Jean-Marie Defrance (1771–1835) 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 French First Republic, France against Ki ...

and the

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 ...

. He was also a member of the

Council of Five Hundred The Council of Five Hundred (''Conseil des Cinq-Cents''), or simply the Five Hundred, was the lower house of the legislature of France under the Constitution of the Year III. It existed during the period commonly known (from the name of the e ...

(the lower house of the legislative branch of the French government under

The Directory The Directory (also called Directorate, ) was the governing five-member committee in the French First Republic from 2 November 1795 until 9 November 1799, when it was overthrown by Napoleon Bonaparte in the Coup of 18 Brumaire and replaced b ...

), and a teacher at the military school of

Rebais Rebais () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Etymology Rebais has historically been attested in Latin as ''Rebascis'' in 635/636 and ''Rebascum'' in 1214. The toponym ''Rebais'' is ...

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...

. Defrance had an extensive and successful military career in the

and the

. After the

First Battle of Zurich The First Battle of Zurich, from 4 to 7 June 1799, forced French General André Masséna to yield the city of Zurich to the Austrians, under Archduke Charles, and to retreat beyond the Limmat, where he managed to fortify his positions, which ...

, he refused a battlefield promotion to brigadier general, asking instead for a cavalry regiment; he received command of the 12th Regiment of '' Chasseurs-a-Cheval'' (light cavalry) as '' Chef-de-Brigade'', a rank equivalent to colonel. He led this brigade in the campaigns of 1799–1800 in southwestern Germany and northern Italy. By 1805, he had been promoted to brigadier general. At the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important and decisive engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near the town of Austerlitz in ...

and the

Battle of Jena–Auerstedt The twin battles of Jena and Auerstedt (; older spelling: ''Auerstädt'') were fought on 14 October 1806 on the plateau west of the river Saale in today's Germany, between the forces of Napoleon I of France and Frederick William III of Pruss ...

, he commanded a cavalry brigade of ''

carabinier A carabinier (also sometimes spelled carabineer or carbineer) is in principle a soldier armed with a carbine. A carbiniere is a carabiniere musket or rifle and were commonplace by the beginning of the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. The word is de ...

s'' in

Étienne Marie Antoine Champion de Nansouty Étienne-Marie-Antoine Champion, comte de Nansouty (; 30 May 1768 – 12 February 1815) was a French cavalry commander during the French Revolutionary Wars who rose to the rank of General of Division in 1803 and subsequently held important mili ...

's First Division. By the

Battle of Borodino The Battle of Borodino (). took place near the village of Borodino on during Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The ' won the battle against the Imperial Russian Army but failed to gain a decisive victory and suffered tremendous losses. Napoleon ...

in September 1812, he had been promoted to general of division, commanding the 4th Cuirassier Division of Nansouty's reserves, where they charged the Shevardino redoubt. He fought his way across Germany to the

Rhine River ), Surselva, Graubünden, Switzerland , source1_coordinates= , source1_elevation = , source2 = Rein Posteriur/Hinterrhein , source2_location = Paradies Glacier, Graubünden, Switzerland , source2_coordinates= , sourc ...

after the French loss at Leipzig and participated in the

Six Days' Campaign The Six Days Campaign (10–15 February 1814) was a final series of victories by the forces of Napoleon I of France as the War of the Sixth Coalition, Sixth Coalition closed in on Paris. The Six Days Campaign was fought from 10 February to 15 ...

. In the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...

, he commanded part of

Jean Maximilien Lamarque Jean Maximilien Lamarque (22 July 17701 June 1832) was a French commander during the Napoleonic Wars who later became a member of the French Parliament. Lamarque served with distinction in many of Napoleon's campaigns. He was particularly noted f ...

s Army of the West. At the second

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * ...

, he retained his titles and honours and subsequently held several command posts until retirement in 1829. He died in 1835.

Family

Jean-Marie Defrance was born on 21 September 1771 at Vassy, in the

province and died 6 July 1835. On his mother's side, he was the grandson of the French writer Pierre Chompré (16981760); his father, Jean-Claude Defrance, was the medical doctor at the Royal Military School of Rebais, in Champagne. Jean-Marie Defrance married the daughter of the richest jeweler in Paris, by the name Foncier. C. Mullié. "DeFrance". Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850. Paris. 1850-.

Military career

Defrance was stationed in

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer ...

during the first Haitian revolt and served in the volunteers ''Cape Dragoons''. On his return to France in 1792, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the cavalry regiment ''royal-étranger''. After serving in the

Army of the North The Army of the North ( es, link=no, Ejército del Norte), contemporaneously called Army of Peru, was one of the armies deployed by the United Provinces of the Río de la Plata in the Spanish American wars of independence. Its objective was fre ...

, he was appointed adjutant-general brigadier in the Army of Sambre and t-Meuse. He also served in the

. Defrance also served in the Swiss Campaign of 1799 as divisional Chief of Staff of the 1st Division of

Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, 1st Count Jourdan (29 April 1762 – 23 November 1833), was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was made a Marshal of the Empire by Emperor Napoleon I in ...

Army of the Danube The Army of the Danube (french: Armée du Danube, links=no) was a field army of the French Directory in the 1799 southwestern campaign in the Upper Danube valley. It was formed on 2 March 1799 by the simple expedient of renaming the Army ...

; after the losses at the battles of

Ostrach Ostrach is a municipality in the district of Sigmaringen in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. Geography Ostrach lies between the Danube and Lake Constance, about halfway between Sigmaringen and Ravensburg. It lies on the brook of the same name, w ...

and

Stockach Stockach is a town in the district of Konstanz, in southern Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Location It is situated in the Hegau region, about 5 km northwest of Lake Constance, 13 km north of Radolfzell and 25 km northwest of Konstan ...

in March 1799, the Army of the Danube was combined with the

Army of Helvetia The Army of Helvetia, or (french: Armée d'Helvétie), was a command of the French Revolutionary Army. It was formed on 8 March 1798 from the remnants of the first unit to be known as the Army of the Rhine. It was officially merged into the comman ...

, under the command of

André Massena André — sometimes transliterated as Andre — is the French and Portuguese language, Portuguese form of the name Andrew, and is now also used in the English-speaking world. It used in France, Quebec, Canada and other French language, French-s ...

. Defrance continued in his capacity as divisional chief of staff. At the

in June 1799, he was appointed on the field as brigadier general, an honor which he declined, asking instead to be given command of a cavalry regiment. He received command of the 12th Regiment of ''Chasseurs-a-Cheval.'' As ''Chef-de-Brigade'', the equivalent of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

in France's revolutionary-era

field army A field army (or numbered army or simply army) is a military formation in many armed forces, composed of two or more corps and may be subordinate to an army group. Likewise, air armies are equivalent formation within some air forces, and with ...

, Defrance went to Italy and participated in the actions leading up to the

Battle of Marengo The Battle of Marengo was fought on 14 June 1800 between French forces under the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte and Austrian forces near the city of Alessandria, in Piedmont, Italy. Near the end of the day, the French overcame General Mic ...

. During the winter of 1800–1801, he campaigned in the

Grisons The Grisons () or Graubünden,Names include: *german: (Kanton) Graubünden ; * Romansh: ** rm, label= Sursilvan, (Cantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Vallader, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label= Puter, (Chantun) Grischun ** rm, label=Surmiran, (Cant ...

in Switzerland and returned to France after the

Treaty of Lunéville The Treaty of Lunéville (or Peace of Lunéville) was signed in the Treaty House of Lunéville on 9 February 1801. The signatory parties were the French Republic and Emperor Francis II, who signed on his own behalf as ruler of the hereditary doma ...

in 1801.

Career during the Napoleonic Wars

In 1803, with Napoleon's military reorganisation, the title ''Chef-de-Brigade'' reverted to colonel; Defrance retained his command of the 12th Regiment of ''Chasseurs-a-Cheval''. He was named Officer of the

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

on 14 June 1804. On 1 February 1805, he accepted a promotion to brigadier general and commanded a brigade in the Danube campaign against Austria and Russia at the battles of

Ulm Ulm () is a city in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Danube on the border with Bavaria. The city, which has an estimated population of more than 126,000 (2018), forms an urban district of its own (german: link=no, ...

and

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 ...

.Broughton
''Commanders of the 12th Regiment of Chasseurs-a-Cheval''
In 1806, he campaigned against

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (german: Königreich Preußen, ) was a German kingdom that constituted the state of Prussia between 1701 and 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Re ...

and Russia at the

. There, and at the

Battle of Friedland The Battle of Friedland (14 June 1807) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire commanded by Napoleon I and the armies of the Russian Empire led by Count von Bennigsen. Napoleon and the French obtai ...

on 14 June 1807, he commanded a

brigade—the first and second regiments—in

's First Division. Napoleon raised him to

Count of the Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that th ...

on 2 July 1808. 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 ...

(1809), he again commanded the carabinier brigade. The confiscation of the Prussian cavalry and draft stock required supervision to integrate the acquisitions into the Grande Armée. After completing several terms as an inspector general of cavalry, Defrance was appointed general of division in August 1811 and joined

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also , ; it, Gioacchino Murati; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French military commander and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the ...

's Cavalry in February 1812 for Napoleon's Invasion of Russia. At the

, he commanded 4th Cuirassier Division, which included three brigades and two horse artillery units of 12 guns. These were assigned to Nansouty's Reserves and assaulted the Shevardino redoubt on 5–6 September. During the Saxon campaign, Defrance was appointed Inspector General for the

Grande Armée ''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Empi ...

. He also commanded the 4th Heavy Cavalry Division at the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig (french: Bataille de Leipsick; german: Völkerschlacht bei Leipzig, ); sv, Slaget vid Leipzig), also known as the Battle of the Nations (french: Bataille des Nations; russian: Битва народов, translit=Bitva ...

in October 1813, and one of his brigades remained at Lindenau to cover a possible retreat. In January 1814, for the last few months of Napoleon's rule, Defrance commanded four regiments of

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, in ...

and fought in the

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

of 11 February at Montmirail, during the

. On 7 March, with much smaller force than his opponent, he repulsed the Russian assault at

Rheims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

, but on 12 March was forced to relinquish the city as more Coalition troops arrived. The following day, he attacked the Russian cavalry, but was again forced to withdraw when faced with superior numbers.

Late military career

During the first

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...

appointed Defrance as inspector general of cavalry. During the

, Napoleon's brief return to France, Jean-Marie Defrance commanded the cavalry element of the Army of the West. Under overall command of

, one of Napoleon's fiercest supporters, it was formed to suppress potential Royalist insurrection in the

Vendée Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.

region of France.David Chandler. ''Dictionary of the Napoleonic wars''. Wordsworth editions, 1999, p. 30. Defrance did not participate in the

Battle of Rocheserviere The Battle of Rocheserviere was fought at Rocheservière on the 20 June 1815, between Vendéan Royalists, who had remained loyal to King Louis XVIII during the Hundred Days, and Napoleon's Army of the West, commanded by General Jean Maximilien La ...

, in which Lemarque's army brutally crushed the anticipated Vendéen uprising. He remained instead at his post of the 18th military division, inspecting the cavalry depots in the upper Loire. Defrance retained his rank after the second restoration and commanded the First Military Division in Paris from 1819 to 1822. He also taught at the military school in Rebais. Defrance's name is engraved on the east side of the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...

References

Notes and citations

Bibliography

* Broughton, Tony
''Commanders of the 12th Regiment of Chasseurs-a-Cheval''
Military Subjects: Organization, Tactics and Strategy
Napoleon Series
Robert Burnham, Editor in chief. November 2000. Accessed 8 May 2010. * Chandler, David. ''Dictionary of the Napoleonic wars''. Wordsworth editions, 1999. * Mikaberidze, Alexander and Eman Vovsi.''The Battle of Borodino: Order of Battle of the Allied Army''
Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns
Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010. * Millar, Stephan. ''French Order of Battle for Friedland: 14 June 1807'
Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns
Robert Burnham, Editor in Chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010. * Millar, Stephan. ''French Order-of-Battle at Leipzig: 16–18 October 1813: Northern Sector.'
Military Subjects Battles and Campaigns
Robert Burnham, Editor in chief. November 2004. Accessed 9 May 2010. * Mullié, Charles. "DeFrance". Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850. Paris. 1850-. * Riehn, Richard K. ''Napoleon's Russian Campaign.'' John Wiley & Sons, 2005. {{DEFAULTSORT:Defrance, Jean-Marie 1835 deaths 1771 births French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Noble titles of the First French Empire Commanders of the Order of Saint Louis Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe