Description:

Bonaparte Napoleon



Napoleon's Generals Become Royalists after his 1814 Abdication

 

A set of two French military records documenting the promotion of a former Napoleonic general by another former general, then both in the service of the restored Bourbon king Louis XVIII. The documents were signed by Louis XVIII's War Minister Jean-de-Dieu Soult, 1st Duke of Dalmatie (1769-1851), as "Mal Duc de Dalmatie." Both on partly printed "War Ministry" letterhead, written in Paris, France on January 18, 1815. The watermarked cream paper shows expected light wear including paper folds, toning, and scattered foxing and chips. Both sheets have a photocopied portrait of Soult adhered to the lower left corner, which can be easily removed. The larger document measures 8.375" x 13".

 

1. 1p letter signed by Soult informing Michel Silvestre Brayer (1769-1840) of his promotion.

 

Translated in part:

 

"Monsieur Baron, I have the honor to inform you that the King has designated you to replace M. the Lieutenant Gal Baron Albers in the Commandment of the 1st Subdivision of the 19th Military Division, this last who has become aide-de-camp to H.H. [His Highness] Monseigneur the Duke of Orleans.

 

I invite you to report without delay to Lyon, and to inform me of your departure.

 

I address your letters of service to M. the Lieutenant-General Comte Roger de Damar, Governor of the 19th Military Division.

 

Receive, Monsieur Baron, the assurance of my perfect consideration.

 

War Minister

 

Mal Duc de Dalmatie."

 

Baron Brayer was indeed called to Lyon in January 1815 to command the 1st subdivision of the 19th Military Division. (See French language history blog entry for evidence corroborating the promotion described in our documents.)

 

2. 1p partly printed "Letters of Service" certificate announcing Brayer's promotion in the name of "Louis, by the grace of God, King of France and of Navarre."

 

The signee, Soult, and the subject of the documents, Brayer, were two of Napoleon's most brilliant generals; indeed, both of their names are engraved on the Arc de Triomphe. Soult and Brayer had served together during the Peninsular War (1807-1814) on the Andalusian front, and both participated in the capture of Badajoz (1811).

 

A career soldier, Jean-de-Dieu Soult gained extensive military experience under Napoleon and others. He fought in Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Spain, and southwestern France during the Napoleonic Wars, and was even taken prisoner. Soult was named Marshall of France in 1804 and the Duke of Dalmatia (a region corresponding to the modern day Balkans) in 1808. After Napoleon's abdication in April 1814, Soult switched sides and served as Louis XVIII's War Minister between December 1814 and March 1815. Soult traded allegiances again during the 100 Days of Napoleon's return, a maneuver that resulted in his exile from France until 1819.

 

Michel Silvestre Brayer had a similar background. He joined the army as a teenager in the 1780s. Brayer distinguished himself at the Battles of Austerlitz (1805) and Friedland (1807), at the Siege of Dantzig (1807), and in Spain. He was twice wounded. Napoleon furnished Brayer with a baronetcy in 1811 with a stipend of 6,000 francs. After Napoleon's fall, Brayer persuaded everyone that he was a royalist. He was consigned to military non-activity--with the exception of this commission--and was named a Chevalier de Saint Louis by Louis XVIII. Like Soult, Brayer flocked to Napoleon after the Emperor's return.

 

Two outstanding documents dating from the transition period between Napoleon's abdication and his escape from Elba, illustrating the shifting political alliances typical of the period!

 



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