Jean-de-Dieu Soult
Command Ratings
Commands
- Commands the IV Corps of French Grande Armée at Eylau (1807, age 38)
- Commands the IV Corps of Grande Armée at Heilsberg (1807, age 38)
- Commands the French Army at Corunna (1809, age 40)
- Commands the French Army at Ocaña (1809, age 40)
- Commands the French Army at Albuera (1811, age 42)
- Commands the French Army at Sorauren (1813, age 44)
Jean-de-Dieu Soult (1769–1851), Marshal of France and Duke of Dalmatia, was one of Napoleon’s most capable yet controversial commanders, whose career spanned both battlefield glory and political intrigue. Born in Saint-Amans-la-Bastide, Tarn, he rose from humble origins to prominence during the Revolutionary Wars, distinguishing himself at Fleurus in 1794. Elevated to marshal in 1804, Soult played a decisive role at Austerlitz, where his corps shattered the Allied center, cementing his reputation as a tactician of method and vigor. Sent to Spain in 1808, he commanded French forces throughout the Peninsular War, earning the grudging respect of Wellington, though his campaigns were marred by opportunism and harsh requisitions. Defeated at Toulouse in April 1814, days after Napoleon’s abdication, Soult shifted allegiances with remarkable flexibility—supporting the Bourbons, then serving as Napoleon’s chief of staff during the Hundred Days and later returning to royal favor. In the July Monarchy he became a statesman, serving three times as Prime Minister and overseeing France’s conquest of Algeria. Nicknamed by the British “the Duke of Damnation,” Soult embodied both the brilliance and the moral ambiguity of Napoleonic command, his name now inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe as a symbol of France’s martial legacy.
The "Duke of Dalmatia" in Napoleon's nobility. Soult #2 is his less successful brother. X rank 10/94; XX 95; XX 99 Stockach, W; XX rank 4/99; XX 00 Italy –LWWLWL (captured @ Genoa 5/13/00); Marshal rank 1804; XXX (IV) 05-07 – W, Austerlitz, Jena, siege of Lubeck, W, Eylau, L, Heilsberg; XXX Spain 08-11 – WL, Corunna (L), WW, 1st Oporto (W), 2nd Oporto (L), W; XXXX 09-13 Spain - WW, Albuera (L), LL, XXX (IV) Lutzen, Bautzen; XXXX 13-14 Spain - Sorauren (L), Bidossa (L), L, Nivelle River (L), Bayonne (L), Orthez (L), Toulouse (L); XXXX 15 C of S to Nappy. In 1847, made a Marshal General of France (one of only 4 ever – the others are Turenne, Villars and Saxe). Once called a coward by Lannes and not much of a front line operator.