Jean baptiste bernadotte biography template
•
Sergaent, Marshal and King: Jean Baptiste Bernadotte, 1763-1844, Part I
Bernadotte, alone among the marshals of the Empire, was a man of independent political means. He survived Napoleon’s abdication and fall as his own master, which again distinguishes him from his former colleagues who were obliged to serve Napoleon’s Most Christian successors in various capacities—Gouvion St. Cyr and Victor at the War Ministry, Marmont in the maison militaire—unless indeed they had been sacrificed to the vindictive policies of 1815 like Murat, Ney, Brune.
The majority died in resentful obscurity—Massena, Macdonald, Augereau, Oudinot, Davout—while two, Mortier and the weathercock Soult, achieved new careers under the July Monarchy.1 Only Bernadotte, elected Crown Prince of Sweden in 1810—he became King in 1818—was spared the dilemma that faced the Marshals when in 1814 the French Senate decreed Napoleon’s overthrow and the Allied Sovereigns coupled promises of further employment with dem
•
Charles XIV John
King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 to 1844
"Carl Johan" redirects here. For a subsequent prince, see Carl Johan Bernadotte.
Charles XIV John (Swedish: Karl XIV Johan; 26 January 1763 – 8 March 1844) was King of Sweden and Norway from 1818 until his death in 1844 and the first monarch of the Bernadotte dynasty. In Norway, he is known as Charles III John (Norwegian: Karl III Johan) and before he became royalty in Sweden, his name was Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte.[1] During the Napoleonic Wars, he participated in several battles as a Marshal of France.
Born in Pau in the region of southern France known as Béarn, Bernadotte joined the French Royal Army in 1780. Following the outbreak of the French Revolution, he exhibited great military talent, rapidly rising through the ranks, and was made a brigadier general by 1794. He served with distinction in Italy and Germany, and was briefly Minister of War. His relationship with Napoleon was turbul
•
Jean Baptiste Bernadotte - Part 2: Traitor, Idiot, or Opportunist?
In our previous post we gave a biographical overview of the life of Marshal Bernadotte, later King Charles XIV of Sweden. This week we assess his controversial legacy. Was Bernadotte any good as a military commander? Was he a traitor to Napoleon and to France? Did Bernadotte only act in the interests of Bernadotte?
The Arc de Triomphe is one of France’s most famous landmarks, and serves as a reminder of France’s military glory during the turn of the 19th century. The walls of the båge are inscribed with the names of dozens of leading generals of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. These include 24 of the 26 men Napoleon appointed to the venerated rank of Marshal of France. The two exceptions are Marmont and Bernadotte, both considered traitors to France. While Marmont was censured for abandoning the defence of Paris in 1814 and spent the rest of his life in exile, Bernadotte had become Crown Prince of Sweden