Étienne, baron Radet (; 1762 – 27 September 1825) was a

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

officer who served in the

French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars The French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (sometimes called the Great French War or the Wars of the Revolution and the Empire) were a series of conflicts between the French and several European monarchies between 1792 and 1815. They encompas ...

. He is best known for arresting

Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

on 6 July 1809.

Biography

Radet was born at Stenay, in 1762. He joined the

Régiment de La Sarre The La Sarre Regiment (, ) was a French Army regiment active in the 18th century. It is principally known for its role in the Seven Years' War during which it served in the French and Indian War. History The Regiment was recruited in the France ...

as a soldier on 4 April 1780. He was promoted to corporal on 20 March 1781, and sergeant on 26 April 1782. Dismissed on 12 October 1786, he became a constabulary's rider on 30 November. He was appointed as a general of brigade in 1800 by

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, who gave him the chief command of all the

Gendarmerie A gendarmerie () is a paramilitary or military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (). In France and so ...

(armed police.) In 1809, he was ordered to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

. In July of that year he arrested the

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII (; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823) was head of the Catholic Church from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. He ruled the Papal States from June 1800 to 17 May 1809 and again ...

in his palace and conducted him to

Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

. He received the title of baron (1809), and became a general of division in 1813. In June 1815, he was appointed Grand Provost of the

(i.e.

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

) accompanying the French army in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

during the

Waterloo Campaign The Waterloo campaign, also known as the Belgian campaign (15 June – 8 July 1815) was fought between the French Army of the North (France), Army of the North and two War of the Seventh Coalition, Seventh Coalition armies, an Anglo-allied arm ...

. He was present at

Ligny Ligny (; ) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Sombreffe, located in the province of Namur, Belgium. Previously its own municipality, a 1977 fusion of the Belgian municipalities made it an '' ancienne commune'' of So ...

and at the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo, Belgium, Waterloo (then in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium), marking the end of the Napoleonic Wars. The French Imperial Army (1804–1815), Frenc ...

itself, where in the evening of 18 June he was wounded. During the retreat he rode, while bleeding, in the company of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

as far as

Charleroi Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...

, before proceeding to Beaumont, where he attempted to rally those fleeing and stem the rout. At

Maubeuge Maubeuge (; historical or ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. It is situated on both banks of the Sambre (here canalized), east of Valenciennes and ab ...

and Avesnes on the 19th he issued orders to the gendarmes to start arresting the fugitives in an attempt to reconstitute the army and restore discipline. At

Laon Laon () is a city in the Aisne Departments of France, department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Early history The Ancient Diocese of Laon, which rises a hundred metres above the otherwise flat Picardy plain, has always held s ...

on 20 June he again met the

Emperor The word ''emperor'' (from , via ) can mean the male ruler of an empire. ''Empress'', the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), mother/grandmother (empress dowager/grand empress dowager), or a woman who rules ...

, who soon proceeded to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, where Radet soon followed, having been granted leave to rest and heal his wounds. While Radet was in

abdicated for the second time.Radet, Mémoires du général Radet, 340. Upon the return of the Bourbons he was imprisoned in the citadel at Besançon on 28 June 1816, but on 24 December 1818 a royal decision granted him remission on the rest of his sentence on 24 December 1818. Allowed to retire on 1 December 1819, he died on 27 September 1825, in Varennes.

In fiction

In 1981, he was depicted by French actor

Jacques Herlin Jacques Herlin (17 August 1927 – 7 June 2014) was a French character actor of stage, film, and television. Early life and education Born as Jacques de Jouette in Le Vésinet, France, Jacques Herlin grew up in Toulon and moved to Paris in 1951 ...

in the Italian movie '' Il Marchese del Grillo''.

Notes

Sources

* Radet, E., ''Mémoires du général Radet'' (ed. A. Combier), St. Cloud: 1892. * * 1762 births 1825 deaths People from Meuse (department) French Republican military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars {{France-mil-bio-stub