Charles de la Bédoyère
Encyclopedia
Charles Angélique François Huchet, Comte de la Bédoyère (1786-1815) was a French General during the reign of Emperor Napoleon I
who was executed in 1815.
Descended from an old Breton family, he entered the army in late 1806 as a Second Lieutenant, serving as an aide-de-camp
to Marshal Lannes
and then Prince Eugene
. Comte de la Bédoyère saw active service in Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia and France, and being award the Legion of Honour
and the Iron Crown
. He was a Colonel commanding the 7th Regiment of the Line at Grenoble
when Napoleon returned from exile in Elba
and marched north to Paris. On the 8th March, la Bédoyère and his regiment went over to Napoleon en masse.
During the Waterloo campaign de la Bédoyère, now promoted to General de Brigade, and an aide-de-camp of the Emperor; was probably the officer sent with a message to d'Erlon
's I Corps, then marching west to join Ney
at Quatre Bras
, to turn east to support the Emperor at Ligny
. Ney was furious when he learned the corps was marching away from his battle and sent another order for it to return immediately to Quatre-Bras. As a result of these orders and counter-orders, d'Erlon's 20,000 men, which could have sealed the fate of the Anglo-Dutch at Quatre-Bras or the Prussians at Ligny, spent the entire day marching back and forth without firing a shot.
Two days later at the Battle of Waterloo
, de la Bédoyère was one of the last to leave the battlefield. Afterward, finding that he was not eligible for amnesty
as he believed, he secretly travelled to Paris
in order to see his wife before heading to Switzerland and exile, but was recognized and arrested. La Bédoyère was tried by a military court and condemned to death by firing squad, and this was confirmed and carried out at the plain of Grenelle
on 19 August 1815. At his death he was aged only 29.
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
who was executed in 1815.
Descended from an old Breton family, he entered the army in late 1806 as a Second Lieutenant, serving as an aide-de-camp
Aide-de-camp
An aide-de-camp is a personal assistant, secretary, or adjutant to a person of high rank, usually a senior military officer or a head of state...
to Marshal Lannes
Jean Lannes
Jean Lannes, 1st Duc de Montebello, was a Marshal of France. He was one of Napoleon's most daring and talented generals. Napoleon once commented on Lannes: "I found him a pygmy and left him a giant"...
and then Prince Eugene
Eugène de Beauharnais
Eugène Rose de Beauharnais, Prince Français, Prince of Venice, Viceroy of the Kingdom of Italy, Hereditary Grand Duke of Frankfurt, 1st Duke of Leuchtenberg and 1st Prince of Eichstätt ad personam was the first child and only son of Alexandre, Vicomte de Beauharnais and Joséphine Tascher de la...
. Comte de la Bédoyère saw active service in Spain, Italy, Germany, Russia and France, and being award the Legion of Honour
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
and the Iron Crown
Order of the Iron Crown
The Imperial Order of the Iron Crown was established June 5, 1805 by Napoleon Bonaparte . It took its name from the ancient Iron Crown of Lombardy, a medieval jewel with an iron ring, forged from what was supposed to be a nail from the True Cross as a band on the inside. This crown also gave its...
. He was a Colonel commanding the 7th Regiment of the Line at Grenoble
Grenoble
Grenoble is a city in southeastern France, at the foot of the French Alps where the river Drac joins the Isère. Located in the Rhône-Alpes region, Grenoble is the capital of the department of Isère...
when Napoleon returned from exile in Elba
Elba
Elba is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino. The largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago, Elba is also part of the National Park of the Tuscan Archipelago and the third largest island in Italy after Sicily and Sardinia...
and marched north to Paris. On the 8th March, la Bédoyère and his regiment went over to Napoleon en masse.
During the Waterloo campaign de la Bédoyère, now promoted to General de Brigade, and an aide-de-camp of the Emperor; was probably the officer sent with a message to d'Erlon
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, Comte d'Erlon
Jean-Baptiste Drouet, comte d'Erlon was a marshal of France and a soldier in Napoleon's Army. D'Erlon notably commanded the I Corps of the Armée du Nord at the battle of Waterloo....
's I Corps, then marching west to join Ney
Michel Ney
Michel Ney , 1st Duc d'Elchingen, 1st Prince de la Moskowa was a French soldier and military commander during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original 18 Marshals of France created by Napoleon I...
at Quatre Bras
Battle of Quatre Bras
The Battle of Quatre Bras, between Wellington's Anglo-Dutch army and the left wing of the Armée du Nord under Marshal Michel Ney, was fought near the strategic crossroads of Quatre Bras on 16 June 1815.- Prelude :...
, to turn east to support the Emperor at Ligny
Battle of Ligny
The Battle of Ligny was the last victory of the military career of Napoleon I. In this battle, French troops of the Armée du Nord under Napoleon's command, defeated a Prussian army under Field Marshal Blücher, near Ligny in present-day Belgium. The bulk of the Prussian army survived, however, and...
. Ney was furious when he learned the corps was marching away from his battle and sent another order for it to return immediately to Quatre-Bras. As a result of these orders and counter-orders, d'Erlon's 20,000 men, which could have sealed the fate of the Anglo-Dutch at Quatre-Bras or the Prussians at Ligny, spent the entire day marching back and forth without firing a shot.
Two days later at the Battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...
, de la Bédoyère was one of the last to leave the battlefield. Afterward, finding that he was not eligible for amnesty
Amnesty
Amnesty is a legislative or executive act by which a state restores those who may have been guilty of an offense against it to the positions of innocent people, without changing the laws defining the offense. It includes more than pardon, in as much as it obliterates all legal remembrance of the...
as he believed, he secretly travelled to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in order to see his wife before heading to Switzerland and exile, but was recognized and arrested. La Bédoyère was tried by a military court and condemned to death by firing squad, and this was confirmed and carried out at the plain of Grenelle
Grenelle
Grenelle is a neighbourhood in southwestern Paris, France. It is a part of the 15th arrondissement of the city.The area takes it name from Latin Garanella, meaning a wooded area where rabbits live...
on 19 August 1815. At his death he was aged only 29.