André Masséna

André Masséna was born at Nice, then within the dominions of the House of Savoy. As a youth he went to sea and served as a cabin boy before enlisting (1775) in the Royal-Italian regiment in French service. He rose to adjudant sous-officier and left active service in 1789, settling at Antibes and entering the National Guard as the Revolution began.

From 1792 he served with the Army of Italy and advanced rapidly through volunteer and staff appointments, becoming adjudant-général and then receiving promotion to général de brigade (1793). He distinguished himself during the siege of Toulon (1793) and, in the same year, was promoted général de division (later confirmed). He held successive field commands in the Italian theatre through 1794–1797, participating in the campaign of 1796–1797 under Bonaparte, including Rivoli (January 1797), and continuing through the armistice and subsequent operations of 1797.

In 1798 Masséna was employed in the occupation of the Papal States; after political and disciplinary difficulties he was recalled, but he returned to high command with the appointment to lead the Army of Helvetia (late 1798). During the War of the Second Coalition he fought in Switzerland, culminating in the Second Battle of Zürich (25–26 September 1799), and subsequently opposed the junction and movement of Russian forces in the region. Late in 1799 he was named to command the Army of Italy. In 1800 he held Genoa against Austrian siege operations (April–June), a defence which fixed enemy forces and preceded the French victory at Marengo; after the campaign he held high command briefly and then moved into a mixture of political office and senior military standing.

Under the Empire, Masséna was named maréchal de l’Empire (1804) and received Major commands. In 1805 he commanded in the Italian theatre against Austria, including the battle of Caldiero (October 1805). From late 1805 into 1806 he was employed in the conquest and pacification of the Kingdom of Naples; he directed the siege of Gaeta (February–July 1806) and conducted operations in Calabria. In 1807 he returned to the principal theatre with a corps command, but poor health curtailed further employment that year. He was created duc de Rivoli (1808).

In the 1809 campaign against Austria Masséna commanded the IV Corps and then the left wing in the Danube theatre, participating in the march on Vienna and fighting at Ebersberg (May 1809), Aspern–Essling (May 1809), and Wagram (July 1809), as well as the subsequent operations concluding at Znaim. He was created prince d’Essling (1810). In 1810 Napoleon appointed him commander of the Army of Portugal for the third French invasion. He captured Ciudad Rodrigo (July 1810) and Almeida (August 1810), was checked at Buçaco (September 1810), and was halted before Lisbon by the Anglo-Portuguese defensive system known as the Lines of Torres Vedras (October 1810–March 1811). After the withdrawal from Portugal and the battle of Fuentes de Oñoro (May 1811), he was relieved of command.

From 1813 Masséna held territorial and administrative military responsibilities in southern France. In 1815 he accepted appointment as pair de France and, during the political crisis following Waterloo, served briefly in senior roles connected to the defence and administration of Paris, including command of the National Guard and the governorship of the capital. He died in Paris in 1817 and was buried at Père-Lachaise; his name is among those commemorated on the Arc de Triomphe.

Sources

• Britannica: André Masséna, duc de Rivoli, prince d’Essling
• Fondation Napoléon: MASSENA, André
• BnF Data: André Masséna (1758–1817)
• IdRef: Masséna, André (1758–1817)
• VIAF: Masséna, André, 1758–1817
• British Museum: André Masséna
• Wikipedia (English): André Masséna
• Wikisource: 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, “Masséna, André”