Pierre Berthezène
Pierre, baron Berthezène (French pronunciation: [pjɛʁ bɛʁtəzɛn]; 24 March 1775, Vendargues – 9 October 1847, Vendargues) was a French general.
Life
Early military career
Pierre's parents, Jacques Berthezène and Marguerite Causse, were from a modest background. They chose a career in the church for him and the village priest taught him in preparation for the seminary at Montpellier. Berthezène was still studying when the French Revolution broke out. On 15 September 1793 he joined the 5th volunteer battalion of Hérault, amalgamated into the 7th provisional battle demi-brigade, which later became the 10th line infantry regiment in year 4. He rose to corporal, sergeant and sergeant-major on 17, 19 and 22 September. In this regiment he met other non-commissioned officers such as Lannes and Victor.
Revolutionary wars
He joined the
His demi-brigade then moved to
In 1798 he was attached to the staff of General Grenier under whom he distinguished himself and was promoted to captain. In 1799 he was made aide-de-camp to General Compans. In 1799 he was given command of a battalion in the 72nd demi-brigade, which he commanded in the Marengo campaign, during which he was wounded.
Napoleonic wars
After having served in Holland and Hannover, Berthezène was promoted to colonel in 1807 and was given command of the 10th light infantry regiment. For his service at
When the
Berthezène was promoted to general de brigade on 6 August 1811. In October he was given command of
In 1813 he was given command of a part of the Old Guard, with whom he served at Lützen and Bautzen. On 4 August 1813 Berthezène was promoted to general de division and given command of the 44th division under Marshal Gouvion Saint-Cyr under whom he served at Dresden. After the battle of Leipzig he was part of the forced besieged at Dresden and capitulated on 11 November 1813. He was held as a prisoner of war in Hungary for the duration of the war.
First Bourbon Restoration and Hundred Days
In June 1814 Berthezène was released from prison after the
On 29 March, Napoléon put him in charge of the commission charged with placing half-pay officers and on 7 June he was given command of the 11th infantry division, 3rd army corps, armée du Nord. He fought at
When the provisional government seemed to wish to withdraw behind Paris, Berthezène was sent to take command of 3rd corps, but the armistice was concluded and he returned to his division. After Napoleon's second abdication, he commanded the rearguard corps in the Loire until the licensing.
Second Bourbon Restoration
After the licensing of the armée de la Loire, the general came to Paris, where he stayed.
Having been named a member of the advisory committee on the infantry in January 1830, Berthezène was given command of the 1st infantry division for the
July Monarchy
After the
In the early 1840s Berthezène became embroiled in a dispute between Marshal
Pierre Berthezène died at Vendargues on 9 October 1847.
Works
- Dix huit mois en Algérie
- Souvenirs militaires, publié par son fils, Paris, 1855.
Coat of arms
Notes and references
- Mullié, Charles (1852). . (in French). Paris: Poignavant et Compagnie.
Bouillet, Marie-Nicolas; Chassang, Alexis, eds. (1878). Dictionnaire Bouillet (in French). {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty|title=(help)- "Pierre Berthezène", in Adolphe Robert and Gaston Cougny, Dictionnaire des parlementaires français (1789-1891), Bourloton, Paris, 1889 Edition details Wikisource
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