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Marshal of the Empire
The baton of a Marshal; although often treated as such, Marshal was not a rank, rather, a reward
Country	First French Empire
Formation	1804
Abolished	1815

Marshal of the Empire was a civil dignity in the First French Empire between 1804 and 1815. The successor of the dignity, the Marshal of France, is a five-star rank with a NATO code of OF-10, equivalent to an Admiral of France in the French Navy. The distinction was used sporadically and was vacant during parts of its history. A Marshal was a grand officer of the Empire, entitled to a high-standing position at the court and to the presidency of an electoral college. In total, 26 men were awarded a Marshal's baton. The most recent promotions to marshal came in 1815, two years after a break on routine promotions to the rank, when Napoleon promoted Emmanuel de Grouchy, one of his Generals, to the dignity.

Unlike many positions, the Marshal of the Empire distinction was not a rank, rather a reward, given out by Napoleon. Almost all officers to hold the position of Marshal were professional soldiers in the French Army. Some, including Józef Poniatowski, served in foreign armies. Of all 26, 5 were killed in action, or by accident. One Marshal was present at the Battle of Vitoria, fought in 1813, where the Duke of Wellington earned the British equivalent of the distinction. Most had defected to the royalists before the Battle of Waterloo and Napoleon's subsequent defeat, with only four others (most notably Marshals Emmanuel de Grouchy and Michel Ney) serving under Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo.

Auguste de Marmont, born in 1774, was the youngest officer to earn the distinction of Marshal. Francois Kellerman was the oldest, born in 1735. The majority of Marshals were given the title in 1804 (18 out of 26), while Grouchy received the distinction at the latest time, in 1815, shortly before the Battle of Waterloo.

List of Marshals

† — Indicates that the Marshal was either killed in action or killed by accident

List of Marshals of the First French Empire

Name	Image	Born	Died	Date of promotion
Louis-Alexandre Berthier†		November 20, 1753	June 1, 1815	May 19, 1804
Joachim Murat		March 25, 1767	October 13, 1815	May 19, 1804
Bon Adrien Jeannot de Moncey		July 31, 1754	April 20, 1842	May 19, 1804
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan		April 29, 1762	November 23, 1833	May 19, 1804
André Masséna		May 6, 1756	April 4, 1817	May 19, 1804
Charles-Pierre François Augereau		October 21, 1757	June 12, 1816	May 19, 1804
Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte		January 26, 1763	March 8, 1844	May 19, 1804
Jean-de-Dieu Soult		March 29, 1769	November 26, 1851	May 19, 1804
Guillaume Marie-Anne Brune		May 13, 1763	August 2, 1815	May 19, 1804
Jean Lannes†		April 11, 1769	May 31, 1809	May 19, 1804
Édouard Mortier†		February 13, 1768	July 28, 1835	May 19, 1804
Michel Ney		January 10, 1769	December 7, 1815	May 19, 1804
Louis-Nicolas Davout		May 10, 1770	June 1, 1823	May 19, 1804
Jean-Baptiste Bessières†		August 6, 1768	May 1, 1813	May 19, 1804
François Christophe de Kellermann		May 28, 1735	September 13, 1820	May 19, 1804
François Joseph Lefebvre		October 15, 1755	September 14, 1820	May 19, 1804
Catherine-Dominique de Pérignon		May 31, 1754	December 25, 1818	May 19, 1804
Jean-Mathieu-Philibert Sérurier		December 8, 1742	December 21, 1819	May 19, 1804
Claude Victor Perrin		December 7, 1764	March 1, 1841	July 13, 1807
Jacques Étienne Joseph Alexandre Macdonald		November 17, 1765	September 25, 1840	July 12, 1809
Nicolas Charles Oudinot		April 25, 1767	September 13, 1847	July 12, 1809
Auguste Frédéric de Marmont		July 20, 1774	July 23, 1852	July 12, 1809
Louis-Gabriel Suchet		March 2, 1770	January 3, 1826	July 8, 1811
Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr		April 13, 1764	March 17, 1830	August 27, 1812
Józef Poniatowski†		May 7, 1762	October 19, 1813	October 17, 1813
Emmanuel de Grouchy		October 23, 1766	May 29, 1847	April 17, 1815

See also

• Field Marshal (United Kingdom)

Notes

1. ^ Pattison 2010, p. xii.
2. Pattison 2010, p. 10.
3. Pattison 2010, p. xi.
4. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 305–315.
5. Pattison 2010, p. xviii.
6. Heathcote 1999, p. 2.
7. Delderfield 2002, pp. 208–210.
8. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 200–218.
9. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 316–321.
10. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 1–22.
11. Atteridge 1911, Chapter I.
12. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 23–48.
13. Atteridge 1911, Chapter XVII.
14. Atteridge 1911, Chapter VII.
15. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 245–250.
16. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 251–258.
17. Delderfield 2002, p. 208.
18. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 49–71.
19. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 259–267.
20. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 72–92.
21. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 93–116.
22. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 268–277.
23. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 117–140.
24. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 278–285.
25. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 141–161.
26. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 162–182.
27. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 286–295.
28. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 322–332.
29. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 344–348.
30. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 349–353.
31. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 296–304.
32. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 183–199.
33. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 333–343.
34. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 219–230.
35. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 231–244.
36. ^ Pattison 2010, pp. 354–358.

References

• Atteridge, Andrew H. (1911). Joachim Murat, marshal of France and king of Naples. Methuen Publishing. ISBN 1-908692-62-6.
• Delderfield, Ronald F. (2002). Napoleon's Marshals. Cooper Square Press. ISBN 978-1-4616-6119-1.
• Heathcote, Tony (1999). The British Field Marshals, 1736–1997: A Biographical Dictionary. Pen and Sword Books. ISBN 978-0-85052-696-7.
• Pattison, Richard D. (2010). Napoleon's Marshals. Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-86741-429-6.

• La Grande Armée
• Marshals of France
• Lists of French military personnel