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Paul Charles François Adrien Henri Dieudonné Thiébault (; 14 December 1769,
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– 14 October 1846,
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) was a general who fought in
Napoleon I 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 ...
's army. During his military career he wrote a number of histories and memoirs, the last of which were published in 1895.


Life

His father was Dieudonné Thiébault, a professor in the military school in Berlin and a friend of
Frederick II of Prussia Frederick II (; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was the monarch of Prussia from 1740 until his death in 1786. He was the last Hohenzollern monarch titled ''King in Prussia'', declaring himself '' King of Prussia'' after annexing Royal Prus ...
. Paul Thiébault moved to France and took up an administrative post, which he remained in until 20 August 1792. On that date he volunteered for the Butte des Moulins battalion, but was invalided out on health grounds the following November. He was implicated in treason accusations aimed at
Charles François Dumouriez Charles-François du Périer Dumouriez (; 26 January 1739 – 14 March 1823) was a French military officer, French minister of foreign affairs, minister of Foreign Affairs, French minister of Defense, minister of War in a Constitutional Cabin ...
on 4 April 1793 but succeeded in proving his innocence and rejoined the army, at first in the Armée du Rhin then in the
Armée du Nord The Army of the North or is a name given to several historical units of the French Army. The first was one of the French Revolutionary Armies that fought with distinction against the First Coalition from 1792 to 1795. Others existed during th ...
until 1794. Rising rapidly through the ranks, he was made adjutant to general
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in the armée d’Italie in 1795. He served at the
Battle of Rivoli The Battle of Rivoli (14 January 1797) was a key military engagement during the War of the First Coalition near the village of Rivoli Veronese, Rivoli, then part of the Republic of Venice. In the climax of the Italian Campaign of 1796-1797, It ...
, distinguished himself in the assault on
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in January 1799 and then retired the following June. Recalled in January 1800, he was attached to the armée d’Italie, where he served on Masséna's staff at the siege of Genoa.La caduta di Luigia Pallavicini nelle memorie di Thiebault
/ref> He was made a general in 1801 and commanded the 2nd brigade of the 1st infantry division at Austerlitz, in support of Vandamme, making him part of the army corps which mounted the assault and took the Pratzen plateau. He was wounded during the battle. He was then made governor of
Fulda Fulda () (historically in English called Fuld) is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the river Fulda and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district (''Kreis''). In 1990, the city hosted the 30th Hessentag state festival. Histor ...
in October 1806. Next he was transferred to the French army in Portugal, then in Spain, where he remained until 1813. In May 1810 he was made governor of Salamanca and in 1811 of Vieille-Castille. During his time in the Peninsula he also became a divisional general (1808), then a baron (1813). He was then moved to Germany, where he commanded first 40st. and then 50st. infantry division at Hamburg then Lubeck between 1813 and 1814, under the command of Davout. He backed Napoleon 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 ...
and was put in command of the defence of Paris. Published in 1895, with an English translation appearing the next year, his memoirs are a useful source for the history of the
First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...
, filling in details and giving often critical assessments of major figures.


Family

His father is Dieudonné Thiébault. Thiébault married Betsy Walker the daughter of the novelist Lady Mary Hamilton. His son Adolphe (1797-1875) became a military tutor and antiquities collector. Adolphe gathered together the family's papers and these are available at
Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...
.


Works

* ''Journal des opérations militaires du siège et du blocus de Gênes'', written in 1801 * ''Relation de l’expédition du Portugal faite en 1807 et 1808'' * ''Manuel général du service des états-majors généraux et divisionnaires dans les armées'' * ''Mémoires'' ** ''Memoirs of Baron Thiébault'' (transl. by A. J. Butler), London, 1896 * ''Du chant, et particulièrement de la romance'', 1813


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thiebault, Paul French generals French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Military personnel from Berlin 1769 births 1846 deaths Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe People of the War of the First Coalition