Henri Gratien, Comte Bertrand
Encyclopedia
Henri-Gatien, Comte Bertrand (28 March 1773 – 31 January 1844), French
general, was born at Châteauroux
, Indre
as a member of a well-to-do bourgeois family.
At the outbreak of the French Revolution
, he had just finished his studies at the Prytanée National Militaire
, and he entered the army as a volunteer. During the expedition to Egypt
, Napoleon
named him colonel (1798), then brigadier-general, and after the Battle of Austerlitz
his aide-de-camp
. His life was henceforth closely bound up with that of Napoleon, who had the fullest confidence in him, honoring him in 1808 with the title of count and at the end of 1813, with the title of Grand Marshal of the Palace
. It was Bertrand who in 1809 directed the building of the bridges by which the French army crossed the Danube
at Wagram. In 1811, Bertrand was appointed governor for Illyria and during the German campaign of 1813, he commanded IV Corps which he led in the battles of Grossbeeren, Dennewitz
and Leipzig
.
In 1813, after the Battle of Leipzig
, it was due to his initiative that the French army was not totally destroyed. He accompanied Napoleon to Elba
in 1814, returned with him in 1815, held a command in the Waterloo
campaign, and then, after the defeat, accompanied Napoleon to St. Helena. Condemned to death in 1816, he did not return to France until after Napoleon's death, and then Louis XVIII
granted him amnesty allowing him to retain his rank. Bertrand was elected deputy in 1830 but defeated in 1834. In 1840 he was chosen to accompany the prince de Joinville to St. Helena to retrieve and bring Napoleon's remains to France, in what became known as the retour des cendres
.
He died at Châteauroux on 31 January 1844 and was buried in the Les Invalides
.
Alexandre Dumas
(1802-1870) mentions Bertrand in the earlier pages of his well-known, "The Count of Monte Cristo."
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
general, was born at Châteauroux
Châteauroux
Châteauroux is the capital of the Indre department in central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called Castelroussines or Castelroussins....
, Indre
Indre
Indre is a department in the center of France named after the river Indre. The inhabitants of the department are called Indriens.-History:Indre is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
as a member of a well-to-do bourgeois family.
At the outbreak of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, he had just finished his studies at the Prytanée National Militaire
Prytanée National Militaire
The Prytanée National Militaire, originally Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand, is a French school managed by the military, offering regular secondary education as well as special preparatory school classes, equivalent in level to the first years of university, for students who wish to enter French...
, and he entered the army as a volunteer. During the expedition to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Napoleon
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...
named him colonel (1798), then brigadier-general, and after the Battle of Austerlitz
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz, also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, where the French Empire effectively crushed the Third Coalition...
his 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...
. His life was henceforth closely bound up with that of Napoleon, who had the fullest confidence in him, honoring him in 1808 with the title of count and at the end of 1813, with the title of Grand Marshal of the Palace
Grand Marshal of the Palace
Grand Marshal of the Palace was the title employed to refer to the leader of the Military Household of the Emperor, during the First French Empire...
. It was Bertrand who in 1809 directed the building of the bridges by which the French army crossed the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
at Wagram. In 1811, Bertrand was appointed governor for Illyria and during the German campaign of 1813, he commanded IV Corps which he led in the battles of Grossbeeren, Dennewitz
Dennewitz
Dennewitz is a village of Germany, in the federal state and old Prussian province of Brandenburg, near Jüterbog, 40 km. S.W. from Berlin. It is part of the municipality of Niedergörsdorf, Teltow-Fläming district.-History:...
and Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
.
In 1813, after the Battle of Leipzig
Battle of Leipzig
The Battle of Leipzig or Battle of the Nations, on 16–19 October 1813, was fought by the coalition armies of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden against the French army of Napoleon. Napoleon's army also contained Polish and Italian troops as well as Germans from the Confederation of the Rhine...
, it was due to his initiative that the French army was not totally destroyed. He accompanied Napoleon to 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...
in 1814, returned with him in 1815, held a command in the 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...
campaign, and then, after the defeat, accompanied Napoleon to St. Helena. Condemned to death in 1816, he did not return to France until after Napoleon's death, and then Louis XVIII
Louis XVIII of France
Louis XVIII , known as "the Unavoidable", was King of France and of Navarre from 1814 to 1824, omitting the Hundred Days in 1815...
granted him amnesty allowing him to retain his rank. Bertrand was elected deputy in 1830 but defeated in 1834. In 1840 he was chosen to accompany the prince de Joinville to St. Helena to retrieve and bring Napoleon's remains to France, in what became known as the retour des cendres
Retour des cendres
The retour des cendres was the return of the mortal remains of Napoleon I of France from the island of St Helena to France and their burial in the Hôtel des Invalides in Paris in 1840, on the initiative of Adolphe Thiers and King Louis-Philippe.-Previous attempts:In a codicil to his will, written...
.
He died at Châteauroux on 31 January 1844 and was buried in the Les Invalides
Les Invalides
Les Invalides , officially known as L'Hôtel national des Invalides , is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans, the building's...
.
Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
(1802-1870) mentions Bertrand in the earlier pages of his well-known, "The Count of Monte Cristo."