Biographies

Polish general Dombrowski was born in Poland, near Krakow. He fought for the Saxon troops from 1770-1784, before taking up service in the Polish army in 1791. After the failed Kosciuszko uprising, of which he was a part of, Dombrowski sought refuge in France in 1795 and formed the Polish legions, with which he fought […]

Napoléon Gourgaud du Taillis was born in Paris on 27 Feburary, 1922, and he was to leave his inimitable stamp upon the Napoleonic world. Descended directly on the one hand from General Baron Gourgaud, the emperor's First Officier d'ordonnance (a specially created title) and companion in the emperor's exile on St Helena, and from General […]

Fact file Born Florence 20 January, 1782, died 1859, 9th son of Granduca di Firenze, Pietro-Leopoldo of Tuscany (future emperor Leopold II) Made colonel of the dragoons, 1795 Commander (de iure) of Army of Bavaria, 1800, beaten at Hohenlinden, 3 December, replaced by brother Charles as head of the army Director general of engineers and […]

Paoli was born on 6 April, 1725, in Stretta in the parish of Rostino, a smaller part of Morosaglia in central-northern Corsica. He was the son of Giacinto Paoli, who in 1729 led Corsican rebels against the Genoese rulers of island. His early years were spent in rejection of foreign rule of Corsica. In 1739 […]

A painstaking administrator, Camille de Tournon enjoyed his most 'Romantic' years as Préfet of the départment of Tibre/Rome.

Born in Königsberg, he joined the army at an early age, but when he was an officer, he was tried for insubordination in court martial, and he was cashiered. He then went on to serve in the Dutch army and participated in a campaign in Malaysia, before re-entering the Prussian army in 1787. In 1806, […]