HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jean-Baptiste Billot (15 August 1828, Chaumeil, Corrèze – 31 May 1907, Paris) was a French general and politician.


Life

Jean-Baptiste Billot entered the
École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr The École spéciale militaire de Saint-Cyr (ESM, literally the "Special Military School of Saint-Cyr") is a French military academy, and is often referred to as Saint-Cyr (). It is located in Coëtquidan in Guer, Morbihan, Brittany. Its motto is ...
in 1847, and on leaving it in 1849 joined the staff with the rank of sous-lieutenant. His Republican convictions led to his voting ''no'' in the plebiscite of 1851 according full powers to Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte. Even so, he pursued a brilliant military career under the Second French Empire, promoted to lieutenant in 1852 then captain in 1854. He received the légion d'honneur in 1859. Billot participated in the Mexico expedition (1861–1867) : commandant of the state of
Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...
then of
Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi language, Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. I ...
with the rank of
chef d'escadrons In the French armed forces (and in the armed forces of former French colonies such as the armed forces of Nigeremperor Maximilian. On his return to France, he made a rich marriage and in 1869 was named
Chief of staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supporti ...
of the province of
Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I * Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given na ...
with the rank of lieutenant-colonel. He fought in the Franco-Prussian War, at first as Chief of staff under general Laveaucoupet, commander of the 3rd Infantry Division integrated into 2nd Army Corps of general Frossard. Billot participated in the battles of Sarrebruck, Forbach where he was mentioned in dispatches, Borny and Noiseville. He managed to escape after the capture of Metz and put himself in the service of the
Government of National Defence The Government of National Defense (french: Gouvernement de la Défense nationale) was the first government of the Third Republic of France from 4 September 1870 to 13 February 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was formed after the proclam ...
. He was promoted to colonel, then général de brigade and provisional général de division. Chief of staff then commander of the 18th Army Corps, Billot was beaten at Beaune-la-Rolande on 28 November 1870. Confirmed as permanent général de brigade, he fought in the
battle of Villersexel The Battle of Villersexel took place on 9 January 1871 as part of the Franco-Prussian War. Elements of the French '' Armée de l'Est'' under General Bourbaki engaged August von Werder's German forces. It resulted in a French victory. Backgr ...
in January 1871. Billot was elected deputy for Corrèze in 1871 as a member of the ''Gauche républicaine'' parliamentary group, before representing this département as " sénateur inamovible" from 1875, sitting among the Republicans. Promoted to général de division in 1878, he received the command of the 1st Infantry Division in 1879, then of the 15th Army Corps, a post in which he organised the embarkation of the troops for the expedition of Tunisia from 1880 to 1881. In 1882 he was minister for war in the second ministry of Charles de Freycinet (1882), the ministry of Charles Duclerc (1882–83) and that of
Jules Méline Félix Jules Méline (; 20 May 183821 December 1925) was a French statesman, Prime Minister of France from 1896 to 1898. Biography Méline was born at Remiremont. Having taken up law as his profession, he was chosen a deputy in 1872, and in 187 ...
(1896–98). During his time as minister he saw the Dreyfus affair and in 1882 appointed Georges Ernest Boulanger director of infantry at the war office. He alternated military commands with political posts: vice-president of the Conseil supérieur de la Caisse des offrandes nationales and member of the Conseil supérieur for war from 1883 to 1896, commander of the 1st Army Corps from 1884 to 1888, then minister for war in the Méline government from 1896 to 1898. Grand-Cross of the Légion d'Honneur in 1896 and Médaille militaire in 1897, general Billot was also grand-cross of the order of Cambodia, then a French protectorate, in 1898 and of the
order of the Crown of Romania The Order of the Crown of Romania is a chivalric order set up on 14 March 1881 by King Carol I of Romania to commemorate the establishment of the Kingdom of Romania. It was awarded as a state order until the end of the Romanian monarchy in 1947. ...
. He was implicated by Émile Zola of conspiracy to frame
Alfred Dreyfus Alfred Dreyfus ( , also , ; 9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish ancestry whose trial and conviction in 1894 on charges of treason became one of the most polarizing political dramas in modern French history. ...
, a Jewish officer, for espionage in an 1898 open letter '' J'Accuse…!''. In it Zola accuses General Billot of having held in his hands absolute proof of Dreyfus's innocence and covering it up. The case, known as the Dreyfus affair, captivated and divided France. {{DEFAULTSORT:Billot 1828 births 1907 deaths People from Corrèze Politicians from Nouvelle-Aquitaine Opportunist Republicans French Ministers of War People of the Second French Empire Members of the National Assembly (1871) French life senators French generals Second French intervention in Mexico French military personnel of the Franco-Prussian War Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur People associated with the Dreyfus affair