Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala

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Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala

Robert Cornelis Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala , GCB , GCSI , CIE , (born December 6, 1810 in Colombo , † January 14, 1890 in London ) was a British field marshal who fought in the British colonial wars of the 19th century.

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Robert Napier was the son of an artillery - majors in Ceylon born. His father fell on Java the year he was born . In 1824 Napier went to the East India Company's military college in Addiscombe / Surrey. At the age of 18 he joined the Bengal Engineers of the British Indian Army in 1828 . In 1845/1846 he took part in the First Sikh War . There he fought in the battles of Mudki , Ferozeshah and Sobraon . In the Second Sikh War he led the siege of Multan and fought in the Gujarat .

In 1852 he commanded a column in a campaign on the North-West Frontier . Napier fought, as military secretary to James Outram , in the suppression of the Sepoy uprising (1857/58). During these fighting he was wounded and promoted to brigadier . On July 27, 1858 he was knighted as Knight Commander of the Order of Bath .

Napier took part in the British-French expedition to China in the Second Opium War in 1860 as commanding a division under Sir James Hope Grant .

After the death of Lord Elgin (1863), Napier became viceroy of India on a temporary basis . He then became Commander in Chief of the Bombay Army .

In August 1867 Napier led the expedition to Abyssinia as Lieutenant General . Due to a diplomatic conflict with Great Britain, Emperor Theodor II of Ethiopia had successively taken hostage all Europeans from 1865 who had previously worked for him mostly as craftsmen. The expeditionary force reached Abyssinia in December 1867. In 1868 the troops commanded by Napier captured the imperial fortress of Magdala . For his success in this campaign he was honored on September 16, 1867 as Knight Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India , and on April 27, 1868 as Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Bath. He was also given the hereditary title Baron Napier of Magdala on July 17, 1868 , making him a member of the House of Lords .

From 1870 to 1876 Napier was Commander in Chief of the British Indian Army . In 1876 he was appointed governor of Gibraltar , a comparatively insignificant position. In 1882 he returned to Great Britain after being promoted to field marshal . From 1886 to 1890 he was constable of the Tower of London .

He died in London on January 14, 1890. He is buried in the crypt of St Paul's Cathedral .

literature

Web links

Commons : Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Footnotes

  1. ^ The London Gazette : No. 22166, p. 3475 , July 27, 1858.
  2. ^ Volker Matthies: Company Magdala. Punitive expedition in Ethiopia . Ch. Links Verlag, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-572-0 , pp. 113-124.
  3. ^ The London Gazette : 23302, 5109 , September 17, 1867.
  4. ^ The London Gazette : 23374, 2431 , April 28, 1868.
  5. ^ The Edinburgh Gazette : 7868, 893, July 17, 1868.
predecessor Office successor
James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin Viceroy of India
(pro tempore)
1863 		William Denison
William Rose Mansfield, 1st Baron Sandhurst Commander in Chief in India
1870–1876 		Frederick Paul Haines
William Fenwick Williams Governor of Gibraltar
1876–1883 		John Miller Adye
New title created Baron Napier of Magdala
1868–1890 		Robert Napier
personal data
SURNAME Napier, Robert, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Napier of Magdala, Robert Cornelis Napier 1st Baron
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British Field Marshal
DATE OF BIRTH December 6, 1810
PLACE OF BIRTH Colombo , Ceylon
DATE OF DEATH January 14, 1890
Place of death London