Joseph Léopold Sigisbert Hugo, Count Hugo de Cogolludo y Sigüenza (; 15 November 1773 – 29 January 1828) was a French general in the Napoleonic Wars. He was the husband of Sophie Trébuchet and the father of four sons. He is best known for his relationship to his third son, the eminent writer and French peer,

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

Early life

Joseph Léopold Hugo was the youngest son of Joseph Hugo, a former adjutant in the army of the

Kingdom of France The Kingdom of France is the historiographical name or umbrella term given to various political entities of France in the Middle Ages, medieval and Early modern France, early modern period. It was one of the most powerful states in Europe from th ...

, and Jeanne-Marguerite Hugo. His four elder brothers all served as soldiers, a profession he himself took up in 1787 when he enlisted at the age of fourteen. He met Sophie Trébuchet in 1796 in a town of France called

Châteaubriant Châteaubriant (; ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Châtiaoberiant'') is a town in western France, about southwest of Paris, and one of the three Subprefectures in France, sous-préfectures of the Loire-Atlantique departments of France, department. C ...

, marrying her the following year in

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 ...

. They had three sons.

Abel Abel ( ''Hébel'', in pausa ''Hā́ḇel''; ''Hábel''; , ''Hābēl'') is a biblical figure in the Book of Genesis within the Abrahamic religions. Born as the second son of Adam and Eve, the first two humans created by God in Judaism, God, he ...

, , and Victor.

Military career

Joseph Léopold Hugo was appointed an officer in 1790, and in 1791 he was appointed to a command in the

Army of the Rhine An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

. He fought in engagements along the length of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

and as far as the

Danube The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...

. Later, he was assigned as a battalion commander to fight against insurgents in

Vendée Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

. From 1800 to 1802, he was stationed in

Besançon Besançon (, ; , ; archaic ; ) is the capital of the Departments of France, department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerland. Capi ...

, after which point he transferred first to

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

and afterwards to

Bastia Bastia ( , , , ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It also has the second-highest popu ...

. There, he went into the service of

Joseph Bonaparte Joseph Bonaparte (born Giuseppe di Buonaparte, ; ; ; 7 January 176828 July 1844) was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars, the latter made him King of Naples (1806–1808), an ...

, then King of Naples, and fought against insurgents in the kingdom. The King appointed him a Colonel in February 1808, for capturing and executing the famed guerilla leader Fra Diavolo. Hugo followed the King to serve in Spain throughout the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

, where he was appointed General. After the retreat from Spain and the

Battle of Vitoria At the Battle of Vitoria (21 June 1813), a United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, British, Kingdom of Portugal, Portuguese and Spanish Empire, Spanish army under the Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Marquess of Wellington bro ...

on 21 June 1813, General Hugo was demoted to the rank of Major by order of Napoleon. Later, after being restored to the rank of General, he remained with the army until Napoleon's abdication, later returning to his service during the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...

Death

After being relieved of duty by ordinance in 1824, Joseph Léopold Hugo retired to his residence in

Blois Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher Departments of France, department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours. With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the mos ...

at the age of 51. On 29 January 1828 Hugo suffered a stroke and died at age 54; his body was interred in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

in Paris.

Publications

Hugo, writing under the pseudonym ''Genti'', published several works throughout his life, including: * ''Memoirs on the means of supplying the slave trade with free individuals, etc.'', Blois, 1818; * ''Historical journal of the blockade of Thionville in 1815, and of the sieges of this city, Sierck and Rodemack in 1815'', Blois 1819; * ''Memoirs of General Hugo'', Paris 1820.

References

* 1773 births 1828 deaths Hugo family Knights of the Order of Saint Louis Officers of the Legion of Honour French generals {{France-mil-bio-stub