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Jean-Étienne Championnet 1762-1800
Championnet was a French
general. It is said that
Plutarch was
his favorite author.
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Image Above
Jean-Étienne
Championnet, Lieutenant-Colonel au 6e Bataillon
de la Drôme en 1792 (1762-1800)
Oil on canvas by
Jean Sébastien Rouillard, 1836
Versailles |
Family
and Damaged Childhood
Championnet was born on April 14, 1762, at Valence, France.
His mother was Madeleine Colliou,
his father nowhere to be found.
A certain Monsieur Legrand, a
famous lawyer in his circles, was rumored to have fathered
little Jean-Etienne. Apparently, Legrand finally found the
courage to marry Madeleine Colliou on his deathbed.
A "difficult child",
Jean-Etienne ran away from home as soon as he had grown some
strength in his legs.
Military Career
Championnet enlisted with the
Walloon Guards when he
was only 14 years old. He moved on to the Regiment de
Bretagne.
In 1781, at age 19, he participated in the
Great Siege of Gibraltar
(1779-1783), which was a part of the
American Revolution.
Although this siege was not successful and the British kept
Gibraltar, young Championnet received a good review from the
commander of the besieging French-Spanish army, the
Duke de Crillon.
Championnet was a supporter of
the
French Revolution
(1789-1799). As a determined and ambitious soldier he stood
out.
In 1791, he was consequently made commander of a battalion.
His mission was to put down an insurrection in the
Department of the Jura. Championnet and his men managed to
calm the rioters down without causing casualties.
In the
French Revolutionary Wars
(1792-1802), Championnet served at first under
General Jean-Charles Pichegru in the Army of
the Rhine.
Under generals
Jourdan and
Kleber, Championnet
fought well in the key battle of the
War of the First Coalition,
the
Battle of Fleurus, on
June 26, 1794.
In the
War of the Second Coalition,
Championnet was in charge of the French Army of Rome.
Naples evicted the French from Rome, but Championnet eventually captured Naples and, on January 24,
1799, installed the French
Parthenopean Republic.
Championnet then was made
commander of the Army of the Alps.
Jean-Etienne Championnet died on
January 9, 1800, at Antibes, France.
See also
Governments of France.
Jean-Étienne Championnet 1762-1800
Rouillard, Versailles
More History
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