Philibert-Jean-Baptiste François Joseph, comte Curial (; 21 April 1774 – 30 May 1829) was a general in the

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during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

Early life and career

Curial was the son of François Joseph Curial (1740-1801) and his wife, Marie Domenget. His father was a judge in the

Mont Blanc Mont Blanc (, ) is a mountain in the Alps, rising above sea level, located right at the Franco-Italian border. It is the highest mountain in Europe outside the Caucasus Mountains, the second-most prominent mountain in Europe (after Mount E ...

Civil Court, and a representative for Mont Blanc on the

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. When the French invaded

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in 1793, Curial embarked on a military career. He began his career in the

Légion des Allobroges The Légion des Allobroges was a unit of the French Revolutionary Army that consisted mainly of volunteers from Switzerland, Piedmont and Savoy. The Legion's name refers to the Allobroges, a Gallic tribe in Roman times. Reviving Roman names and co ...

, with the rank of captain. He was sent by the

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under the command of General Jean François Carteaux, to pursue the Federalist insurgents. He then joined the French Army of Italy, and then took part in the

Egyptian campaign The French invasion of Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was a military expedition led by Napoleon Bonaparte during the French Revolutionary Wars. The campaign aimed to undermine British trade routes, expand French influence, and establish a ...

. He took part in almost all of the battles that the French fought in and was promoted to the rank of

chef de bataillon () is the seniormost non-commissioned officer rank in France and other Francophone countries. Unlike most other countries which use the old European rank system, France uses as its lowest ranking senior officer. While the rank functions of '' ...

in 1799. Appointed colonel of the on 12 Frimaire year XII, he received the decoration of the

Legion of Honour 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 society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on the 19th of the same month, that of officer on 25 Prairial, and served with distinction at the

Battle of Austerlitz The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...

. His conduct during the battle earned him the cross of commander of the Legion of Honour, which he received on 4 Nivôse year XIII, and the rank of colonel-major of the .

Campaigning with Napoleon

Curial distinguished himself at the

Battle of Eylau The Battle of Eylau (also known as the Battle of Preussisch-Eylau) was a bloody and strategically inconclusive battle on 7 and 8 February 1807 between Napoleon's and the Imperial Russian Army under the command of General Levin August von Be ...

, and again at the

Battle of Friedland The Battle of Friedland (14 June 1807) was a major engagement of the Napoleonic Wars between the armies of the French Empire commanded by Napoleon I and the armies of the Russian Empire led by General Levin August von Bennigsen. Napoleon and t ...

, after which he was elevated to the rank of Général de brigade, and obtained the title of

Baron of the Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles in a newly established ' (imperial nobility) to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both befo ...

in 1808. He went on to play a decisive role in the

Battle of Aspern-Essling In the Battle of Aspern-Essling (21–22 May 1809), Napoleon crossed the Danube near Vienna, but the French and their allies were attacked and forced back across the river by the Austrians under Archduke Charles. It was the first time Napoleo ...

, capturing the village of

Essling Essling
Essling entry in the Viennese government's history wiki (German) () is a neighbourhood ...

after seven previous attacks had failed. This feat of arms earned him the rank of

général de division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

, which the emperor conferred on him on 5 June 1809. Back in Paris, General Curial married the daughter of

State Councilor A State Councillor of the People's Republic of China () serves as a senior vice leader within the State Council and shares responsibilities with the Vice Premiers in assisting the Premier in the administration and coordination of governmental a ...

Count Beugnot. He took part in the

French invasion of Russia The French invasion of Russia, also known as the Russian campaign (), the Second Polish War, and in Russia as the Patriotic War of 1812 (), was initiated by Napoleon with the aim of compelling the Russian Empire to comply with the Continenta ...

in 1812, commanding the , once more demonstrating great personal courage. Curial survived the French retreat, and in 1813 he was charged by 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 ...

to organize and then take command of twelve new battalions of the Young Guard. He led these troops in the

German Campaign of 1813 The German campaign () was fought in 1813. Members of the Sixth Coalition, including the German states of Austria and Prussia, plus Russia and Sweden, fought a series of battles in Germany against the French Emperor Napoleon, his marshals, and th ...

and took part in the

Battle of Leipzig The Battle of Leipzig, also known as the Battle of the Nations, was fought from 16 to 19 October 1813 at Leipzig, Saxony. The Coalition armies of Austria, Prussia, Sweden, and Russia, led by Tsar Alexander I, Karl von Schwarzenberg, and G ...

on 16 October, where he seized Dolitz's position, pushed the enemy back across the river

Pleiße The Pleiße () is a river of Saxony and Thuringia, Germany. It flows from south to north into the White Elster in Leipzig. Originally, its natural length was ; however, south of Leipzig, it has been straightened, which shortened it to around . Th ...

, and captured a large number of Austrian troops, including General Merfeldt. On 30 October Curial was heavily involved in defending against the Austro-Bavarian army attempting to cut off the retreat of the French army at the

Battle of Hanau The Battle of Hanau was fought from 30 to 31 October 1813 between Karl Philipp von Wrede's Austro-Bavarian corps and Napoleon's retreating French during the War of the Sixth Coalition. Following Napoleon's defeat at the Battle of Leipzig ...

. As a reward for his services during this battle, he received the Grand Cross of the Order of the Reunion. Curial took part in all the battles against the allied forces as they pushed into France, and particularly distinguished himself at the battles of Vauchamps and

Craonne Craonne () is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France, northwest of Reims. History It was the site of the Napoleonic Battle of Craonne in 1814. The former town was totally destroyed by the French artillery d ...

under the emperor, and the Battle of Paris under Marshal

Mortier {{otheruses Mortier was an organ manufacturer from Antwerp, Belgium that made dance organs and orchestrions. History The company was founded by Theophile Mortier (1855–1944). Mortier started in 1898 as a vending agent for the Parisian organ ...

. The Emperor created him count of the Empire on 22 March 1814.

Bourbon Restoration and the Hundred Days

Curial was one of the first general officers to announce their obedience to the acts of the

Sénat conservateur The (, "Conservative Senate") was an advisory body established in France during the French Consulate, Consulate following the French Revolution. It was established in 1799 under the Constitution of the Year VIII following the Napoleon Bonapa ...

and give their support to

Louis XVIII Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. Before his reign, he spent 23 y ...

on the

Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to: France under the House of Bourbon: * Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815) Spain under the Spanish Bourbons: * Ab ...

. The King created him a Knight of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis on 2 June, a

Peer of France The Peerage of France () was a hereditary distinction within the French nobility which appeared in 1180 during the Middle Ages. The prestigious title and position of Peer of France () was held by the greatest, highest-ranking members of the Fr ...

on 4 June, grand officer of the Legion of Honour and Commander of the 19th Military Division on 14 July. At the same time his father-in-law, Count Beugnot, was appointed director of the police. Curial became the grand cross of the Legion of Honour on 14 February 1815 and was created gentleman of the king's chamber. On his return from the island of

Elba Elba (, ; ) is a Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National Park, a ...

and the start of 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 ...

, Curial was out of favour with Napoleon. He was relieved of command of the chasseurs de la Garde, which was entrusted to General

Charles Antoine Morand Charles-Antoine-Louis-Alexis Morand (; 4 June 1771 – 2 December 1835) Comte de l'Empire, was a general of the French army during the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. He fought at many of the most important battles of the time, in ...

and was ordered to go to

Lyons Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

to serve in the

Army of the Alps The Army of the Alps (''Armée des Alpes'') was one of the French Revolutionary armies. It existed from 1792–1797 and from July to August 1799, and the name was also used on and off until 1939 for France's army on its border with Italy. 1792� ...

under the orders of Marshal

Louis-Gabriel Suchet Louis-Gabriel Suchet, duc d' Albuféra (; 2 March 1770 – 3 January 1826), was a French Marshal of the Empire and one of the most successful commanders of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He is regarded as one of the greatest ...

. The Emperor did not call him to the newly created House of Peers.

Second Bourbon restoration and later life

After Napoleon's defeat and exile, Curial had his civil and military dignities reinstated. Employed in the army as Inspector General of Infantry, he resumed his seat as a peer at the

Luxembourg Palace The Luxembourg Palace (, ) is at 15 Rue de Vaugirard in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was originally built (1615–1645) to the designs of the French architect Salomon de Brosse to be the royal residence of the regent Marie de' Med ...

, where he voted for exile in the trial of Marshal

Michel Ney Michel Ney, 1st Prince de la Moskowa, 1st Duke of Elchingen (; 10 January 1769 – 7 December 1815), was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. The son of ...

. In 1823 Curial commanded the 5th division deployed to

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as part of the

Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis The "Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis" was the popular name for a French army mobilized in 1823 by the Bourbon King of France, Louis XVIII, to help the Spanish Bourbon royalists restore King Ferdinand VII of Spain to the absolute power ...

, under the orders of Marshal

Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey Bon-Adrien Jeannot de Moncey (or Jannot de Moncey), 1st duc de Conegliano (31 July 1754 – 20 April 1842) was a French military officer and a prominent commander in the French Revolutionary Wars and later a Marshal of the Empire during the Napo ...

. He distinguished himself on 9 July at the attack at

Molins de Rei Molins de Rei () or Molins de Rey in Spanish is a municipality located 18 km from Barcelona's city centre, in the ''comarca'' of Baix Llobregat in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river, on the A-7 ''aut ...

, near

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, and several times engaged the garrison of the city in several sorties. His favour increased at court, and he was appointed commander of St. Louis on 20 August 1823, and first chamberlain and grand master of the king's wardrobe. In this capacity he attended, on 29 May 1825, the

Coronation of Charles X The coronation of Charles X of France, Charles X took place on 29 May 1825 in Reims, where he was crowned King of France and Navarre. The ceremony was held at the Reims Cathedral, Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Reims in Reims, the traditional site for ...

. Curial suffered a serious fall during the trip to

Reims Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...

. His health steadily deteriorated thereafter, forcing him into retirement. Curial remained loyal to Charles X, despite the monarch's decreasing popularity. As revolution threatened, Curial opposed the appointment of Marshal

Auguste de Marmont Auguste Frédéric Louis Viesse de Marmont, duc de Raguse (; 20 July 1774 – 22 March 1852) was a French general and nobleman who rose to the rank of Marshal of the Empire and was awarded the title (). In the Peninsular War Marmont succeeded th ...

to command Paris's defence, and warned the king not to place his confidence in him. Curial did not live to see the

July Revolution The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after French Revolution, the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Cha ...

, dying in Paris on 30 May 1829. His name is one of those inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, in Column 17, on the eastern pillar.

Family and issue

Curial married Clémentine Marie Amélie Beugnot (1788-1840) in Paris on 14 March 1808. Clémentine was the daughter of

Count Beugnot. The two had three children together: * Napoléon Joseph (1809-1861), 2nd count Curial (1829), cavalry officer, general councillor of

Orne Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Alençon Alençon (, , ; ) is a commune in Normandy, France, and the capital of the Orne department. It is situated between Paris and Rennes (about west of Paris) and a little over north of Le Mans. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alen� ...

, deputy of Orne, and senator of the Second Empire (1852). He married, on 26 March 1832, Louise Félicie Gérard, and had an issue. *Marie Clémentine (1812-1889), married Louis Gabriel Le Duc, Marquis de Saint-Clou. *Adolphe Philibert (1814-1873), viscount Curial, married, on 20 February 1841, Marie Françoise Le Pileur de Brévannes (1821-1871), and had issue.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curial, Philibert Jean-Baptiste 1774 births 1829 deaths Generals of the First French Empire French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe People from Savoie Barons of the First French Empire Counts of the First French Empire Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Commanders of the Order of Saint Louis Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration Hundred Thousand Sons of Saint Louis