Louis César Gabriel Berthier de Berluy (; 9 November 1765

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

– 17 August 1819

Château de Grosbois The château de Grosbois () is a castle in Boissy-Saint-Léger, Val-de-Marne, France. History In 1190, Philip II of France gave the abbaye de Saint-Victor de Paris lands at Grosbois in exchange for lands in the bois de Vincennes. The abbey c ...

(

Seine-et-Oise Seine-et-Oise () is a former department of France, which encompassed the western, northern and southern parts of the metropolitan area of Paris. Its prefecture was Versailles and its administrative number was 78. Seine-et-Oise was disbanded in ...

)), was a French Napoleonic War general.

Early life

He was the son of

Jean-Baptiste Berthier Jean-Baptiste Berthier (1721–1804) was an officer (Lieutenant-Colonel) in the French Corps of Topographical Engineers during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI. Biography Early life Jean-Baptiste Berthier was born on 6 January 1721 in Tonnerr ...

(1721-1804), an engineer and lieutenant-colonel ennobled by

Louis XV of France Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...

, and a brother of

Louis-Alexandre Berthier Louis-Alexandre Berthier, prince de Neuchâtel et Valangin, prince de Wagram (; 20 November 1753 – 1 June 1815) was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was twice Minister of Wa ...

the Empire ''maréchal'', the division general Victor Léopold Berthier, and ''maréchal de camp'' Joseph-Alexandre Berthier, 1st

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

Berthier (1821). César was born on 9 November 1765, at 3, rue de l’Indépendance américaine, in Saint-Louis parish, at

, and was baptised on 20 November.

Career

After the

coup of 18 Brumaire The Coup of 18 Brumaire () brought Napoleon Bonaparte to power as First Consul of the French First Republic. In the view of most historians, it ended the French Revolution and would soon lead to the coronation of Napoleon as Emperor of the Fr ...

in Year VIII (9 November 1799) he was appointed inspector of reviews. At Marengo on 25 Prairial in the year VIII (14 June 1800), he was made adjutant to

Joachim Murat Joachim Murat ( , also ; ; ; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French Army officer and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the military titles of Marshal of the ...

, commander of the cavalry. Promoted to Brigadier General on September 4, 1802, he succeeded his brother the following year as chief of staff in Paris, the latter being called to leave for Germany. He was made a commander in the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

on 14 January 1804, and in 1805 he obtained the command of an army of observation on the coast of Holland. He became a division general on 3 January 1806.

At Corfu

The

Septinsular Republic The Septinsular Republic (; ), also known as the Republic of the Seven United Islands, was an oligarchic republic that existed from 1800 to 1807 under nominal Russian and Ottoman sovereignty in the Ionian Islands (Corfu, Paxoi, Lefkada, Cephalon ...

was ceded by Russia to France as part of the

Treaties of Tilsit The Treaties of Tilsit (), also collectively known as the Peace of Tilsit (; ), were two peace treaties signed by French Emperor Napoleon in the town of Tilsit in July 1807 in the aftermath of his victory at Friedland, at the end of the War o ...

in 1807.Dr Vincent, « Les Français à Corfou. In August 1807, Berthier arrived in

Corfu Corfu ( , ) or Kerkyra (, ) is a Greece, Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands; including its Greek islands, small satellite islands, it forms the margin of Greece's northwestern frontier. The island is part of the Corfu (regio ...

from Taranto with 4,000 men of the 5th Italian Regiment of the Line, the , two artillery companies, two companies of

sapper A sapper, also called a combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparing field defenses ...

s, supplies and ammunition. The

Ionian Islands The Ionian Islands (Modern Greek: , ; Ancient Greek, Katharevousa: , ) are a archipelago, group of islands in the Ionian Sea, west of mainland Greece. They are traditionally called the Heptanese ("Seven Islands"; , ''Heptanēsa'' or , ''Heptanē ...

were occupied by the 4th Light. Berthier announced on 1 September at the Septinsular Senate that the Ionian Islands were annexed to France. When he became "commander of Corfu," Caesar Berthier settled in the Fortezza Vecchia, in the building occupied before him by Venetian ''

provveditore The Italian title ''prov ditore'' (plural ''provveditori''; also known in ; ), "he who sees to things" ( overseer), was the style of various (but not all) local district governors in the extensive, mainly maritime empire of the Republic of Venice. ...

s'', general Antoine Gentili and

Louis François Jean Chabot Louis François Jean Chabot (; 27 April 1757 in Niort – 11 March 1837 in Sansais) was a French general. He was in charge of the French forces at the Siege of Corfu (1798–99) Siege of Corfu may refer to: * Siege of Corfu (1537) by the ...

, then before that

Sebastiano Mocenigo Alvise Sebastiano Mocenigo (1662–1732), sometimes enumerated Alvise III Mocenigo, was the 112th Doge of Venice from 1722 to 1732. He was also ''Provveditore Generale'' (Governor) of Venetian Dalmatia twice. Life Born into one of the most impor ...

. Although Napoleon promised that the Seven Islands would retain their independence, Berthier hoisted the French flag over the citadel, which was not seen as an encouraging sign by the local population. On March 28, 1808, he was replaced by his former assistant, François-Xavier Donzelot.

End of the empire and restoration

He commanded the 27th military division in Turin (1808-1811) and the 23rd Military Division in Corsica (1811-1814). Also in Italy he was appointed head of the house of

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 ...

, who was being held prisoner in

Savona Savona (; ) is a seaport and (municipality) in the west part of the northern Italian region of Liguria, and the capital of the Province of Savona. Facing the Ligurian Sea, Savona is the main center of the Riviera di Ponente (the western se ...

by Napoleon (1809-1814). He was then governor of

Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...

replacing General

Jacques-François Menou Jacques-François de Menou, Baron of Boussay (3 September 1750 – 13 August 1810) was a French Army officer and politician who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is best known for his role in the unsuccessful French invas ...

. He was made a knight of the Order of the Lion "Bavaria" and count of the Empire on February 13, 1813. He rallied to the

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. A branch descended from ...

in 1814. He was awarded the Cross of St. Louis on 24 October 1814. In 1819 he was assigned the rank of lieutenant general in the infantry's General Inspectorate. But on 17 August 1819, while visiting the Castle of Grosbois near

Boissy-Saint-Léger Boissy-Saint-Léger () is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Population Transport Boissy-Saint-Léger is served by Boissy-Saint-Léger station on Pa ...

, the country house of his sister-in-law Duchess Maria Elisabeth in Bavaria, Princess of Neufchatel and Wagram, he died accidentally (by drowning or struck with apoplexy) in a pond on the grounds of the castle.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berthier, Cesar Knights of the Order of Saint Louis Commanders of the Legion of Honour 1765 births 1819 deaths French generals French rule in the Ionian Islands (1807–1814) French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars