French marshal who as Allied supreme commander in 1918 led the counter-offensive and dictated the armistice
Born into a Catholic family in Tarbes, he made his name commanding the Ninth Army at the Marne in 1914. Facing the German spring offensive in March 1918 he became Allied supreme commander, coordinating the French, British and American armies, and after the Second Battle of the Marne was made marshal and led the counter-offensive that ended the war. In November he received the German armistice at Compiègne. At the peace conference he called for separating the Rhineland, and when this was reduced to a fifteen-year occupation he criticised the Treaty of Versailles as too lenient. For his advice to Poland in the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 he was made a Marshal of Poland. He died in Paris in 1929.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1914Commander of the Ninth Army at the Marne
- 1918Allied commander-in-chief (26 March); Marshal of France (August)
- 1918Armistice at Compiègne
- 1923Marshal of Poland
Related historical events
- 1914–1918First World WarAllied supreme commanderCommanded the Allied armies from March 1918 and led the counter-attack after the spring offensive stalled in July.
- 1918–1923The aftermath of the First World War: peace treaties and the revolutionary waveAllied supreme commanderDrew up the armistice terms for Germany and criticised the Treaty of Versailles as too lenient.