Franz Martin Chales de Beaulieu (11 November 1857 – 27 April 1945) was a German general in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. He was also involved in the

Herero Wars The Herero Wars were a series of colonial wars between the German Empire and the Herero people of German South West Africa (present-day Namibia). They took place between 1904 and 1908. Background Pre-colonial South-West Africa The Hereros w ...

as chief of staff to

Lothar von Trotha General Adrian Dietrich Lothar von Trotha (3 July 1848 – 31 March 1920) was a German military commander during the European new colonial era. As a brigade commander of the East Asian Expedition Corps, he was involved in suppressing the Boxe ...

Life

Franz Martin Chales de Beaulieu was born as son of Eduard Chales de Beaulieu on 11 November 1857. In 1877, Beaulieu entered the

Prussian Army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

as a Fahnenjunker in the 2nd Guards Grenadier Regiment. On 12 October 1877, Beaulieu was appointed as Second-Lieutenant. In 1887, Beaulieu was promoted to Premier-Lieutenant. In 1891, Beaulieu became the adjutant of

Alfred von Schlieffen Graf Alfred von Schlieffen, generally called Count Schlieffen (; 28 February 1833 – 4 January 1913) was a German field marshal and strategist who served as chief of the Imperial German General Staff from 1891 to 1906. His name lived on in the ...

, the Chief of the

German General Staff The German General Staff, originally the Prussian General Staff and officially the Great General Staff (german: Großer Generalstab), was a full-time body at the head of the Prussian Army and later, the German Army, responsible for the continu ...

. In 1894, Beaulieu was again with the 2nd Guards Grenadier Regiment in Berlin. He then served in the staff of the 2nd Guards Division before becoming a major on 18 November 1897; then serving on the staff of the VI Corps. In 1901, he was once more with the 2nd Guards Grenadier Regiment and in 1902, Beaulieu again became an adjutant of

. In 1903, Beaulieu served as a section chief in the general staff and, on 24 April 1904, he was promoted to Oberstleutnant. After his promotion, Beaulieu became part of the

Schutztruppe (, Protection Force) was the official name of the colonial troops in the African territories of the German colonial empire from the late 19th century to 1918. Similar to other colonial armies, the consisted of volunteer European commissioned ...

and became chief of staff to General

during the

. Afterwards Beaulieu returned to Germany and became chief of staff of the II Corps. On 16 October 1905, Beaulieu became the commander of the 32nd Infantry Regiment. He was promoted to Oberst in 1907 and Generalmajor in 1911. He became the commander of 74th Infantry Brigade. On 25 June 1913, Beaulieu became a Generalleutnant and commander of the 12th Division. At the outbreak of the

, Beaulieu's 12th Division was part of the 4th Army under

Albrecht, Duke of Württemberg Albrecht, Duke and Crown Prince of Württemberg (Albrecht Maria Alexander Philipp Joseph; 23 December 1865 – 31 October 1939) was the last Württemberger crown prince, a German military commander of the First World War, and the head of the House ...

. The division accordingly served on the Western Front nd participated in the

Battle of the Ardennes The Battle of the Ardennes took place during the First World War fought on the frontiers of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg from 21 to 23 August 1914. The German armies defeated the French and forced their retreat. The battle was part of ...

. In 1916 the

Oberste Heeresleitung The ''Oberste Heeresleitung'' (, Supreme Army Command or OHL) was the highest echelon of command of the army (''Heer'') of the German Empire. In the latter part of World War I, the Third OHL assumed dictatorial powers and became the ''de facto'' ...

named Beaulieu commander of the XIV Corps, replacing Karl von Hänisch. On 5 September 1917, Beaulieu received the

Pour le Mérite The ' (; , ) is an order of merit (german: Verdienstorden) established in 1740 by King Frederick II of Prussia. The was awarded as both a military and civil honour and ranked, along with the Order of the Black Eagle, the Order of the Red Ea ...

from

Wilhelm II Wilhelm II (Friedrich Wilhelm Viktor Albert; 27 January 18594 June 1941) was the last German Emperor (german: Kaiser) and List of monarchs of Prussia, King of Prussia, reigning from 15 June 1888 until Abdication of Wilhelm II, his abdication on 9 ...

for his actions in the war. On the same day Beaulieu was removed from his position and retired. Shortly after his retirement, on 3 January 1918, Beaulieu was given the character of a General der Infantrie.

Awards

German Awards

* ** Iron Cross (1914) First and Second Class **

, 5 September 1917 **

Order of the Red Eagle The Order of the Red Eagle (german: Roter Adlerorden) was an order of chivalry of the Kingdom of Prussia. It was awarded to both military personnel and civilians, to recognize valor in combat, excellence in military leadership, long and faithful s ...

2nd Class ** Service award * ** Military Merit Order 3rd Class with Swords * **

Albert Order The Albert Order (german: link=no, Albrechts-Orden or Albrechtsorden) was created on 31 December 1850 by King Frederick Augustus II of Saxony to commemorate Albert III, Duke of Saxony (known as Albert the Bold). It was to be awarded to anyone w ...

Officer's Cross *

Ernestine duchies The Ernestine duchies (), also known as the Saxon duchies (, although the Albertine appanage duchies of Weissenfels, Merseburg and Zeitz were also "Saxon duchies" and adjacent to several Ernestine ones), were a group of small states whose n ...

** Commander of

Order of the White Falcon Order of the White Falcon (german: Hausorden vom Weißen Falken) is a grand-ducal order of Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach, founded by Duke Ernest Augustus on 2 August 1732, and renewed in 1815 by Charles Augustus. Description In the early 20 ...

** Commander of 1st Class of the

Saxe-Ernestine House Order The Saxe-Ernestine House Order (german: link=yes, Sachsen-Ernestinischer Hausorden)Hausorden
Herz ...

* ** Cross of Honor of Order of the Crown with Swords ** Knight's Cross 1st Class

Friedrich Order The Friedrich Order (german: Friedrichs-Orden or ''Friedrichsorden'') was an order of merit of the German Kingdom of Württemberg. It was instituted on 1 January 1830 by the second king of Württemberg, Wilhelm I in remembrance of his father, Ki ...

Foreign Awards

* ** Officer Cross of

Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus The Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus ( it, Ordine dei Santi Maurizio e Lazzaro) (abbreviated OSSML) is a Roman Catholic dynastic order of knighthood bestowed by the royal House of Savoy. It is the second-oldest order of knighthood in the w ...

** Officer Cross of

Order of the Crown of Italy The Order of the Crown of Italy ( it, Ordine della Corona d'Italia, italic=no or OCI) was founded as a national order in 1868 by King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, to commemorate Italian unification, the unification of Italy ...

* ** Knight's Cross of

Order of Leopold (Austria) The Austrian Imperial Order of Leopold (german: Österreichisch-kaiserlicher Leopold-Orden) was founded by Franz I of Austria on 8 January 1808. The order's statutes stipulated only three grades: Grand Cross, Commander and Knight. During the wa ...

Order of the Iron Crown (Austria) The Imperial Order of the Iron Crown (german: Kaiserlicher Orden der Eisernen Krone; it, Ordine imperiale della Corona ferrea) was one of the highest orders of merit in the Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary until 1918. It was founded in 1815 ...

3rd Class ** Knight's Cross of

Order of Franz Joseph The Imperial Austrian Order of Franz Joseph (german: Kaiserlich-Österreichischer Franz-Joseph-Orden) was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria on 2 December 1849, on the first anniversary of his accession to the imperial throne. Classes ...

* ** Commander of

Order of the Crown (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. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaulieu, Chales de 1857 births 1945 deaths Colonial people in German South West Africa Generals of Infantry (Prussia) German Army generals of World War I German untitled nobility Military personnel from Brandenburg People from the Province of Prussia Herero and Namaqua genocide perpetrators Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 1st class Recipients of the Iron Cross (1914), 2nd class Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (military class) Schutztruppe personnel