Jean-Louis-Brigitte Espagne, Count d'Espagne and of the

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

(; born 16 February 1769 in

Auch Auch (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in southwestern France. Located in the Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie, it is the capital of the Gers Departments of France, department. Geography Localiza ...

, died 21 May 1809 on the island of Lobau) was a French cavalry commander of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

, who rose to the top military rank of General of Division and took part in the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

Revolutionary Wars

Born in

in a modest family, Jean-Louis-Brigitte Espagne enlisted in 1787 as a soldier in the ''Dragons de la Reine'' (Queen's

Dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s) regiment and then saw a very slow promotion through the ranks. In 1792, Espagne was ''maréchal-des-logis'' (roughly equivalent to

sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

) but the outbreak of the

that year offered numerous opportunities for promotion. During the campaigns of the Revolution, he served successively in the armies " of the North," " of the Pyrenees," " of Italy," and " of the Rhine," subsequently fighting in the

War in the Vendée The War in the Vendée () was a counter-revolutionary insurrection that took place in the Vendée region of French First Republic, France from 1793 to 1796, during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately so ...

. His talents were much appreciated and he gained the rank of General of Brigade in July 1799, before being sent to serve in General Jean Victor Marie Moreau's army. In this capacity, he distinguished himself throughout the 1800 campaign in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

of the

War of the Second Coalition The War of the Second Coalition () (1798/9 – 1801/2, depending on periodisation) was the second war targeting French Revolution, revolutionary French First Republic, France by many European monarchies, led by Kingdom of Great Britain, Britai ...

, leading particularly impressive cavalry actions at the

battle of Messkirch The Battle of Messkirch (5 May 1800) saw a Republican French army led by Jean Victor Marie Moreau attack a Habsburg Austrian army commanded by Paul Kray. At the start of the 1800 campaign in Germany, Moreau's 108,000-strong field army fac ...

and

battle of Hohenlinden The Battle of Hohenlinden was fought on 3 December 1800 during the French Revolutionary Wars. A French First Republic, French army under Jean Victor Marie Moreau won a decisive victory over an Habsburg monarchy, Austrian and Electorate of Bavar ...

.Fierro, Palluel-Guillard, Tulard 758.

Napoleonic Wars

A General of the First Empire by Edouard Detaille

In 1805, General Espagne was promoted to

General of Division Divisional general is a general officer rank who commands an army division. The rank originates from the French Revolutionary System, and is used by a number of countries. The rank is above a brigade general, and normally below an army corps ...

, then the top military rank in the French army. With the outbreak of the

War of the Third Coalition The War of the Third Coalition () was a European conflict lasting from 1805 to 1806 and was the first conflict of the Napoleonic Wars. During the war, First French Empire, France and French client republic, its client states under Napoleon I an ...

, he was promptly sent to serve in Italy, in command of a ''chasseurs à cheval''

light cavalry Light cavalry comprised lightly armed and body armor, armored cavalry troops mounted on fast horses, as opposed to heavy cavalry, where the mounted riders (and sometimes the warhorses) were heavily armored. The purpose of light cavalry was p ...

division, combating at the battle of San Michele, on 29 October. The next day, at the battle of Caldiero, Espagne led a very significant and successful action. He then took the strategic town of Gradisca. In 1806 Espagne was sent to serve in

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...

André Masséna André Masséna, prince d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshal of the ...

's army in the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, where he fought against Fra Diavolo. Recalled to the

Grande Armée The (; ) was the primary field army of the French Imperial Army (1804–1815), French Imperial Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Commanded by Napoleon, from 1804 to 1808 it won a series of military victories that allowed the First French Empi ...

at the beginning of 1807, he served in the army corps of Marshal Lefebvre during the successful siege of Danzig. Then, on 10 June that year, he took part to the battle of Heilsberg, where he was wounded. The next year, Espagne was created a Count of the Empire and in 1809 he was called to the command of a

cuirassier A cuirassier ( ; ; ) was a cavalryman equipped with a cuirass, sword, and pistols. Cuirassiers first appeared in mid-to-late 16th century Europe as a result of armoured cavalry, such as man-at-arms, men-at-arms and demi-lancers discarding their ...

division in the Army of Germany during the

War of the Fifth Coalition The War of the Fifth Coalition was a European conflict in 1809 that was part of the Napoleonic Wars and the Coalition Wars. The main conflict took place in Central Europe between the Austrian Empire of Francis I and Napoleon's French Emp ...

. During the desperate battle of Aspern-Essling, Espagne led his cuirassiers in a series of heroic charges, but was wounded in action during the first day of fighting. He was immediately transported to the Danubian island of Lobau, but his wound was too serious and he died that same day. The name Espagne is inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

References

Sources

* Fierro, Alfredo; Palluel-Guillard, André; Tulard, Jean - "Histoire et Dictionnaire du Consulat et de l'Empire”, Éditions Robert Laffont, {{DEFAULTSORT:Espagne, Jean-Louis-Brigitte French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars French military personnel killed in the Napoleonic Wars 1769 births 1809 deaths Cavalry commanders Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe