. Others existed during the Peninsular War, the Hundred Days and the Franco-Prussian War.

Dejean performed a variety of important missions as a consulate, including to Genoa, where he lived for nearly two years with the title of minister extraordinary. He was recalled to Paris in 1802 to take the portfolio of Minister of War Administration (a position he held until 1809). Shortly before his retirement from the ministry, he was promoted to the rank of chief inspector-general of fortifications. The Emperor Napoleon soon afterwards made him a senator and a Trésorier de la légion-d'honneur (treasurer of the Legion of Honour). [2]

Napoleon 18th/19th-century French monarch, military and political leader

Napoléon Bonaparte was a French statesman and military leader who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led several successful campaigns during the French Revolutionary Wars. He was Emperor of the French as Napoleon I from 1804 until 1814 and again briefly in 1815 during the Hundred Days. Napoleon dominated European and global affairs for more than a decade while leading France against a series of coalitions in the Napoleonic Wars. He won most of these wars and the vast majority of his battles, building a large empire that ruled over much of continental Europe before its final collapse in 1815. He is considered one of the greatest commanders in history, and his wars and campaigns are studied at military schools worldwide. Napoleon's political and cultural legacy has endured as one of the most celebrated and controversial leaders in human history.

After the abdication of Napoleon in 1814, Dejean joined the Provisional Government, and performed the difficult task of extraordinary commissioner to Comte d'Artois (the future Charles X). He was also appointed, a Peer of France, Governor of L'Ecole Polytechnique and Chairman of the Committee for the Liquidation of Arrears. But in 1815, having accepted service under Napoleon Bonaparte during the Hundred Days, he was removed from all public offices on return of the Bourbon regime. [5]

Charles X of France King of France and of Navarre

Charles X was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. For most of his life he was known as the Count of Artois. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Louis XVIII, he supported the latter in exile. After the Bourbon Restoration in 1814, Charles became the leader of the ultra-royalists, a radical monarchist faction within the French court that affirmed rule by divine right and opposed the concessions towards liberals and guarantees of civil liberties granted by the Charter of 1814. Charles gained influence within the French court after the assassination of his son Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry, in 1820 and eventually succeeded his brother in 1824.

Hundred Days period from Napoleons escape from Elba to the second restoration of King Louis XVIII

The Hundred Days marked the period between Napoleon's return from exile on the island of Elba to Paris on 20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII on 8 July 1815. This period saw the War of the Seventh Coalition, and includes the Waterloo Campaign, the Neapolitan War as well as several other minor campaigns. The phrase les Cent Jours was first used by the prefect of Paris, Gaspard, comte de Chabrol, in his speech welcoming the king back to Paris on 8 July.

In 1819 Dejean returned to the Chambre des Pairs (French House of Lords), where he consistently supported the liberal opposition. He died on 12 May 1824. [5]

Notes

  1. Feller 1856, p. 455.
  2. 1 2 Feller 1856, pp. 455–456.
  3. Clerget 1905, p. 53.
  4. Clerget 1905, p. 59.
  5. 1 2 Feller 1856, p. 456.

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References

Attribution:

Military offices
Preceded by
Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville
Commander-in-chief of the Army of the North
16 September 1796 – 24 September 1797
Succeeded by
Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville