Pierre-Augustin Hulin (6 September 1758 – 9 January 1841) was a French general under

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

who took part in the

storming of the Bastille The Storming of the Bastille (french: Prise de la Bastille ) occurred in Paris, France, on 14 July 1789, when revolutionary insurgents stormed and seized control of the medieval armoury, fortress, and political prison known as the Bastille. At ...

, the trial of the Duke d'Enghien, and the foiling of the Malet coup.

Early life

Lallemand - Arrestation du gouverneur de la Bastille - 1790

Pierre Augustin Hulin, the son of a Parisian draper, was born on 6 September 1758. He entered the army in 1771,Haythornthwaite, p. 28. serving in a

Champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, ...

infantry regiment. In 1772 he was transferred to the French Guards, in the ranks of which he rose to sergeant. In 1787 he had already retired from the guards and was a successful operator of the Royal Laundry.Lüsebrink and Reichardt, p. 45.Warren, p. 91: "Director of the Queen's Laundry". During the week that preceded the

Hulin was several times spotted agitating the mob against the Crown. Madame de Staël wrote that Hulin told her: "I want to take revenge for your father on these bastards who want to butcher us." Louis Abel Beffroy de Reigny recorded similar inflammatory speeches addressed to the royal soldiers, Louis-Guillome Pitra dramatized Hulin's speech into "The Parisians are slaughtered like lambs, and you are not marching with us?"Lüsebrink and Reichardt, pp. 58-59. On the day of the

Hulin offered his services to the Hôtel de Ville. He assembled a company of seventy men armed with five cannons. Around 3 o'clock he led his men from

Les Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, ...

to the Bastille. Two hours later artillery fire and pressure from the Bastille personnel persuaded its governor Marquis de Launay to capitulate.Lüsebrink and Reichardt, p. 43. By this time the attacking mob lost around a hundred men, the defenders of the Bastille had only one man killed. Hulin and his deputy Jacob Elie defended De Launay from the mob and sent him under an armed escort to the Hôtel de Ville. According to Pitra, Hulin and Elie saved De Launay from lynching at least once, when the mob attacked them near the church of St. Louis.Warren, p. 42. The mob finally forced their way past the convoy on the Place de Grève,Warren, p. 92. when it was near its destination. A cook named Denót or Desnot killed De Launay, royalist provost Jacques de Flesselles was killed too. Although five were lynched, most of the Bastille's defenders were escorted safely to the Hôtel de Ville. The governor's head was severed and carried around the city on a pike.Lüsebrink and Reichardt, p. 44.Warren, p. 43. The next day, 15 July 1789, Hulin was appointed company commander of the ''Volontaires de la Bastille'', an armed force paid by the city government which later evolved into the National Guard.Lüsebrink and Reichardt, p. 87. This permanent core of the newly created Paris militia was recruited from certified veterans of the Bastille Day such as Hulin, plus former French Guards. Hulin's own performance made him a national hero, a "herculean victor",Lüsebrink and Reichardt, p. 217. and a staple of patriotic leaflets and magazines issued since 1790.Lüsebrink and Reichardt, pp. 92-93. Republican historians of the 19th century amplified popular perception and downplayed the excesses of the mob and underscored Hulin's own moderation. As aristocrats left the army in large numbers, new officers were promoted from the enlisted ranks. Hulin, however, did not escape the excesses of the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First French Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public Capital punishment, executions took pl ...

and was incarcerated for almost a year, 1793–1794. When Robespierre's radical government fell in 1794, Hulin was released. During the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Pruss ...

, Hulin served in the Army of Italy and fought against the

Austrians , pop = 8–8.5 million , regions = 7,427,759 , region1 = , pop1 = 684,184 , ref1 = , region2 = , pop2 = 345,620 , ref2 = , region3 = , pop3 = 197,990 , ref3 ...

in the defense of

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian census, the Province of ...

and commanded troops in Milan, eventually rising to the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Service under Napoleon

Hulin, under the command of self-appointed

First Consul The Consulate (french: Le Consulat) was the top-level Government of France from the fall of the Directory in the coup of 18 Brumaire on 10 November 1799 until the start of the Napoleonic Empire on 18 May 1804. By extension, the term ''The Co ...

, served as chief of staff in several divisions and was later given command of the grenadiers of the consular guard. In August 1803 Hulin was promoted to

brigadier general Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

. In 1804 he presided over the commission that tried Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien. The Duke, a descendant of the Condé family, a cadet branch of the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spani ...

, was convicted of treason and was executed by

firing squad Execution by firing squad, in the past sometimes called fusillading (from the French ''fusil'', rifle), is a method of capital punishment, particularly common in the military and in times of war. Some reasons for its use are that firearms are ...

, an act that was met by horror and anger from other European nations. Hulin fought in the

Grande Armée ''La Grande Armée'' (; ) was the main military component of the French Imperial Army commanded by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte during the Napoleonic Wars. From 1804 to 1808, it won a series of military victories that allowed the French Em ...

in the campaigns of 1805 and 1806, fighting in present-day Germany. He was given command of troops in Berlin after the completion of the Prussian campaign. In 1807 he was promoted to major general and appointed governor of Paris. He held the latter title until 1814, and during the

Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoratio ...

in 1815. In 1808 he was styled

Count of the Empire As Emperor of the French, Napoleon I created titles of nobility to institute a stable elite in the First French Empire, after the instability resulting from the French Revolution. Like many others, both before and since, Napoleon found that th ...

, and in 1809 was made Grand Officer of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

. Hulin was the military governor of Paris in 1812, when pro-Republic General

Claude François de Malet Claude François de Malet (June 28, 1754 – October 31, 1812) was born in Dole to an aristocratic family. He was executed by firing squad, six days after staging a failed republican coup d'état as Napoleon I returned from the disastrous Russ ...

launched a coup while Napoleon was pursuing a disastrous campaign in Russia. Troops loyal to Malet seized many

Bonapartist Bonapartism (french: Bonapartisme) is the political ideology supervening from Napoleon Bonaparte and his followers and successors. The term was used to refer to people who hoped to restore the House of Bonaparte and its style of government. In thi ...

officers in the city and tried to take control of the government. When Hulin attempted to arrest the rebel general, Malet shot him in the face. Hulin's resistance caused troops and military police to turn on Malet and take him into custody. Malet and other conspirators were executed, Hulin was rewarded with the command of the 1st Division. When Napoleon abdicated, Hulin's command was taken away from him by the restored Bourbon monarchy. However, when the former emperor returned from exile in 1815, Hulin was given back his position as divisional commander, which was again stripped from him when Napoleon was defeated. Hulin was exiled by the Bourbons, but was allowed to return to France in 1819. Hulin died in Paris on 9 January 1841.

In popular culture

He served as the main inspiration for the female character

Oscar François de Jarjayes is a fictional character created by Japanese manga artist Riyoko Ikeda. She is a major character in the 1972 manga series ''The Rose of Versailles'', and its various adaptations and spin-offs. Character history Born the last of six daughters ...

in the mange '' The Rose of Versailles'' by

Riyoko Ikeda is a Japanese manga artist and singer. She is included in the Year 24 Group, by some, although her status as one of them has been debated due to a focus more on epic stories than the internal psychology of those mangaka. She was one of the most ...

References

Sources

* Philip J. Haythornthwaite (2001). '' apoleon's Commanders (1) 1792-1809'. Osprey Publishing. . * Hans-Jürgen Lüsebrink, Rolf Reichardt (1997).
The Bastille: a history of a symbol of despotism and freedom
'. Duke University Press. . * Robert Warren (2000).
Jacques-Louis David and Jean-Louis Prieur, revolutionary artists: the public, the populace, and images of the French Revolution
'. SUNY Press. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Hulin, Pierre Augustin 1758 births 1841 deaths Military personnel from Paris Counts of the First French Empire French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars Commanders in the French Imperial Guard French exiles Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur