Nicolas Joseph Maison, 1st Marquis of Maison (19 December 1771 – 13 February 1840) was a

Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1 ...

and Minister of War.Nicolas Joseph Maison
, in Adolphe Robert and Gaston Cougny, Dictionnaire des parlementaires français (1789–1891), Bourloton, Paris, 1889.

Life

Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars

Nicolas-Joseph Maison was born in

Épinay-sur-Seine Épinay-sur-Seine (, literally ''Épinay on Seine'') is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The church of Notre-Dame-des-Missions-du-cygne d'Enghien, designed by Paul Tournon, may be found ...

, near Paris on 19 December 1771. Nicolas Joseph Maison (1792)

He enlisted in the French Revolutionary army in 1789 and on 1 August 1791, he was named

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the 9th Battalion of Volunteer of Paris and served in the infantry in the early

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 ...

. He served as aide-de-camp to Minister of War Bernadotte in 1799. In 1805, he joined the I Corps of 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 ...

assembled by

emperor Napoleon I 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 ...

and participated in 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 ...

. During the campaign of 1806, he served as a

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 ...

in the corps of Marshal Bernadotte and took part in the chase of the Prussian army to

Lübeck Lübeck (; Low German also ), officially the Hanseatic City of Lübeck (german: Hansestadt Lübeck), is a city in Northern Germany. With around 217,000 inhabitants, Lübeck is the second-largest city on the German Baltic coast and in the stat ...

after their defeat at

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...

. In 1808 he was sent to Spain where he served under Marshal

Victor The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

and was wounded at the capture of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

. In 1812 he joined

Napoléon 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 ...

in the invasion of Russia. At some point in the invasion

marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Ney The ''ney'' ( fa, Ney/نی, ar, Al-Nāy/الناي), is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Persian music and Arabic music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. The ney has been played continually ...

saved his life, a deed he would later repay by refusing to join the court-martial which in 1815 was assembled to judge Ney after 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 ...

. At the Beresina he was promoted to

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 ...

and made a

baron 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 ...

. After the wounding of Marshal

Oudinot Nicolas Charles Oudinot, 1st Count Oudinot, 1st Duke of Reggio (25 April 1767 in Bar-le-Duc – 13 September 1847 in Paris), was a Marshal of the Empire. He is known to have been wounded 34 times in battle, being hit by artillery shells, sabers, ...

, he took over command of the II Corps and led it during the retreat to the Weischel. He served in the campaign of 1813 and after Marshal

Jacques MacDonald Ancient and noble French family names, Jacques, Jacq, or James are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over ...

's defeat at the Battle of Katzbach was once again tasked with leading the retreat. After 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 ...

, where he was wounded, he was given the Grand Cross 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 ...

and was made a

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 ...

. . In 1814, he was tasked with defending what is now Belgium and the port of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. With inadequate forces, he managed to hold his own against greatly superior Allied forces and defeated

Johann von Thielmann Johann Adolf, Freiherr von Thielmann (27 April 176510 October 1824) was a Saxon soldier who served with Saxony, Prussia and France during the Napoleonic Wars. Biography Thielmann was born at Dresden. Entering the Saxon cavalry in 1782, he saw ser ...

's Saxons at the Battle of Courtrai.

Bourbon restoration

After the abdication of the emperor, Maison rallied to

Louis XVIII of France 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 e ...

, who made him a Knight of St. Louis and appointed him Governor of Paris. During the

, Maison stayed loyal to the Bourbons and joined them when they fled to

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

. After the

Second Restoration The Bourbon Restoration was the period of French history during which the House of Bourbon returned to power after the first fall of Napoleon on 3 May 1814. Briefly interrupted by the Hundred Days War in 1815, the Restoration lasted until the J ...

, he was made commandant of the 1st Military Division. He was put on the court martial appointed to judge Marshal

on a charge of treason for joining Napoléon but after he and his colleagues declared themselves incompetent he was demoted to command of the 8th Military Division in

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...

. In 1817, Maison was created a

marquis A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

and a

Peer of France The Peerage of France (french: Pairie de France) was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 in the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France (french: Pair de France, links=no) was ...

by Louis XVIII. In 1828, he was given command of the

French expeditionary corps There have been several French Expeditionary Corps (French ''Corps expéditionnaire'' 'français'': * Expeditionary Corps of the Orient 'Corps expéditionnaire d'Orient'', CEO(1915), during World War I * Expeditionary Corps of the Dardanelles 'Co ...

Morea The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottoman ...

(the

Peloponnese The Peloponnese (), Peloponnesus (; el, Πελοπόννησος, Pelopónnēsos,(), or Morea is a peninsula and geographic regions of Greece, geographic region in southern Greece. It is connected to the central part of the country by the Isthmu ...

peninsula in Greece). This expedition consisted in a land intervention of the French Army in the Peloponnese at the time of the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

, with the aim of liberating the region from the Turkish-Egyptian occupation forces commanded by Ibrahim Pasha. The military expedition was also accompanied by a

scientific Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence for ...

expedition mandated by the

French Academy 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 ...

. After the soldiers took control of the principal strongholds held by the Turkish troops (

Navarino Navarino or Navarin may refer to: Battle * Battle of Navarino, 1827 naval battle off Navarino, Greece, now known as Pylos Geography * Navarino, Wisconsin, a town, United States * Navarino (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated community, Unit ...

, Modon, Coron and

Patras ) , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 = , demographics1_info2 = , timezone1 = EET , utc_offset1 = +2 , ...

), General Maison was created a

Charles X Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and Loui ...

on 22 February 1829.Gaspard Roux,
Histoire médicale de l'armée française en Morée, pendant la campagne de 1828
' (Google books), Méquignon l'aîné père, Paris, 1829. Although he returned to France after 8 months, the French kept a military presence in the area until 1833. He left Greece on 22 May 1829.Nicolas-Joseph Maison (Lieutenant-general) : ''dépêches adressées au ministre de la Guerre Louis-Victor de Caux, vicomte de Blacquetot,'' October 1828, in Jacques Mangeart, Supplemental Chapter of the
Souvenirs de la Morée: recueillis pendant le séjour des Français dans le Peloponèse
', Igonette, Paris, 1830. File:Entrevue du général Maison et d'Ibrahim Pacha, à Navarin, septembre 1828.jpg, Meeting of General Maison and Ibrahim Pasha at

in September 1828 (by

Jean-Charles Langlois Jean-Charles Langlois, known as The Colonel (22 July 1789 – 1870) was a French soldier and painter. Biography Langlois was born in Beaumont-en-Auge. He graduated from the École Polytechnique in 1806 and fought, as an infantry officer at th ...

) File:Le général Maison reçoit la reddition de Château de Morée en 1828.jpg, Surrender of the Castle of Morea of

to General Nicolas Joseph Maison (by

) File:Cogniet - Nicolas-Joseph Maison (1771-1840) - MV 1168.jpg, Nicolas Joseph Maison,

(by

Léon Cogniet Léon Cogniet (29 August 1794 – 20 November 1880) was a French history and portrait painter. He is probably best remembered as a teacher, with more than one hundred notable students. Biography He was born in Paris. His father was a painter ...

, 1835)

July monarchy

In 1830 he joined the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (french: révolution de Juillet), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after the first in 1789. It led to the overthrow of King ...

and served in November 1830 as Minister of Foreign Affairs for a couple of weeks, before being sent to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

as ambassador. In 1833 he was made ambassador to Russia in St. Petersburg. Maison served as minister of war from 30 April 1835 to 19 September 1836 after which he retired from public life. Nicolas-Joseph Maison died in Paris on 13 February 1840. He is buried in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...

(division 5).

Honors, military grades and decorations

* Name engraved under the Arc de Triomphe (Eastern pillar, Column 13 and 14) * Ennoblement: ** Biret baron

Baron 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 ...

(2 July 1808). ** Biret comte

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 ...

(14 August 1813). ** Crown of a Marquis of France

Marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

(31 July 1817). * Successive military grades: ** National Guard:

Grenadier A grenadier ( , ; derived from the word '' grenade'') was originally a specialist soldier who threw hand grenades in battle. The distinct combat function of the grenadier was established in the mid-17th century, when grenadiers were recruited fr ...

, Corporal, Sergeant major, then Captain. ** Army : Captain on 1 August 1792,

Battalion commander A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions a ...

(6 July 1796 provisionally, 16 August definitively), Adjutant general brigade chief on 3 July 1799,

General of 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 10 February 1806, then

Divisional general 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 ...

on 21 August 1812. * Dignities: **

on 22 February 1829. **

on 4 June 1817. * French decorations: ** Legion_Honneur_Commandeur_ribbon

''Commander'' of the

Legion of Honor 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 22 November 1808. ** Legion_Honneur_GO_ribbon

''Grand Officer'' of the

on 28 September 1813. ** Legion_Honneur_GC_ribbon

''Grand Cross'' of the

on 22 July 1814. ** Ordre_Imperial_de_la_Reunion_Chevalier_ribbon

''Grand Cross'' of the

Order of the Reunion The Order of the Reunion (french: link=no, Ordre de la Réunion) was an order of merit of the First French Empire, set up to be awarded to Frenchmen and foreigners to reward services in the civil service, magistracy and army, particularly those fro ...

on 19 November 1813. ** Ordre_Royal_et_Militaire_de_Saint-Louis_Chevalier_ribbon

Grand Cross of the

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewar ...

on 30 September 1818. * Foreign decorations: ** Military_Order_of_Max_Joseph_ribbon

Bavaria: ''Knight'' of the Military Order of Maximilian Joseph of Bavaria (1806). ** GRE_Order_Redeemer_1Class

Greece: ''Grand Cross'' of the Royal Order of the Redeemer (1834). ** ESP_Charles_III_Order_GC

Spain: ''Knight'' Grand Cross of the

Order of Charles III The Royal and Distinguished Spanish Order of Charles III, originally Royal and Much Distinguished Order of Charles III ( es, Real y Distinguida Orden Española de Carlos III, originally es, Real y Muy Distinguida Orden de Carlos III) was establ ...

(1835). ** Grand_Crest_Ordre_de_Leopold

Belgium: ''Grand Cordon'' of the Order of Leopold (1836).

Political Offices

Annexes

Bibliography

* *
Nicolas Joseph Maison
, in Adolphe Robert and Gaston Cougny, ''Dictionnaire des parlementaires français (1789–1891)'', Bourloton, Paris, 1889.

External links

* Resources related to his public life: Base Léonore ; Base Sycomore : ** (National Order of the Legion of Honour) *

(French Senate) *

Defence Historical Service In France, the Defence Historical Service (''Service historique de la défense'' or ''SHD'') is the archives centre of Ministry of Defence and its armed forces. It was set up by decree in 2005. The SHD consists of the "Centre historique des ar ...

– Fort de Vincennes : ** File S.H.A.T. Reference : 6 Yd 34.

Linked articles

Morea expedition The Morea expedition (french: link=no, Expédition de Morée) is the name given to the land intervention of the French Army in the PeloponneseMorea is the name of the Peloponnese region in Greece, which was mainly used from the medieval peri ...

* List of members of the Morea expedition (1828-1833)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maison, Nicolas Joseph 1771 births 1840 deaths People from Épinay-sur-Seine Politicians from Île-de-France French marquesses Counts of the First French Empire French Foreign Ministers French Ministers of War Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration Members of the Chamber of Peers of the July Monarchy Ambassadors of France to the Russian Empire 19th-century French diplomats Marshals of France French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars French people of the Greek War of Independence Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe