War minister who signed Changarnier's dismissal in January 1851
Born in Paris in 1794, the son of Napoleon's official Michel Regnaud de Saint-Jean d'Angély, he joined the hussars as a second lieutenant for the Russian campaign of 1812, entered the imperial staff after Leipzig and served as the emperor's ordnance officer at Waterloo. Dismissed by the Restoration, he went to Greece in 1825 and fought in the war of independence, commanding the cavalry of the new Greek army. Back in the army after the July Revolution, he became a divisional general in 1848 and sat on the right in the Legislative Assembly. He commanded a division of the Rome expedition in 1849 and was minister of war from 9 to 24 January 1851. Backing Louis Napoleon in 1852, he was made senator for life, commanded the Imperial Guard from 1856 to 1869 in the Crimean and Italian campaigns, and was made Marshal for his conduct at Magenta in 1859. He died at Cannes in 1870.
Activities and affiliations
-
1812–1815
Consulate and First Empire state institutions
Military command -
1830–1869
France state institutionsMinister of War; commander of the Imperial GuardMain
Military command -
1849–1851
Legislature and state representation
Career Timeline
- 1812–1815Hussar officer; Napoleon's ordnance officer
- 1825–1826Greek War of Independence, commands the Greek cavalry
- 1848Divisional general
- 1851Minister of War (9–24 January)
- 1856–1869Commander of the Imperial Guard
- 1859Marshal of France