Pierre Marie de Grave

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Pierre Marie, Marquis de Grave (born September 27, 1755 in Paris , † January 16, 1823 there ) was a French general , statesman and writer . In 1792 he was briefly Minister of War .

Life

Pierre Marie de Grave came from an old noble family in Languedoc and joined the royal bodyguard of the Musketeers at a very young age . He later became adjutant to the Duke of Crillon-Mahon and in this capacity took part in the siege of Gibraltar in 1781. After its abolition he was appointed second colonel ( colonel en second ) in the Auxerrois regiment and soon afterwards in 1782 the commanding colonel in the Chartres regiment and the first stable master of the Duke of Chartres . The latter was the eldest son of the Duke of Orleáns. This contact with the House of Orléans certainly contributed in no small way to the political orientation that de Grave took at the outbreak of the French Revolution (1789) and led him to recognize the principles of the revolutionary party.

On December 13, 1791 de Grave received the rank of Maréchal de camp and took over after the departure of Count Louis Marie de Narbonne-Lara on March 9, 1792 the Ministry of War. During his brief tenure, he proved King Louis XVI. his loyalty. The conduct of business did not correspond to the wishes of the People's Party and he was the target of violent attacks. Dumouriez accused him of being to blame for the defeats of the French army in Flanders , whereupon de Grave submitted his dismissal on May 8, 1792. When Cambon enforced on August 27, 1792 that the former minister was indicted by an order, de Grave fled to England and during his exile lived mostly near Kensington , where he sought solace and entertainment in literary pursuits.

After his return to France (1804) de Grave lived far from all political business in Montpellier . He spent a few years in retirement, but then grew tired of the inactive rest and decided to resume his military career with the rank of brigadier general . In 1809, Emperor Napoleon gave him command of the island of Oleron . After the first restoration (1814), he found favor with the Orléans family and King Louis XVIII. awarded him the honorary title of lieutenant general . Due to his reluctance during Napoleon's reign of the Hundred Days , de Grave received after Louis XVIII regained power. on August 7, 1815 a seat in the chamber of peers . In this capacity as peer of France he usually voted with the free-thinking minority. He also became a knight of honor of the Duchess of Orléans . After the death of his older brother, he had been awarded the title of marquis. In 1819 he married Count Daru's sister, Madame Lebrun. He died on January 16, 1823 at the age of 67 in Paris, whereupon the Count of Ségur gave him an eulogy in the Chamber of Peers.

In his youth, de Grave had written some fleetingly written poems and the novella La folle de Saint-Joseph . The latter work was received with approval and was printed in the Folies sentimentales, ou l'égarement de l'esprit par le cœur (2 volumes, Paris 1787). Barbier also attributed the Essai sur l'art de lire to him, which was printed in Twickenham in 1816 .

literature

personal data
SURNAME Grave, Pierre Marie de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French general, statesman and writer
DATE OF BIRTH September 27, 1755
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH January 16, 1823
Place of death Paris