Gaston Alexandre Auguste, Marquis de Galliffet, Prince de Martigues (
Paris
Paris () is the capital and 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), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, 23 January 1830 – 8 July 1909), was a
French general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
, best known for having taken part in the repression of the 1871
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
. He was
Minister of War
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
in
Waldeck-Rousseau
Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau (; 2 December 184610 August 1904) was a French Republican politician who served as the Prime Minister of France.
Early life
Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau was born in Nantes, Brittany. His father, René W ...
's cabinet at the turn of the century, which caused a controversy in the
socialist
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
movement, since
independent socialist Alexandre Millerand
Alexandre Millerand (; – ) was a French politician. He was Prime Minister of France from 20 January to 23 September 1920 and President of France from 23 September 1920 to 11 June 1924. His participation in Waldeck-Rousseau's cabinet at the sta ...
also took part in the same government, and was thus side by side with the ''Fusilleur de la Commune'' (the "Commune's executioner").
Military interventions and Minister of War
Gaston Galliffet entered the army in 1848 and was commissioned as a sub-lieutenant in 1853. He served with distinction at the
Siege of Sevastopol in 1855, in the
Austro-Sardinian War
The Second Italian War of Independence, also called the Franco-Austrian War, the Austro-Sardinian War or Italian War of 1859 ( it, Seconda guerra d'indipendenza italiana; french: Campagne d'Italie), was fought by the Second French Empire and t ...
of 1859, and in Algeria in 1860, after which for a time he served on the personal staff of the emperor,
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...
.
During
Napoleon III's intervention in Mexico, Galliffet displayed great gallantry in 1863 as a captain at the siege and storming of
Puebla
Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
, when he was severely wounded. When he returned to France to recover from his wounds, he was entrusted with the task of presenting the captured standards and colours to the emperor, and was promoted ''chef d'escadron''. He returned to Algeria in 1864, took part in expeditions against the
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
s, returned to Mexico as a lieutenant-colonel and, after winning further distinction, became in 1867 colonel of the 3rd ''
Chasseurs d'Afrique
The ''Chasseurs d'Afrique'' were a light cavalry corps of chasseurs in the French Armée d'Afrique (Army of Africa). First raised in 1831 from regular French cavalry posted to Algeria, they numbered five regiments by World War II. For most of ...
''.
In the
Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, he commanded this regiment in the Army of the Rhine, until promoted to
General de Brigade
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 to ...
on 30 August. At the
Battle of Sedan
The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, ...
, which marked the defeat of Napoleon III and the subsequent collapse of the
Second Empire Second Empire may refer to:
* Second British Empire, used by some historians to describe the British Empire after 1783
* Second Bulgarian Empire (1185–1396)
* Second French Empire (1852–1870)
** Second Empire architecture, an architectural styl ...
, he led the brigade of Chasseurs d'Afrique in the heroic charge of General
Margueritte's cavalry division, which earned him the admiration of the
old king of
Prussia
Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an em ...
. Made prisoner of war at the capitulation, he returned to France during the siege of Paris by the French Army of Versailles, and commanded a brigade during the repression of the 1871
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
. He was henceforth one of the most criticised figures in French public life, along with
Adolphe Thiers
Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( , ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian. He was the second elected President of France and first President of the French Third Republic.
Thiers was a key figure in the July Rev ...
who had directed the assault. Gallifet established a processing center at the Porte de la Muette, on the edge of the
Bois de Boulogne
The Bois de Boulogne (, "Boulogne woodland") is a large public park located along the western edge of the 16th arrondissement of Paris, near the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt and Neuilly-sur-Seine. The land was ceded to the city of Paris by t ...
, where he would hold reviews of the Communard prisoners due to be marched to
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
. From these groups he would select prisoners for immediate execution based on his own criteria. To Gallifet, a man wearing a watch was assumed to have been a Commune 'official', a man with grey hair was assumed to have participated in the
uprisings of 1848. Others were selected merely for their "outstanding ugliness or coarseness of feature". To the desperate entreaties of one woman, who threw herself on her knees begging for mercy, he replied 'Madame, I have frequented every theatre in Paris; your acting will have no effect on me.'
[Horne, 1965; p. 406-407]
In the suppression of the Paris Commune, he did his duty, as he saw it, rigorously and inflexibly, and earned a reputation for severity, which, throughout his later career, made him the object of unceasing attacks in the press and the
chamber of deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...
. In 1872, he took command of the
Batna subdivision of Algeria, and commanded an expedition against
El Golea
El Menia () is an oasis town and commune, and capital of El Ménia District, in Ghardaïa Province, Algeria. The former name is El Goléa (); together in Arabic, the two names mean ''Impregnable Castle''. According to the 2008 census it has a ...
, surmounting great difficulties in a rapid march across the desert, and inflicting severe defeats on the revolting tribes.
On the general reorganisation of the army, he commanded the 31st infantry brigade. Promoted
General de 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 corps ...
in 1875, he successively commanded the
15th infantry division at
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
, the
IX army corps at
Tours
Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
, and in 1882 the
XII army corps at
Limoges
Limoges (, , ; oc, Lemòtges, locally ) is a city and Communes of France, commune, and the prefecture of the Haute-Vienne Departments of France, department in west-central France. It was the administrative capital of the former Limousin region ...
. In 1885, he became a member of the ''Conseil Supérieur de la Guerre''. He conducted the cavalry manoeuvres in successive years, and attained a
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
-wide reputation on all cavalry questions and, indeed, as an army commander.
Decorated Grand 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 ...
in 1880 by
Léon Gambetta
Léon Gambetta (; 2 April 1838 – 31 December 1882) was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government.
Early life and education
Born in Cahors, Ga ...
, he was appointed governor of Paris. In 1887, he was also decorated with the Grand Cross of the Légion d'Honneur. He then received the
Military Medal
The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for bravery in battle on land. The award ...
for his able conduct of the autumn manoeuvres in 1891. After again commanding at the manoeuvres of 1894, he retired from the active list.
Later, he took an important part in French politics, as war minister (22 June 1899 to 29 May 1900) in
Waldeck-Rousseau
Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau (; 2 December 184610 August 1904) was a French Republican politician who served as the Prime Minister of France.
Early life
Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau was born in Nantes, Brittany. His father, René W ...
's cabinet, and distinguished himself by the firmness with which he dealt with cases of unrest in the army in the midst of the
Dreyfus Affair
The Dreyfus affair (french: affaire Dreyfus, ) was a political scandal that divided the French Third Republic from 1894 until its resolution in 1906. "L'Affaire", as it is known in French, has come to symbolise modern injustice in the Francop ...
. Galliffet then retired into private life, and died on 8 July 1909, aged 79.
See also
*
France in the nineteenth century
The history of France from 1789 to 1914 (the long 19th century) extends from the French Revolution to World War I and includes:
* French Revolution (1789–1792)
* French First Republic (1792–1804)
* First French Empire (1804–1814/1815)
* Bo ...
*
French Second Empire
The Second French Empire (; officially the French Empire, ), was the 18-year Imperial Bonapartist regime of Napoleon III from 14 January 1852 to 27 October 1870, between the Second and the Third Republic of France.
Historians in the 1930s a ...
*
French intervention in Mexico
*
French rule in Algeria
French Algeria (french: Alger to 1839, then afterwards; unofficially , ar, الجزائر المستعمرة), also known as Colonial Algeria, was the period of French colonisation of Algeria. French rule in the region began in 1830 with the ...
*1870
Franco-Prussian War
*1871
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defended ...
*
René Waldeck-Rousseau
Pierre Marie René Ernest Waldeck-Rousseau (; 2 December 184610 August 1904) was a French Republican politician who served as the Prime Minister of France.
Early life
Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau was born in Nantes, Brittany. His father, René Wa ...
's cabinet
References
*
"A Book on Galliffet", ''New York Times'', October 9, 1910, pC-4
Bibliography
*André Gillois, ''Galliffet le fusilleur de la Commune'', Paris, France-Empire, 1985
{{DEFAULTSORT:Galliffet, Marquis de
Galliffet, Gaston Alexandre Auguste, Marquis de
Galliffet, Gaston Alexandre Auguste, Marquis de
Politicians from Paris
Galliffet, Gaston Alexandre Auguste, Marquis de
People of the Paris Commune
French Ministers of War
French marquesses