Victor François de Montchenu (6 November 1764 in

Bougé-Chambalud Bougé-Chambalud () is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère Departments of France, department in southeastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Isère department References

Communes of Isère Isère communes ar ...

– 12 January 1849 in Paris) was a French soldier.

Life

Victor François de Montchenu came from one of the oldest families in the

Dauphiné The Dauphiné ( , , ; or ; or ), formerly known in English as Dauphiny, is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was ...

, and one long devoted to military service. He was admitted to the Ecole des chevaux-légers as a child and in 1775 became sous-lieutenant of the ''régiment d'infanterie du Roi'' (King's Infantry Regiment), at a time when officer ranks were reserved for sons of the noble families. He was a captain in this corps during the Nancy affair, finding himself beside André Désilles when the latter died by throwing himself in front of a cannon in a vain hope of stopping the battle between the mutineers and the troops of de Bouillé. Consistently monarchist, Montchenu quickly decided in 1792 that the royalist cause was irrevocably separated from the nation's cause and left France to join the armée des Princes, serving in it as aide-de-camp to général Livarot. In March 1793 he assisted in the defence of Maestricht against

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 ...

's force and served as an aide-major in the 1794-95 campaigns in the régiment de Broglie in the pay of England. Returning to France on the peace of 1814, Montchenu was made a croix de Saint-Louis on 13 August that year and was made brevet maréchal de camp on 30 December. His elder brother was sent to

Saint Helena Saint Helena (, ) is one of the three constituent parts of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, a remote British overseas territory. Saint Helena is a volcanic and tropical island, located in the South Atlantic Ocean, some 1,874 km ...

in 1815 as commissioner of the French government to keep an eye on the behaviour of

Napoleon 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 ...

. Under 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 younger Montchenu worked as inspector general of the infantry. He became a Knight (18 May 1820) then an Officer (1 May 1821) of the

Légion d'honneur 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 ...

. His active career ceased after 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 ...

and he was allowed to retire in February 1835.

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montchenu 1764 births 1849 deaths People from Isère Military leaders of the French Revolutionary Wars Royalist insurgents during the French Revolution People of the Bourbon Restoration Knights of the Legion of Honour Officers of the Legion of Honour