Jacques-François Menou
Abdullah Jacques-François de Boussay, Baron de Menou (born September 3, 1750 in Boussay in Touraine , France , † August 13, 1810 in Venice , Italy) was a French general.
French Revolution
Baron de Menou joined the army at a young age and was already Maréchal de camp at the outbreak of the revolution . This rank was abolished with the revolution and initially replaced by a Colonel.
Elected to represent the nobility of his province in 1789, he joined the third estate and in 1790 became President of the National Assembly . He was also a co-founder of the Feuillants' club .
He remained in active service in the army, commanded the troops in the camp near Paris as Général de brigade in 1792 and fought against the Chouans and the emigre's army in the Vendée uprising in 1793 . Defeated decisively by Henri de La Rochejaquelein , he was indicted by Robespierre before the National Convention , but acquitted by the latter as a result of Barère's brilliant defense .
Uprisings of 1795
After dampening the workers' uprising in the suburb of St. Antoine against the convent in May 1795, he was appointed Commandant en chef (Supreme Commander) of the Army of the Interior. As an extremely conservative republican (as the Napoleon biographer Eugen Tarlé classifies him ), he shot down the republican left. The rebellious National Guards, on the other hand, which started an uprising led by monarchists (royalists) in October (13th Vendémiaire ), he did not crush, but even entered into negotiations with them. Because of this, he was brought before a court martial and only acquitted on Bonaparte's intercession, which finally put down the uprising.
Egyptian expedition
He accompanied him as Général de division (from 1793) to Egypt in 1798 , where he converted to Islam , took the name Abdallah and married a Muslim woman (the daughter of the Cairo Azhar sheikh Ahmad ar-Rashidi). After the murder of Kléber (1800) he was given supreme command, but on May 21, 1801 near Alexandria he was completely defeated by the English general Ralph Abercromby and had to sign a surrender, as a result of which he evacuated Egypt with the ruins of the French army.
Death in Italy
After returning to France, Menou was appointed governor of Piedmont and later of Venice. Here he also died in 1810.
Honors
His name is entered on the triumphal arch in Paris in the 24th column.
| predecessor | Office | successor |
|---|---|---|
| Jean-Paul Rabaut Saint-Etienne |
Presidents of the National Assembly March 27, 1790 - April 12, 1790 |
Charles François, marquis de Bonnay |
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Menou, Jacques-François |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Menou, Abdullah Jacques-François de Boussay Baron de (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French general |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 3, 1750 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Boussay, Touraine , France |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 13, 1810 |
| Place of death | Venice , Italy |