Géraud Christophe Michel Duroc (born de Michel du Roc; 25 October 1772 – 23 May 1813), 1st Duke of Frioul (''Duc de Frioul''), 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 ...

general and diplomat who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was noted for his friendship with

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 ...

, who appointed him as the first Grand marshal of the palace, the head of the Emperor's military household.

Early life and education

Du Roc was born in Pont-à-Mousson on 25 October 1772, to a family of the ''

noblesse de robe The concept of the Scottish Noblesse, a class of nobles of either peerage or non-peerage rank, was prominently advocated for by Sir Thomas Innes of Learney during his tenure as an officer of arms. Innes of Learney believed that Scottish armiger ...

'' from the Gévaudan. His father, Claude Du Roc, was a former captain of the

dragoons Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat ...

who had retired to Pont-à-Mousson due to hearing loss. Du Roc entered the local military school in 1781, where he studied for eight years. He then entered the School of Artillery of Châlons as a second lieutenant, in March 1792. Around this time he removed the

nobiliary particle A nobiliary particle is used in a surname or family name in many Western cultures to signal the nobility of a family. The particle used varies depending on the country, language and period of time. In some languages, it is the same as a regular p ...

''de'' from his surname (changing it to ''Duroc''), in the context of the French Revolution. As a member of the nobility, Duroc opposed the new revolutionary government of France. This led him, in July 1792, to abandon artillery school and become an '' emigré'' soldier in the counter-revolutionary Army of Condé, at the beginning of the Revolutionary Wars. He soon changed his mind, however, and after the

Battle of Valmy The Battle of Valmy, also known as the Cannonade of Valmy, was the first major victory by the army of France during the Revolutionary Wars that followed the French Revolution. The battle took place on 20 September 1792 as Prussian troops comm ...

Duroc deserted the royalist army. Along with two other deserters, he was arrested by the French in

Fresnes-en-Woëvre Fresnes-en-Woëvre (, literally ''Fresnes in Woëvre'') is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meuse department *Parc naturel régional de Lorraine Lorraine Regional Natural Park ( ...

following the battle, and in March 1793 was allowed to return to Châlons to finish his education.

Revolutionary Wars

Duroc joined the Revolutionary Army on 1 June 1793, being assigned lieutenant '' en seconde'' of the 4th Foot Artillery Regiment, and advanced steadily in the service. Captain Duroc became '' aide-de-camp'' to

Napoleon 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 1796, and distinguished himself at Isonzo, Brenta and

Gradisca Gradisca d'Isonzo ( fur, Gardiscja or ''Gardiscje'', sl, Gradišče ob Soči, archaic german: Gradis am Sontig) is a town and ''comune'' of the Province of Gorizia in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, north-eastern Italy. The lawyer, linguist, philologist Ph ...

in the Italian campaigns of 1796-1797. He served in Egypt, and was seriously wounded at the Battle of Abukir. His devotion to Napoleon was rewarded by complete confidence. He became first ''aide-de-camp'' (1798),

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(1800) then governor of the Tuileries Palace. After the Battle of Marengo, Duroc was sent on missions to Vienna,

St Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

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and Copenhagen.

Napoleonic Wars

As Grand Marshal of the Palace, Duroc was responsible for the measures taken to secure Napoleon's personal safety, whether in France or on his campaigns, and he directed the minutest details of the imperial household. After the Battle of Austerlitz, where he commanded the

grenadiers 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 from ...

in the absence of General Oudinot, he was employed in a series of important negotiations with

Frederick William III of Prussia Frederick William III (german: Friedrich Wilhelm III.; 3 August 1770 – 7 June 1840) was King of Prussia from 16 November 1797 until his death in 1840. He was concurrently Elector of Brandenburg in the Holy Roman Empire until 6 August 1806, wh ...

, with the elector of Saxony (December 1806), in the incorporation of certain states in the Confederation of the Rhine, and in the conclusion of the armistice of

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(July 1809). In 1808, he was created Duke of Frioul: his duchy was made ''

duché grand-fief 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 ...

'' for his widow in 1813, a rare - but nominal - hereditary honour (extinguished in 1829), created in Napoleon's own Kingdom of Italy. In 1813, after the Russian campaign he was appointed to the '' Sénat conservateur'' as a senator. After the Battle of Bautzen (20–21 May 1813), 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 ...

made a slow pursuit of Allied forces. At Reichenbach on 22 May 1813, a cannonball ricocheted off a tree-trunk, hit Duroc in the stomach, tore open his belly and spilled out his intestines in a gory mess over uniform, saddle and horse,Frank McLynn, ''Napoleon: A Biography.'', p. 555. which Napoleon witnessed. Whilst Duroc lay dying inside a farmhouse, he requested Napoleon's presence where he apologised to the Emperor for not being able to serve him further, asked him to be a father to his daughter, and then requested him to withdraw so that he was not present at the moment of death.Frank McLynn, p. 555. Napoleon bought the farm and erected a monument to his memory.

Legacy

Duroc's remains were moved in 1847 to be buried in the Hôtel des Invalides, in Paris. His name is inscribed on the Eastern pillar 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'' ...

, on column 15. The metro station Duroc of the Paris Métro is named after him.

References

* - which names as chief source for Durocs biography the ''

Moniteur Universel was a French newspaper founded in Paris on November 24, 1789 under the title by Charles-Joseph Panckoucke, and which ceased publication on December 31, 1868. It was the main French newspaper during the French Revolution and was for a long time ...

'' (French official state periodical - 31 May 1797, 24 October 1798, 30 May 1813, &c.).
Heraldica.org - Napoleonic heraldry
* An Historical Inquiry into the Principal Circumstances and Events relative to the late Emperor Napoleon in which are investigated The Charges Brought against the Government and conduct of that Eminent Individual, by Barclay Mounteney, Effingham Wilson, London, 1824, pg 168 {{DEFAULTSORT:Duroc, Geraud 1772 births 1813 deaths People from Pont-à-Mousson Grand Marshals of the Palace Dukes of the First French Empire French military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars 19th-century French diplomats French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur Members of the Sénat conservateur Ambassadors of France to Prussia Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe 18th-century French nobility