Jean Lannes, 1st Duke of Montebello (10 Apil 1769-31 May 1809) was one of Napoleon's 26 Marshals. He was a personal friend to Napoleon, addressing him as "tu" instead of the formal "vous", and his death at the Battle of Aspern-Essling was a serious blow to French morale.
Biography[]
Lannes at Arcole
Lannes was the son of a Gascon farmer and although he had little education, his proficiency in sports caused him to be elected Sergeant-Major in 1792. He fought in the War of the Pyrenees of the French Revolutionary Wars against the Kingdom of Spain from 1793 to 1794, and was transferred to the Italian Campaign in 1796. He was wounded at the Battle of Arcole while serving under Napoleon Bonaparte, and because he won the battle of Montebello in 1800, he was ennobled as the Duke of Montebello.
In 1804 Lannes was made a Marechal of France and fought at the Battle of Austerlitz a year later. From 1808 to 1809 he fought in the Peninsular War. He won the Battle of Tudela against Francisco Javier Castanos in November 1808. He was noted for his victories at the Battle of Saalfeld and the Battle of Jena, and later fought at the Battle of Eckmuhl.
In 1807, Lannes gained attention for the use of his V Corps at the Battle of Friedland, where he defeated the Russian Empire general Levin August von Bennigsen. In 1809, he led the advance on Vienna during the Fifth Coalition, and took part in the Battle of Aspern-Essling.
Death[]
Lannes' death
Lannes was mortally wounded by a cannonball that shattered his knee-pan and tore the sinews of his other leg, and he could not stand up. He was carried to Kaiserebersdorf, where his legs were amputated. Napoleon wept as he watched his Marshal undergo this pain. Lannes embraced his emperor and he died eight days after Aspern-Essling in the finest house in the town, succumbing to his wounds.