The following list of French general officers (Peninsular War) lists the ''

général is the French word for general. There are two main categories of generals: the general officers (), which are the highest-ranking commanding officers in the armed forces, and the specialist officers with flag rank (), which are high-level offic ...

s'' (''général de brigade'' and ''général de division'') and '' maréchals d'Empire'', that is, the French

general officers A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED O ...

who served in the

First French Empire The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire (; Latin: ) after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Eu ...

's ''

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 ...

'' in Spain and Portugal during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain ...

(1808–1814). The rank given refers to that held until 1814. The list includes foreign nationals who fought in French military units.

Overview

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 ...

had intended the campaign on the Peninsula to be a walkover, but what he would come to call the Spanish Ulcer, ended up with him having had to send in thirteen of his ''maréchals'' (ten of whom were of the first promotion – of fourteen – and included

Soult Marshal General Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatia, (; 29 March 1769 – 26 November 1851) was a French general and statesman, named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and often called Marshal Soult. Soult was one of only six officers in Frenc ...

, one of only six men to have been appointed

Marshal General of France Marshal General of France, originally "Marshal General of the King's camps and armies" (french: maréchal général des camps et armées du roi), was a title given to signify that the recipient had authority over all of the French armies, in the da ...

in the history of France), as well as two "honorary" marshals, Kellermann and

Lefebvre Lefebvre () is a common northern French surname. Other variations include Lefèbvre, Lefèvre, Lefeuvre (western France) and Lefébure (northern France and Normandy). In the Occitan and Arpitan extension area, the variation is Fabre, Favre, Faur ...

, and enter Madrid himself. Apart from the original 28,000 troops that had entered Spain under Junot, heading for Portugal, he would have to send in a further two hundred and seventy thousand men — more than half of the empire's total military strength.

List

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Peninsular War, French General Officers * 19th century in Portugal 19th century in Spain Conflicts in 1807 Conflicts in 1808 Conflicts in 1809 Conflicts in 1810 Conflicts in 1811 Conflicts in 1812 Conflicts in 1813 Conflicts in 1814 France–Portugal relations France–Spain relations France–United Kingdom relations Guerrilla wars King's German Legion Napoleonic Wars Portugal–Spain relations Portugal–United Kingdom relations Wars involving France Wars involving Portugal Wars involving Spain Wars involving the United Kingdom Wars of independence * Lists of French military personnel + * French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars French peninsula

Overview

List

See also

References