Jean-Antoine Marbot

Jean-Antoine Marbot ( , ; 7 December 1754 – 19 April 1800), also known to contemporaries as Antoine Marbot, was a French general and politician. He belongs to a family that has distinguished itself particularly in the career of arms, giving three generals to France in less than 50 years.

Biography Ancien Régime Jean-Antoine Marbot was born into a family of military nobility in Altillac, in the ancient province of Quercy in southwestern France. His career began in the military household of the king of France in Versailles, where he joined the cavalry unit of the royal Gardes du Corps of King Louis XV, with the rank of second lieutenant. In 1781 he was promoted to the rank of captain of the dragoons and became aide-de-camp to Lieutenant-Général de Schomberg, inspector general of the cavalry, in 1782.

Legislative Assembly Following of the ideas of Enlightenment, he retired from military service at the beginning of the Revolution and returned to his properties in Altillac. He was elected administrator of the department of Corrèze in 1790 and then deputy of this department to the Legislative Assembly on 3 September 1791 with 206 votes out of 361, where he sat in the majority.

War of the Pyrenees

He reentered military service during the War of the Pyrenees against Spain with the rank of captain of the mountain chasseurs. On 30 August 1793, he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and fought with the Army of the Eastern Pyrenees, distinguishing himself during the capture of Spanish Cerdanya under the orders of General Dagobert de Fontenille. He then joined the Army of the Western Pyrenees from 1794 to 1795, where he was promoted to the rank of divisional general. He won numerous victories against the enemy forces, particularly on 12 August 1794 at Sainte-Engrâce and Olloqui, on 4 September 1794 at Lescun, on 24–25 November 1794 at Orthez, and on 12 May 1796 during the attack on enemy positions between Glossua and Elgoibar, where he made many prisoners. On 6 September 1797, he was elected president of the Council of Ancients. On 11 January 1798, he passed a proposal aiming to contain the uprising that was being ignited by émigrés in the county of Avignon, in the south of France. Re-elected president of the Council of Ancients on 19 June 1798, he delivered a commemorative speech during the celebrations of the 14th of July, and favoured decisive actions against the coalition powers at war with France. On 18 April 1799, he supported a bill for the conscription of two hundred thousand men for the army, opposing the system adopted by the Minister of the Interior, François de Neufchâteau. After General Napoleon Bonaparte's return from the Egyptian campaign, he opposed the planned coup d'état, which was to overthrow the government of the Directory and replace it with a more autocratic Consulate. Its authors, led by Director Emmanuel Sieyès, and eventually joined by General Bonaparte, knew that they needed the support of the armed forces in Paris to pursue their scheme. Fearing its current commander's attachment to republican ideals, they offered him a new position in the leadership of the Army of Italy, which he accepted. After his resignation, the more favourable General François Lefebvre succeeded him as military governor of Paris.

Family

On 3 October 1776, he married Marie-Louise Certain du Puy (1756–1826), Jean-Baptiste Antoine Marcelin, known as Marcellin (1782–1854): lieutenant-général (divisional general) during the July Monarchy, famous for his Memoirs depicting the Napoleonic age of warfare. Jean-François Théodore Xavier, known as Théodore (1785–1803): Died at the from a hydrocution. Jean-Jacques Édouard Félix, known as Félix (1787–1805): Died at the from a septic infection after a duel.

His wife was related to François Certain de Canrobert, Marshal of France during the Second French Empire.

The Avenue des Généraux Marbot in Altillac is also named after him.