Jean-Pierre Maransin (; 20 March 1770 in

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for its Château fort, a ...

– 15 May 1828 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 ...

) was a ''général de division'' of the

First French Empire The First French Empire or French Empire (; ), also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from ...

who saw action during the

Peninsular War The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...

. He was appointed colonel of the 1st Legion du Midi on 27 January 1807 and promoted to ''général de brigade'' on 8 November 1808.

Career

Maransin participated in

Andoche Junot Jean-Andoche Junot, Duke of Abrantes (; 25 September 1771 – 29 July 1813) was a French military officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting fro ...

's invasion of Portugal and was stationed in the southern province of

Algarve The Algarve (, , ) is the southernmost NUTS statistical regions of Portugal, NUTS II region of continental Portugal. It has an area of with 467,495 permanent inhabitants and incorporates 16 municipalities (concelho, ''concelhos'' or ''município ...

when the revolt against French occupation broke out. When his bedridden commanding officer

Antoine Maurin Antoine Maurin (; 19 December 1771 – 4 October 1830) commanded a French cavalry division in 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars and in 1815 led his troops against the Prussians at Ligny where he was wounded. His army service began in 1792 during t ...

was captured by the Portuguese, Maransin gathered up the troops in the province. These 1,200 men included the Legion du Midi and a battalion of the 26th Line Infantry Regiment. He successfully withdrew to

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

via

Mértola Mértola (), officially the Town of Mértola (), is a town and municipality in southeastern Portuguese Alentejo near the Spanish border. In 2011, the population was 7,274, in an area of approximately : it is the sixth-largest municipality in Portu ...

and Beja.Oman (2010), 212. He fought at the

Battle of Albuera The Battle of Albuera (16 May 1811) was a battle during the Peninsular War. A mixed British, Spanish and Portuguese corps engaged elements of the French armée du Midi (Army of the South) at the small Spanish village of Albuera, about sou ...

on 16 May 1811. Maransin's final promotion to the rank of ''Général de Division'' occurred on 20 May 1813, and he was named Commander of the

Légion d’Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

on 15 December 1814.

Notes

References

* * 1770 births 1828 deaths French commanders of the Napoleonic Wars People from Lourdes Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe {{France-mil-bio-stub