Charles François de Virot (also spelt Viraud or Vireaux) marquis de Sombreuil (12 January 1725 – 17 June 1794) was a French Royalist general of the

Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...

and

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

. He rose to become

maréchal de camp ''Maréchal de camp'' (sometimes incorrectly translated as field marshal) was a general officer rank used by the French Army until 1848. The rank originated from the older rank of sergeant major general ( French: ''sergent-major général'') ...

, hero of the Battle of Rocoux and

governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides (; ), commonly called (; ), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldi ...

Military career

De Virot was appointed as a second lieutenant in the ''régiment de Montmorin'' on 16 July 1735. Commissioning and promotion by purchase was common practice in the pre-revolutionary Royal Army, although abolished in the infantry in 1758. He reached the rank of captain on 20 May 1745 and that of lieutenant colonel of the ''régiment Royal-Corse'' in 1758. After distinguishing himself in the field and holding various garrison commands in peace-time France, de Virot was appointed governor of the ''Invalides'' in Paris on 16 December 1786. While his command consisted only of veteran pensioners no longer considered suitable for active military service, de Virot was also responsible for the safeguarding of large stocks of weapons stored in the building complex.

French Revolution

On 14 July 1789, widespread disturbances in Paris led to the seizure of the Hotel de Invalides and the

Storming of the Bastille The Storming of the Bastille ( ), which occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, was an act of political violence by revolutionary insurgents who attempted to storm and seize control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison k ...

. Demands had been made to Sombreuil by the newly organised electors militia for the handing over of the thirty thousand muskets stored in the cellars of the Invalides. The governor delayed by responding that he would need approval from Versailles; while ordering his unenthusiastic pensioners to begin to disable the weapons held.Simon Schama, p. 388 '' Citizens: A Chronicle of the French Revolution'', Unlike Bernard-René Jourdan de Launay, the governor of the

Bastille The Bastille (, ) was a fortress in Paris, known as the Bastille Saint-Antoine. It played an important role in the internal conflicts of France and for most of its history was used as a state prison by the kings of France. It was stormed by a ...

, Sombreuil subsequently accepted the revolutionaries' demands to surrender his garrison without attempting armed resistance. He thereby avoided the fate of de Launay, who was seized and killed by the mob. Hampson, Norman, 1963. ''A social history of the French Revolution''. P.74-75 Sombreuil was promoted to lieutenant-general, in what was still nominally the Royal Army, on 20 May 1791. He participated in the defence of the Tuileries Palace on 10 August 1792, when the monarchy was finally overthrown. Imprisoned in the Abbey Prison six days later, he survived the September massacres, before being moved to two other prisons between December 1793 and May 1794. His daughter Marie-Maurille de Sombreuil (born 1768) had demanded to be imprisoned with him. Sombreuil was finally sentenced to death on 29 Prairial Year II (17 June 1794) by the Revolutionary Tribunal of Paris under Fouquier-Tinville. The charges against him included that of being an accomplice in a planned prison uprising and of conspiring to assassinate Collot d'Herbois, a representative of the people.

Execution

Together with his son Stanislas, Sombreuil was guillotined at the Place du Trône Renversé on 17 June 1794. Because of the d'Herbois charge, the general was obliged to wear a red blouse marking him as an accused would-be

parricide Parricide is the deliberate killing of one's own parent, spouse, child, or other close relative. However, the term is sometimes used more generally to refer to the intentional killing of a near relative. It is an umbrella term that can be used to ...

. The bodies of the two Sombreuils were amongst fifty-three victims of the

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

buried in a mass grave in what is now the

Picpus Cemetery Picpus Cemetery (, ) is the largest private cemetery in Paris, France, and is located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, 12th arrondissement. It was created from land seized from the Coignard, convent of the Chanoinesses de St-Augustin, during ...

Fate of family

His youngest son Charles Eugène Gabriel de Sombreuil was one of the commanders of an emigre counter-revolutionary force that made an abortive landing at Quiberon in 1795. Charles was amongst 750 royalists prisoners subsequently executed by firing squad on 28 July, at the orders of

Lazare Hoche Louis Lazare Hoche (; 24 June 1768 – 19 September 1797) was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars. He won a victory over Royalist forces in Brittany. His surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on ...

. Mademoiselle de Sombreuil eventually married in 1796, and died in May 1823.

Children

* * * Charles Eugène Gabriel de Sombreuil

References

External links

Quiberon 1795...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sombreuil 1725 births 1794 deaths People from the Province of Alsace Military personnel from Haut-Rhin French generals French people executed by guillotine during the French Revolution Executed military leaders