Émile de Kératry
Encyclopedia
Comte Émile de Kératry (1832, Paris
- 1904) was a French
politician, soldier and author, the son of Auguste Hilarion (old noble Breton family).
Kératry became deputy for Finistère
in 1869, and strongly supported the Franco-Prussian War
in 1870. He was in Paris during part of the siege
, but escaped in a balloon
, and joined Gambetta
. He was appointed to raise an "army of Brittany" from the west of France to strike back at the advancing Prussians, but his hastily assembled volunteers were poorly equipped and suffered poor conditions while being prepared for combat at Camp Conlie
. As a result Kératry resigned.
In 1871 Thiers appointed him to the prefecture, first of the Haute-Garonne, and subsequently of the Bouches-du-Rhône, but he resigned in the following year. He is the author of La contreguérilla française au Mexique (1868); L'élévation et la chute de l'empereur Maximilien (1867); Le 4 septembre et le gouvernement de la défense nationale (1872); Mourad V, prince, sultan, prisonnier d'État 1840-78 (1878), and some volumes of memories.
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...
- 1904) was a French
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...
politician, soldier and author, the son of Auguste Hilarion (old noble Breton family).
Kératry became deputy for Finistère
Finistère
Finistère is a département of France, in the extreme west of Brittany.-History:The name Finistère derives from the Latin Finis Terræ, meaning end of the earth, and may be compared with Land's End on the opposite side of the English Channel...
in 1869, and strongly supported the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
in 1870. He was in Paris during part of the siege
Siege of Paris
The Siege of Paris, lasting from September 19, 1870 – January 28, 1871, and the consequent capture of the city by Prussian forces led to French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the establishment of the German Empire as well as the Paris Commune....
, but escaped in a balloon
Balloon
A balloon is an inflatable flexible bag filled with a gas, such as helium, hydrogen, nitrous oxide, oxygen, or air. Modern balloons can be made from materials such as rubber, latex, polychloroprene, or a nylon fabric, while some early balloons were made of dried animal bladders, such as the pig...
, and joined Gambetta
Léon Gambetta
Léon Gambetta was a French statesman prominent after the Franco-Prussian War.-Youth and education:He is said to have inherited his vigour and eloquence from his father, a Genovese grocer who had married a Frenchwoman named Massabie. At the age of fifteen, Gambetta lost the sight of his right eye...
. He was appointed to raise an "army of Brittany" from the west of France to strike back at the advancing Prussians, but his hastily assembled volunteers were poorly equipped and suffered poor conditions while being prepared for combat at Camp Conlie
Camp Conlie
Camp Conlie was one of eleven military camps established by the Republican Government of National Defense under Léon Gambetta during the Franco-Prussian war. It became notable because of events which have led to it being described as a "concentration camp", in which troops from Brittany were...
. As a result Kératry resigned.
In 1871 Thiers appointed him to the prefecture, first of the Haute-Garonne, and subsequently of the Bouches-du-Rhône, but he resigned in the following year. He is the author of La contreguérilla française au Mexique (1868); L'élévation et la chute de l'empereur Maximilien (1867); Le 4 septembre et le gouvernement de la défense nationale (1872); Mourad V, prince, sultan, prisonnier d'État 1840-78 (1878), and some volumes of memories.