Claude-Étienne Guyot, count of the

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

, (1768–1837) was a French general of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

and

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

, noted for commanding cavalry.Fierro, Palluel-Guillard, Tulard, p. 824.

Early career during the Revolutionary Wars

Joining the army in November 1790 as a mere trooper of the ''chasseurs-à-cheval'' of

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

, he subsequently served in the

Army of the Rhine An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

and of the Moselle, then in the

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, in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

and in Germany, during the

. In 1802 he became a captain of the first Regiment of ''chasseurs-à-cheval'' of the

Consular Guard The Imperial Guard (French: ''Garde Impériale'') was originally a small group of elite soldiers of the French Army under the direct command of Napoleon I, but grew considerably over time. It acted as his bodyguard and tactical reserve, and he ...

Napoleonic Wars

Guyot took part to the Wars of the Third and Fourth Coalition with the Grande Armée, holding the rank of squadron commander in the Guard ''chasseurs-à-cheval'' regiment and being noted for bravery at the

Austerlitz Austerlitz may refer to: History * Battle of Austerlitz, an 1805 victory by the French Grand Army of Napoleon Bonaparte Places * Austerlitz, German name for Slavkov u Brna in the Czech Republic, which gave its name to the Battle of Austerlitz a ...

and Eylau. He fought at the minor Battle of Waren-Nossentin on 1 November 1806. A colonel in the Imperial Guard in 1807, he was created a baron of the Empire the next year and given a position in Lefebvre-Desnouettes's Guard light cavalry, commanding the

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

's escort during the latter's brief campaign in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

. In 1809, after the bloody

battle of Aspern-Essling In the Battle of Aspern-Essling (21–22 May 1809), Napoleon crossed the Danube near Vienna, but the French and their allies were attacked and forced back across the river by the Austrians under Archduke Charles. It was the first time Napoleon ...

, Guyot was given the function of colonel commander of the Guard ''chasseurs-à-cheval''Tulard, p. 931. and six weeks later he led a famous charge at the

battle of Wagram The Battle of Wagram (; 5–6 July 1809) was a military engagement of the Napoleonic Wars that ended in a costly but decisive victory for Emperor Napoleon's French and allied army against the Austrian army under the command of Archduke Charles ...

. This action would bring him the rank of

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

. A

Chamberlain Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

of Emperor

Napoleon I Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

from March 1810, he was subsequently sent to Spain, where he won a promotion to

general of division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French (Revolutionary) System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army co ...

in 1811. During the

Russian campaign The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign, the Second Polish War, the Army of Twenty nations, and the Patriotic War of 1812 was launched by Napoleon Bonaparte to force the Russian Empire back into the continental block ...

and subsequent

War of the Sixth Coalition In the War of the Sixth Coalition (March 1813 – May 1814), sometimes known in Germany as the Wars of Liberation, a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, and a number of German States defeated F ...

, Guyot would serve as commander of the Guard ''chasseurs-à-cheval''. In the 1813 campaign in

Saxony Saxony (german: Sachsen ; Upper Saxon: ''Saggsn''; hsb, Sakska), officially the Free State of Saxony (german: Freistaat Sachsen, links=no ; Upper Saxon: ''Freischdaad Saggsn''; hsb, Swobodny stat Sakska, links=no), is a landlocked state of ...

, he was wounded at the battle of Lützen and led a brilliant charge at the battle of Bautzen, before being made prisoner at the

battle of Kulm :''See Battle of Chlumec for the 1126 battle at Kulm The Battle of Kulm was fought near the town Kulm () and the village Přestanov in northern Bohemia. It was fought on 29–30 August 1813, during the War of the Sixth Coalition. A French ...

, in August. Released after an exchange of prisoners, Guyot took part to the epic battle of Leipzig, before being created a count of the Empire in November of that year. The 1814 campaign in France saw general Guyot at the heart of the action, commanding cavalry at La Rothière,

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and

Craonne Craonne () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History It was the site of the Napoleonic Battle of Craonne in 1814. The former town was totally destroyed by artillery during the Nivelle Offensive in W ...

1814 incident and beyond

In February 1814, General Guyot suffered a career-threatening incident, while he was commanding the

Imperial Guard An imperial guard or palace guard is a special group of troops (or a member thereof) of an empire, typically closely associated directly with the Emperor or Empress. Usually these troops embody a more elite status than other imperial forces, i ...

heavy cavalry Heavy cavalry was a class of cavalry intended to deliver a battlefield charge and also to act as a tactical reserve; they are also often termed '' shock cavalry''. Although their equipment differed greatly depending on the region and histor ...

. After the

battle of Vauchamps The Battle of Vauchamps (14 February 1814) was the final major engagement of the Six Days Campaign of the War of the Sixth Coalition. It resulted in a part of the Grande Armée under Napoleon I defeating a superior Prussian and Russian force ...

, Guyot left the Guard horse artillery company that was attached to his division in an exposed position, with orders to join him in a precise location at nightfall. Guyot did not leave behind a cavalry escort and a guide, which resulted in the artillery company being ambushed that night, with the loss of some cannon and an entire platoon, killed or prisoner. These facts were immediately reported to the colonel commander of the Guard horse artillery, but nobody dared to inform

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. Eventually, Marshal

François Joseph Lefebvre François Joseph Lefebvre ( , ; 25 October 1755 – 14 September 1820), Duc de Dantzig, was a French military commander during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars and one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon. Ea ...

was also informed and he went to the Emperor with the bad news. The Emperor immediately demanded a complete briefing and, upon hearing that the artillery company in question was under Guyot's command, he sent for him at once. Seeing Guyot, Napoleon aggressively criticized him for the incident and, after Guyot attempted to put the blame on the artillery company captain, Napoleon began a furious rant, blaming Guyot for the defeat at Brienne and for his failure to protect the artillery during this battle. He went on to criticize him for the fact that the Guard cavalry was always absent when needed, that it was not present to defend its Emperor on several occasions, including at

. Napoleon then axed Guyot on the spot and turned to his commander, General Etienne de Nansouty, telling him to notify General

Rémi Joseph Isidore Exelmans The Remi were an ancient Belgic tribe. Remi may also refer to: People * Georges Prosper Remi (1907–1983), a Belgian comic book writer and artist, best known for his comic ''The Adventures of Tintin'', better known as "Hergé" * Jose Vega San ...

that he had been appointed at the head of the Guard heavy cavalry, in replacement of Guyot.Thoumas, p. 49-51. After Napoleon's

abdication Abdication is the act of formally relinquishing monarchical authority. Abdications have played various roles in the succession procedures of monarchies. While some cultures have viewed abdication as an extreme abandonment of duty, in other societ ...

, Guyot was named commander of the 'Royal Corps of Cuirassiers', formerly '' Grenadiers à Cheval de la Garde Impériale''. Nevertheless, during the Hundred Days, Guyot rallied to Napoleon's cause and he was again given the command of the Guard

division, at the head of which he charged at Waterloo, where he was wounded twice. After the fall of the Empire, he was placed on the retired list at his own request, returning to active service briefly between 1830 and 1833 to command the 10th military division.

Recognition

The name Guyot is inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

References

Sources

* Fierro, Alfredo; Palluel-Guillard, André; Tulard, Jean - ''"Histoire et Dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire”'', Éditions Robert Laffont, * Smith, Digby. ''The Napoleonic Wars Data Book.'' London: Greenhill Books, 1998. * Thoumas, Charles A. -''"Les grands cavaliers du Premier Empire"'', Série II, Ellibron Classic

* Tulard, Jean - ''"Dictionnaire Napoléon”''; volume 1, Librairie Artème Fayard, 1999, {{DEFAULTSORT:Guyot, Claude-Etienne 1768 births 1837 deaths People from Jura (department) French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Commanders in the French Imperial Guard Counts of the First French Empire Cavalry commanders Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe