Jean-Andoche Junot, 1st Duke of Abrantes (24 September 1771 – 29 July 1813) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

military officer during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars.

Biography

Early life

Junot was born in

Bussy-le-Grand Bussy-le-Grand () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population Personalities Jean-Andoche Junot, a general under Napoleon was born in the village. The Château de Bussy-Rabutin, home of the 17th-century courtier ...

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or (; literally, "Golden Slope") is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.Châtillon. He was studying law in Dijon when the French Revolution started. After joining a battalion as volunteer, he was twice wounded and also made

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. He first met

Napoleon Bonaparte 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 ...

during the siege of Toulon in 1793, when he became his secretary (aide de camp). General Jean Andoche Junot

Italian campaign

He distinguished himself in Italy but received a serious head wound at

Lonato Lonato del Garda (before 1 July 2007 simply Lonato; lmo, label= Eastern Lombard, Lonad, ) is a town and '' comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, northern Italy. Lonato is located about halfway between Milan and Venice, on the sout ...

, which some claim led to a permanent change in his character, reduced the quality of his judgement and made him rash and temperamental. He was made a general of brigade at the beginning of the Egyptian campaign but was injured in a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people, with matched weapons, in accordance with agreed-upon Code duello, rules. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the r ...

and captured when he was returning as an invalid to France. He later participated in the coup of

18 Brumaire The Coup d'état of 18 Brumaire brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of France. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and led to the Coronation of Napoleon as Emperor. This bloodless ''coup d'état'' overt ...

. He married Laure (Laurette) Martin de Permond, a long-time friend of the Bonapartes, in 1800. He was briefly ambassador to Portugal before hurrying back to serve under Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805).

Peninsular War

Junot's major command was during the Peninsular War, when he commanded the 1807 Invasion of Portugal. Setting out in November from Salamanca, with the promise of a ducal title and a marshals baton, his vanguard accomplished a bloodless occupation of

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

on 30 November. For this feat, he was granted the ducal victory title of '' Duc d'Abrantès'' and was made Governor of Portugal, though he was not given the baton. However, when a British expeditionary force landed, Junot was beaten at the Battle of Vimeiro on 21 August 1808, and he was cut off from France. Only the signing of the advantageous Convention of Sintra allowed him to avoid capture, taking with him "the weapons and baggages" and pillage the army had managed to gather—an expression that later became famous in Portuguese usage. He went back to France in October, narrowly escaping a court martial. He returned to the Iberian peninsula in 1810 in command of the VIII Corps, under Marshal André Masséna, and was badly wounded.

Later years

In the Russian campaign Junot's record was erratic. He was blamed for allowing the Russian army to retreat following the Battle of Smolensk (17 August), but at 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 ...

(7 September 1812) he commanded the 7th Corps competently. Junot's performance at Smolensk infuriated Napoleon to the point that he vowed never to grant Junot a baton. In 1813 he was made Governor of the

Illyrian Provinces The Illyrian Provinces sl, Ilirske province hr, Ilirske provincije sr, Илирске провинције it, Province illirichegerman: Illyrische Provinzen, group=note were an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province of France d ...

but his growing mental instability, caused by his fall from favor, led to him being returned to France, to be placed under the surveillance of his father. Suffering from delirium he slashed at his broken leg and died of infectious complications several days later. Many think he committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

in Montbard.

Family and relations

He had two daughters and three sons: * Othello (Egypt, c.1798), the child of an Abyssinian slave named Xraxarane born during the

French campaign in Egypt The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was Napoleon Bonaparte's campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, proclaimed to defend French trade interests, to establish scientific enterprise in the region. It was the pr ...

. Junot brought Othello to France. * Joséphine Junot d'Abrantès (Paris, 2 January 1802 – Paris, 15 October 1888), married in November 1841 to Jacques-Louis Amet * Constance Junot d'Abrantès (Paris, 12 May 1803 – 1881), married in 1829 Louis ''Antoine'' Aubert (1799 – 1882), and had issue * Louis ''Napoléon'' Andoche Junot, 2nd Duc d'Abrantès (Paris, 25 September 1807 – Neuilly,Louis Andoche Junot D'abrantÈs
/ref> 20 February 1851), who died unmarried and without issue * Andoche ''Alfred'' Michel Junot, 3rd Duc d'Abrantes ( Ciudad Rodrigo, 25 November 1810 – killed in action at Solferino, 24 June 1859), married firstly on 2 April 1845 Marie Céline ''Elise'' Lepic (9 October 1824 – 6 June 1847), and married secondly on 10 January 1853 Marie Louise ''Léonie'' Lepic (19 July 1829 – 17 August 1868), both sisters, daughters of Joachim Lepic, 1st Baron Lepic, and wife Anne-Marguerite Pasquier, and had: ** Jeanne Joséphine Marguerite Junot d'Abrantès (Paris, 22 May 1847 – Lasray, 21 March 1934), married in Paris, 16 September 1869 Xavier Eugène ''Maurice'' Le Ray ( Sèvres, 15 July 1846 – Paris, 1 December 1900), who was created 4th Duc d'Abrantès in 1869, and had issue extinct in male line in 1982 ** Jérôme Napoléon Andoche Junot d'Abrantès (Paris, 16 June 1854 – Paris, 10 March 1857) ** Marguerite Louise Elisabeth Junot d'Abrantès (Paris, 25 January 1856 – 1919), married in Paris, 11 November 1883 César Elzéar ''Léon'' Vicomte Arthaud de La Ferrière (1853 – 1924). During the peninsular war, he had a relationship with

Juliana de Almeida e Oyenhausen Juliana Luisa Maria de Almeida e Oyenhausen, also known as Julia Stroganova (20 August 1782 – 2 November 1864), was a Portuguese noble and lady in waiting. Born to Leonor de Almeida Portugal, Marquise of Alorna and Carlos Pedro Maria José Augu ...

, daughter of Leonor de Almeida Portugal, 4th Marquise of Alorna.

References

* Chartrand, René. ''Vimeiro 1808.'' London: Osprey Publishing, 2001. * Haythornthwaite, Philip. ''Napoleon's Commanders (1) c. 1792–1809.'' London: Osprey Publishing, 2001.