Louis-Nicolas Davout

{{Short description|French Marshal (1770–1823)}} {{Redirect|Davout|the ship| French cruiser Davout}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = Marshal of the Empire | name = Louis-Nicolas Davout | honorific_suffix = [[Duc d'Auerstaedt|Duke of Auerstaedt]], Prince of Eckmühl | image = Louis nicolas davout.jpg | image_size = | alt = | caption = Portrait by Tito Marzocchi de Bellucci, {{circa|1852}} | office = [[Minister of War (France)#Hundred Days|Minister of War of the Hundred Days Empire]] | term_start = 20 March 1815 | term_end = 9 July 1815 | monarch = [[Napoleon|Napoleon I]]<br />[[Napoleon II]]<br />[[Louis XVIII]] | predecessor = [[Henri Jacques Guillaume Clarke]] | successor = [[Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr]] | office2 = Governor-general of the [[Duchy of Warsaw]] | term_start2 = 15 July 1807 | term_end2 = 1809 | predecessor2 = | successor2 = | office3 = Mayor of [[Savigny-sur-Orge]] | term_start3 = 8 October 1822 | term_end3 = 1 June 1823 | predecessor3 = | successor3 = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|1770|05|10|df=yes}} | birth_place = [[Annoux]], [[France in the early modern period|Kingdom of France]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|1823|06|01|1770|05|10|df=y}} | death_place = [[Paris]], [[Bourbon Restoration in France|Kingdom of France]] | death_cause = | resting_place = [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]] | resting_place_coordinates = | spouse = | partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> | relations = | children = 8, including [[Napoléon Louis Davout d'Auerstaedt d'Eckmühl|Napoléon-Louis]] and [[Adélaïde-Louise d'Eckmühl de Blocqueville|Adélaïde-Louise]] | parents = <!-- overrides mother and father parameters --> | relatives = | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = | known_for = | cabinet = | awards = [[Legion of Honour]] | signature = Signatur Louis-Nicolas Davout.PNG | signature_alt = | signature_size = | website = <!--Military service--> | nickname = The Iron Marshal | allegiance = {{flag|Kingdom of France}}<br/>{{flag|Kingdom of the French|name=Kingdom of France}}<br/>{{flag|French First Republic}}<br/>{{flag|First French Empire}}<br/>{{flag|Kingdom of France}} | branch = [[French Army|Army]] | service_years = 1788–1815 | rank = [[Marshal of the Empire]] | unit = | commands = {{ubl|[[I Corps (Grande Armée)|I Corps]]|[[III Corps (Grande Armée)|III Corps]]|[[XIII Corps (Grande Armée)|XIII Corps]]|General inspector of cavalry|[[Consular Guard]] Grenadiers|Observation Corps of the Elbe}} | battles = {{hidden |''See battles'' |{{tree list}} * '''[[French Revolutionary Wars]]''' ** [[War of the First Coalition]] *** [[Battle of Jemappes]] *** [[Battle of Neerwinden (1793)|Battle of Neerwinden]] *** [[Siege of Kehl (1796–97)|Siege of Kehl]] ** [[War of the Second Coalition]] *** [[French campaign in Egypt and Syria]] **** [[Battle of Abukir (1799)|Battle of Abukir]] * '''[[Napoleonic Wars]]''' ** [[War of the Third Coalition]] *** [[Ulm Campaign]] **** [[Battle of Steyr]] *** [[Battle of Austerlitz]] ** [[War of the Fourth Coalition]] *** [[Battle of Jena–Auerstedt]] *** Capitulation of Küstrin *** [[Battle of Czarnowo]] *** [[Battle of Golymin]] *** [[Battle of Eylau]] ** [[War of the Fifth Coalition]] *** [[Battle of Teugen-Hausen]] *** [[Battle of Eckmühl]] *** [[Battle of Ratisbon]] *** [[Battle of Wagram]] ** [[French invasion of Russia]] *** [[Battle of Saltanovka]] *** [[Battle of Smolensk (1812)|Battle of Smolensk]] *** [[Battle of Borodino]] *** [[Battle of Maloyaroslavets]] *** [[Battle of Vyazma]] *** [[Battle of Krasnoi]] *** [[Battle of Berezina]] ** [[War of the Sixth Coalition]] *** [[Siege of Hamburg]] ** [[Hundred Days]] *** [[Waterloo campaign: Waterloo to Paris (25 June – 1 July)|Defense of Paris]] {{Tree list/end}} |- |headerstyle=background:#dbdbdb |style=text-align:center; }} | mawards = | footnotes = }}

'''Louis-Nicolas d'Avout''' ({{IPA|fr|lwi nikɔla davu|lang}}; 10 May 1770 – 1 June 1823), better known as '''Davout''', '''1st Prince of Eckmühl''', '''1st Duke of Auerstaedt''', was a [[French people|French]] [[military commander]] and [[Marshal of the Empire]] who served during both the [[French Revolutionary Wars]] and the [[Napoleonic Wars]]. His talent for war, along with his reputation as a stern disciplinarian, earned him the nickname "The Iron Marshal" (''Le Maréchal de fer''). He is ranked as one of [[Napoleon]]'s finest commanders, and also stands among the most outstanding military commanders of the [[modern era]].<ref name=NapoleonicGuide>{{cite web|title= Louis Davout|url= http://www.napoleonguide.com/marshal_davout.htm|website= Napoleonic Guide|access-date= 28 July 2015}}</ref><ref>[[David G. Chandler|Chandler, David G.]] (1987). ''Napoleon's Marshals''. p. 94. MacMillan, New York.</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bodart |first=Gaston |author-link=Gaston Bodart |date=1908 |publisher=C. W. Stern |language=de |title=Militär-historisches Kriegs-Lexikon (1618–1905) |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_A0kNAAAAYAAJ/page/790 |access-date=11 September 2023 |page=790}}</ref>

Born into a minor noble family in [[Burgundy]], Davout was educated at the ''[[École Militaire]]'' and joined a royal cavalry regiment in 1788. On the outbreak of the [[French Revolution]], Davout embraced the revolutionary cause and first distinguished himself at the [[Battle of Neerwinden (1793)|Battle of Neerwinden]]. Rapidly rising through the ranks, he took part in the [[Rhine campaign of 1796|1796 Rhine campaign]] and Napoleon's [[French invasion of Egypt and Syria|Egyptian expedition]], and by 1800 he had reached the rank of divisional general.

Davout was named one of the original 18 Marshals of the Empire upon Napoleon's ascension as Emperor in 1804. As commander of the [[III Corps (Grande Armée)|III Corps]] of the ''[[Grande Armée]]'', he played a major role in the French victory at [[Battle of Austerlitz|Austerlitz]]. He achieved further successes at [[Battle of Jena–Auerstedt|Auerstedt]]—where he routed the Prussian army of the [[Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick|Duke of Brunswick]] despite being vastly outnumbered—as well as [[Battle of Eylau|Eylau]], [[Battle of Eckmühl|Eckmühl]] and [[Battle of Wagram|Wagram]]. In 1807, Napoleon named him governor-general of the [[Duchy of Warsaw]] and granted him the title [[Duc d'Auerstaedt|Duke of Auerstaedt]]. Davout took part in Napoleon's disastrous [[French invasion of Russia|invasion of Russia]], and was in the middle of a six-month [[Siege of Hamburg|siege of Hamburg]] when Napoleon abdicated.

Davout went into retirement upon the [[First Restoration]] of the Bourbons. He rejoined Napoleon during the [[Hundred Days]] and was appointed [[Minister of War (France)|Minister of War]], but did not receive a field command. Following Napoleon's final defeat at [[Battle of Waterloo|Waterloo]], he held Paris until July when he ultimately submitted to the again [[Bourbon Restoration in France|restored Bourbon monarchy]], after which he was exiled and deprived of his titles. In 1819, his titles were restored and he was made a [[Chamber of Peers (France)|Peer of France]].

==Early life== [[File:Maison natale Maréchal Davout , Annoux.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Davout's birthplace in Annoux]]

Davout was born in the small village of [[Annoux]], [[Yonne]], in [[Burgundy]], as the eldest son of Jean-François d'Avout (1739–1779), a cavalry officer and his wife (married in 1768), Françoise-Adélaïde Minard de Velars (1741–1810).<ref name="iron">{{cite book |last1=Gallaher |first1=John G. |title=The Iron Marshal: A Biography of Louis N. Davout |date=2000 |publisher=Greenhill Books |isbn=1-85367-396-X |location=London}}</ref>{{rp|4}} The d'Avout family was an impoverished minor nobility with a tradition of [[military service]]. Davout was the eldest son, so he was expected to carry on the tradition. So despite the family's economic problems, Davout was still educated in the nearby [[Brienne-le-Chateau]], in their [[military academy]] also attended by Napoleon, before also transferring to the ''[[École Militaire]]'' in [[Paris]] on 29 September 1785.<ref name=six>{{cite Six |title=D'Avout ou Davout (Louis-Nicolas duc d'Awerstaedt et prince d'Eckmühl) |pages=296–297|volume=1}}</ref> He graduated on 19 February 1788 and was appointed a ''sous-lieutenant'' in the Royal-Champagne [[Cavalry]] [[Regiment]]<ref name=six /> in [[garrison]] at [[Hesdin]] ([[Pas-de-Calais]]).<ref name="chandler">{{cite book |last1=Chandler |first1=David G. |title=Napoleon's Marshals |date=1987 |publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson |isbn=0-297-79124-9 |location=London |pages=93–117}}</ref>{{rp|94}}

==French Revolutionary Wars== [[File:Davout Lt-Col.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''Louis-Nicolas Davout, lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd battalion of [[Yonne]] in 1792'', by Alexis-Nicolas Pérignon (1834)]]

On the outbreak of the [[French Revolution]], Davout embraced its principles. He was ''[[Major (France)|chef de bataillon]]'' in a volunteer corps in the campaign of 1792, and distinguished himself at the [[Battle of Neerwinden (1793)|Battle of Neerwinden]] the following spring. He had just been promoted to [[Brigadier general|general of brigade]] when he was removed from the active list because of his [[Nobility|noble]] birth. After he divorced his wife in 1794 he served in the [[Rhine campaign of 1796]], and accompanied General [[Louis Desaix]] in the [[French campaign in Egypt and Syria|Egyptian expedition of Napoleon Bonaparte]].<ref name=eb>{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Davout, Louis Nicolas|volume=7 |pages=870–871}} Cites as sources: *{{Cite book|last=The Marquise de Blocqueville (Davout's daughter) (1870–1880, 1887)|title=Le Maréchal Davout raconté par les siens et lui-même|location=Paris}} *{{Cite book|last=Chenier|title=Davout, duc d'Auerstaedt|url=https://archive.org/details/histoiredelavie00chgoog|location=Paris|year=1866}}</ref>

On his return, he did not take part in the [[Battle of Marengo]], where his friend Desaix was killed while making a decisive contribution to the victory.{{r|iron|page1=65}} Napoleon, who had great confidence in his abilities, finally promoted him to general of division and arranged his marriage to his sister [[Pauline Bonaparte|Pauline]]'s sister-in-law Aimée Leclerc, thus making him part of Napoleon's extended family, and gave him a command in the grenadiers of the [[Consular Guard]].

==Napoleonic Wars== [[File:Davout-a-auerstaedt.jpg|thumb|left|upright|''Davout at the Battle of Auerstedt'', by Dick de Lonlay]]

At the [[Constitution of the Year XII|ascension]] of [[Napoleon]] as [[Emperor of the French|Emperor]] in 1804, Davout was named as one of the original 18 [[Marshal of the Empire|Marshals of the Empire]]. Davout was the youngest and least experienced of the generals promoted to marshal, which earned him the hostility of other generals throughout his career. On 18 June 1805 he was present at the [[Battle of Blanc-Nez and Gris-Nez]] after joining a [[Batavian Republic|Batavian]] [[flotilla]], headed for [[Boulogne-sur-Mer|Boulogne]], as an observer.

As commander of the [[III Corps (Grande Armée)|III Corps]] of the ''[[Grande Armée]]'', Davout rendered his greatest services. At the [[Battle of Austerlitz]], following a forced march of 48 hours to fall on the left flank of the [[Imperial Russian Army|Russian army]], the III Corps bore the brunt of the [[War of the Third Coalition|allies]]' attack. In the subsequent [[War of the Fourth Coalition]], Davout, with a single corps, with the intention to fall on the [[Prussian Army|Prussian]] left wing, fought and won the [[Battle of Jena-Auerstedt|Battle of Auerstädt]] against the main Prussian Army,<ref name=eb /> under the [[Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick|Duke of Brunswick]], which had more than twice as many soldiers at its disposal (more than 63,000, to Davout's 28,000). His actions in this battle earned him the nickname 'Iron Marshal'. Napoleon after hearing reports about the alleged battle would mock Davout, telling his [[aide-de-camp]] "your Marshal must've been seeing double", mocking Davout's spectacle wearing. Historian François-Guy Hourtoulle writes: ''"At Jena, Napoleon won a battle he could not lose. At Auerstädt, Davout won a battle he could not win"''.<ref name=shosenberg>{{cite journal|last1=Shosenberg|first1=James W.|title=Napoleon's Double Knock-out Punch|journal=Military History|date=October 2009|volume=23|issue=7|page=22}}</ref> As a reward, Napoleon let Davout and his men [[Fall of Berlin (1806)|enter]] [[Berlin]] first on 25 October 1806.

Davout added to his renown in the battles of [[Battle of Eylau|Eylau]] and [[Battle of Friedland|Friedland]]. Napoleon left him as [[governor-general]] of the newly created [[Duchy of Warsaw]] following the [[Treaties of Tilsit]] in 1807, and the next year awarded him with the title of [[Duc d'Auerstaedt|Duke of Auerstädt]]. During the [[War of the Fifth Coalition]] in 1809, Davout took part in the [[Battle of Eckmühl]], and also distinguished himself in the [[Battle of Wagram]], where he commanded the right wing. He was later made Prince of [[Eckmühl]] following the campaign. In 1810 Davout travelled to [[Compiègne]] with Napoleon to collect the 18-year-old bride [[Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma|Marie-Louise of Austria]].

[[File:Davout in chudov.jpg|thumb|''Marshal Davout in [[Chudov Monastery]] of [[Kremlin|Moscow Kremlin]]'', by [[Vasili Vereshchagin]]]]

In 1810 he was sent to [[Hamburg]] when Marshal [[Charles XIV John|Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte]] left for [[Sweden]];<ref>[https://d-nb.info/1136375120/34 Helmut Stubbe da Luz, Swantje Naumann: Die französischen Besatzer in Hamburg. Zeugnisse zu den Jahren 1811-1814, p. 227]</ref> Davout was entrusted by Napoleon with the task of organizing the "corps of observation of the [[Elbe]]", which would become the gigantic army with which Napoleon [[French invasion of Russia|invaded Russia]] in 1812. In this, he commanded the [[I Corps (Grande Armée)|I Corps]], the strongest corps, numbering over 70,000. On 1 July he left [[Vilnius]]. On the order of Napoleon Davout secretly took over the command of [[Jérôme Bonaparte]],<ref>[https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62963499/f9.item.texteImage/f1n668.pdf?download=1 Correspondance de Napoleon, Tome XXIV, 18911, p. 28]</ref> occupied [[Minsk]] but had lost a third of his men due to sickness and desertion. Davout went very far in humiliating the 33rd regiment, which was no exception.<ref>1812: The March on Moscow by Paul Britten Austen</ref> He defeated the Russians at [[Battle of Saltanovka|Mohilev]] before he joined the main army at [[Smolensk]], with which he continued throughout the campaign.<ref name=eb/> During the retreat from [[Moscow]] he conducted the rear guard, which was exhausted by food shortage and deemed too slow by the emperor, so Davout was replaced by Marshal [[Michel Ney]] in the [[Battle of Vyazma]].<ref>See the Vyazma battle article. Zamoyski, p. 385; Riehn, p. 322, describes the beginning of the breakdown in troop discipline in Moscow; on p. 341, how starvation during the retreat accelerated the deterioration in discipline.</ref> His inability to hold out against general [[Mikhail Miloradovich]] in the [[Battle of Krasnoi]], threatened his forces with destruction,<ref>Napoléon Et la Grande Armée en Russie, Ou, Examen Critique de L'ouvrage de M. Le Comte Ph. de Ségur by Gaspard Baron Gourgaud (1825), p. 398</ref> until the arrival of the [[Old Guard (France)|Old Guard]] led by [[Édouard Mortier, Duke of Treviso|Édouard Mortier]]. Davout managed to successfully cross the Losvinka brook, albeit at the cost of his rearguard's sacrifice. Davout's jammed carriages, fell into the hands of the [[Cossack host|Cossacks]].<ref>[https://archive.org/details/moscow1812napole00zamo/page/421/mode/1up?q=krasny Adam Zamoysky (2004) Moscow 1812, p. 422]</ref> Among the booty captured by the Russians were Davout's war chest, a plethora of maps of the [[Middle East]], [[Central Asia]] and [[India]], and Davout's [[Baton (military)|Marshal baton]].<ref>Wilson, p. 274. Other sources state that Davout's baggage was captured earlier that day east of Krasny, or the previous day during the fighting with Eugène near Eskovo. Wilson's narrative seems most credible.</ref><ref>Napoleon in Russia: A Concise History of 1812, pp. 201–203 by Digby Smith, Pen & Sword Military, {{ISBN|1-84415-089-5}}</ref> The loss of his baton led him into disgrace and he would not meet with the Emperor again until his return from [[Principality of Elba|Elba]].

In April 1813, on his return from [[Russian Empire|Russia]] with 4,000, the remains of 70,000 men,<ref>Digby, p. 205</ref> Davout commanded the military district of Hamburg and [[Dirk van Hogendorp]] left.<ref>Helmut Stubbe da Luz: Le maréchal Davout, „le beau siège de Hambourg“ en 1813/14 et „le nom français“. In: Francia 36 (2009), p. 181–207.</ref> (The French had initially been driven out by the Russians in March 1813.) He defended the poorly fortified and provisioned city, through the long [[Siege of Hamburg]], only surrendering on direct order by King [[Louis XVIII]], who had come to the throne after Napoleon's [[Treaty of Fontainebleau (1814)|abdication]] in April 1814.<ref name=eb /> The French restored their authority with many reprisals among the population. During the siege, he expelled up to 25,000 of Hamburg's poorest citizens out of the city into the cold winter, many of whom perished of cold and starvation.<ref>Aaslestad, Katherine B.(2016) "Postwar Cities: The Cost of the Wars of 1813–1815 on Society in Hamburg and Leipzig". ''War, Demobilization and Memory: The. Legacy of War in the Era of Atlantic Revolutions'' (Forrest, A., Hagemann, K. and Rowe, M., ed). Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 222–223. {{ISBN|978-1-137-40648-4}}</ref> Between 1806 and 1814, when the French occupation came to an end by Davout's surrender, the population decreased by nearly one-half, to 55,000.<ref>Chambers, William. and Chambers, Robert., ed. (1890). "Hamburg". ''Chambers's Encyclopædia: A Dictionary of Universal Knowledge, New Edition Vol. 5.'' London: William & Robert Chambers. pp. 527.</ref>

[[File:Louis-Nicolas Davout's batoon (Hermitage) 01 by shakko.jpg|thumb|Copy of Davout's [[baton (military)|baton]] (Hermitage)]] Davout's military character has been interpreted as cruel and he had to defend himself against many attacks upon his conduct at Hamburg. He was a stern disciplinarian, who exacted rigid and precise obedience from his troops, and consequently his corps was more trustworthy and exact in the performance of its duty than any other. For example, Davout forbade his troops from plundering enemy villages, a policy he would enforce by the use of the death penalty. Thus, in the early days of the ''[[Grande Armée]]'', the III Corps tended to be entrusted with the most difficult work. He was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the ablest of Napoleon's marshals.

===Hundred Days=== [[File:PPN663958857 Marschall Davoust (1813).jpg|thumb|Marshal Davout in [[Hamburg]] (1813)]]

Upon the [[First Restoration|first restoration of the Bourbon monarchy]], he retired into private life, openly displaying his hostility to the [[House of Bourbon|Bourbons]], and when Napoleon [[Hundred Days|returned]] from Elba, Davout rejoined him.<ref name=eb /> Appointed [[Minister of War (France)|Minister of War]], he reorganized the [[French Imperial Army (1804–1815)|French Army]] insofar as time permitted, and he was so indispensable to the war department that Napoleon kept him in [[Paris]] during the [[Waterloo campaign]]. To what degree his skill and bravery would have altered the fortunes of the campaign of 1815 can only be surmised, but Napoleon has been criticized for his failure to avail himself in the field of the services of the best general he then possessed.<ref name=eb/>

Davout directed the gallant, but hopeless, defense of Paris after the [[Battle of Waterloo]].<ref name=eb /> He received the command of the army assembled under the walls of Paris, and would have fought, had he not received the order of the provisional government to negotiate with the enemy.<ref name="Knight, Charles 1858 pp.533">Knight, Charles. Ed (1858) "Davout, Louis Nicholas", ''Cyclopædia of Biography Vols. and II''. London: Bradbury And Evans: pp. 533</ref> On 24 June 1815, Davout was sent by [[Joseph Fouché]], the president of the [[French Provisional Government of 1815|provisional government]], to the dethroned emperor at the [[Élysée Palace]] with a request to quit Paris, where his continued presence could lead to trouble and public danger. Napoleon received him coldly but left Paris the next day and resided at [[Château de Malmaison]] until 29 June when he departed for Rochfort.<ref>Madelin, Louis.(1967). ''The Consulate and the Empire: 1809–1815 Vol. 2'' (translated from the French by E.F. Buckley). New York: AMS Press. pp. 459.</ref><ref>Thornton, Michael J. (1968) ''Napoleon After Waterloo: England and the St. Helena Decision''. Stanford:Stanford University Press. pp. 6–11</ref> In later years, Napoleon said of Davout bitterly that ''"he betrayed me too. He has a wife and children; he thought that all was lost; he wanted to keep what he had got,''"<ref>{{cite book |last=Gourgaud |first=Gaspar |date=1904 |title=Talks of Napoleon at St Helena with General Baron Gourgaud |translator-first=Elizabeth Wormley |translator-last=Latimer |location=Chicago |publisher=A. C. McClurg |page=264 | url=https://archive.org/details/talksofnapoleona00gour/page/264/mode/2up}}</ref> while on another occasion he remarked that, ''"I thought that Davout loved me, but he loved only France."''<ref>Vachée, Jean-Baptiste-Modeste-Eugène (1914) ''Napoleon at Work'': London: A. and C. Black. pp. 174</ref> Subsequently, Davout retired with the army beyond the [[Loire]] and made his submission to the [[Bourbon Restoration in France|restored Bourbon monarchy]] on 14 July, and within a few days gave up his command to Marshal [[Étienne MacDonald]].<ref name="Knight, Charles 1858 pp.533"/>

==Later life== [[File:Davout Tombeau Pere Lachaise.JPG|thumb|Davout's tomb at the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris]]

Upon the second restoration, Davout was deprived of his titles and was exiled to [[Louviers]] on 27 December 1815. When some of his subordinate generals were proscribed, he demanded to be held responsible for their acts, as executed under his orders, and he endeavoured to prevent the execution of [[Michel Ney|Ney]]. After half a year, the hostility of the Bourbons towards Davout faded and he became reconciled to the monarchy. In 1817, his rank and titles were restored and in 1819, he became a member of the [[Chamber of Peers (France)|Chamber of Peers]].<ref name=eb />

In 1822, Davout was elected mayor of [[Savigny-sur-Orge]], an office he held for a year. His son Louis-Napoléon was also mayor of the city from 1843 to 1846. A main square bears their name in the city, as does a boulevard in Paris.<ref>{{cite web|title=Google query|url=https://www.google.it/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=davout+boulevard+in+paris|website=www.google.it|access-date=28 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Google query for the square|url=https://www.google.it/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=davout+Savigny-sur-Orge|website=www.google.it|access-date=28 July 2015}}</ref>

Davout died in Paris on 1 June 1823. His remains rest in the [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]], where an elaborate tomb marks his grave.

==Honours and awards== [[File:Arc de Triomphe mg 6829.jpg|thumb|Davout's name, written as ''Davoust'', appears on the [[Arc de Triomphe]], eastern pillar, column 14.]]

Davout held the following honours and awards:<ref>{{cite book|title=Annuaire de la pairie et de la noblesse de France et des maisons souveraines de l'Europe et de la diplomatie|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XZhAAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA95|year=1845|publisher=Bureau de la Publ.|language=French|page=95}}</ref> * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the [[Legion of Honour]]<ref>{{cite book|title=Almanach impérial|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GuIaAAAAYAAJ|year=1810|publisher=Testu}}</ref> * Knight of the [[Order of the Iron Crown]] * Grand Cross and Star of the [[Virtuti Militari]] * Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]] * Knight of the [[Order of Christ (Portugal)|Order of Christ]] * Knight Grand Cross of the [[Military Order of St. Henry]] * Knight Grand Cross of the [[Military Order of Max Joseph]] * Knight Grand Cross of the Royal [[Order of St. Stephen of Hungary]] * Knight of the Military [[Order of Maria Theresa]] * Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Elephant]]

==Personal life== {{More citations needed section|date=December 2020}} [[File:Château de Savigny-sur-Orge.jpg|thumb|Château de [[Savigny-sur-Orge]], owned by Davout from 1802]]

Davout was known as a methodical person in both military and personal affairs. Within the army and among his social peers, he was often considered cold and distant; while respected, he was not well-liked. During times of peace, he preferred to spend time with his family and care for his home, rather than cultivate his high social standing.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

Because of his stubborn personality and limited social skills, he developed many enemies and antagonists within the army's officer corps, notably [[Charles XIV John|Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte]], [[Joachim Murat]] (with whom he clashed strongly during the 1812 campaign), [[Louis-Alexandre Berthier]] and [[Paul Thiébault|Baron Thiébault]] (who would harshly criticize Davout in his memoirs).{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

Perhaps his fiercest anger was directed towards Bernadotte, who he perceived to have failed to come to his aid at [[Battle of Auerstadt|Auerstedt]], though close enough to observe the smoke and hear the cannon fire.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} His anger was so intense that Davout requested to settle the matter with a personal duel, averted only by [[Napoleon]]'s personal intervention. Bernadotte was eventually sent back to [[Paris]] in disgrace after being caught by Napoleon retreating without orders at the [[battle of Wagram]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2020}} Bernadotte then caught the eye of the [[List of ambassadors of Sweden to France|Swedish ambassador]], looking for a well-connected French officer to take on the role of [[List of heirs to the Swedish throne|heir]] to the [[Monarchy of Sweden|Swedish throne]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Gallaher |first=John G. |title=The iron marshal: a biography of Louis N. Davout |date=1976 |publisher=Southern Illinois University Press |isbn=978-0-8093-0691-6 |location=Carbondale |pages=124–135}}</ref> When [[Sweden]] threw in her lot against Napoleon in the [[War of the Sixth Coalition]], Davout personally asked to be placed opposite Bernadotte's contingent, in order to gain retribution for the latter's betrayal. But with Davout assigned to defend Hamburg (which he did, up to and beyond Napoleon's abdication), they never did face each other in battle.<ref name=":0" />

Of the other Marshals, Davout had the best relations with [[Michel Ney]], [[Edouard Mortier]], [[Nicolas Charles Oudinot]] and [[Laurent Gouvion Saint-Cyr]]. His best friend was possibly [[Charles-Étienne Gudin de La Sablonnière]], one of his subordinates, who was killed in battle in 1812.{{citation needed|date=August 2011}}. Also, he was friends with [[Louis Desaix]], who was killed at the [[Battle of Marengo]].

===Family=== [[File:Aimée Leclerc (1782-1868).jpg|thumb|Aimée Leclerc with two daughters]]

Davout was also noted for his loyalty to his long-time second wife<ref>He was first married, in 1791, to Adelaide Séguenot ({{circa|1768}}{{snd}}1795) and later divorced in 1794</ref> Louise ''Aimée'' Julie Davout ([[née]] Leclerc, sister of [[Charles Leclerc (general, born 1772)|Charles Leclerc]] and sister-in-law of [[Pauline Bonaparte]]) ([[Pontoise]], 19 June 1782{{snd}}Paris, 17 December 1868), whom he married in 1801 and who remained with him until his death. Their marriage was loving and the couple seem to have been faithful to each other despite very long periods of separation. They had eight children, four of whom died in childhood:

*Paul (1802–1803) *Joséphine (1804–1805) *Antoinette Joséphine (1805{{snd}}19 August 1821), married in 1820 to Achille, Comte Félix-Vigier (1801–1868) *Adèle Napoleone (June 1807{{snd}}21 January 1885), married on 14 March 1827 to Étienne, Comte de Cambacérès (1804{{snd}}20 December 1878) *Napoleon (1809–1810) *[[Napoléon Louis Davout d'Auerstaedt d'Eckmühl|Napoleon ''Louis'', 2nd Duke of Auerstedt, 2nd and last Prince of Eckmühl]] (6 January 1811{{snd}}13 June 1853), who died unmarried and without issue *Jules (1812–1813) *[[Adélaïde-Louise d'Eckmühl de Blocqueville|Adelaide-Louise]] (8 July 1815{{snd}}6 October 1892), married on 17 August 1835 to François-Edmond de Couliboeuf, Marquis de Blocqueville (1789–1861)

The title of duke went to the descendants of Louis-Nicolas' brother Charles Isidor (1774–1854) by his marriage in 1824 to Claire de Cheverry (1804–1895). He also had a sister Julie (1771–1846), married in 1801 to [[Marc Antoine de Beaumont|Marc-Antoine Bonnin de La Bonninière, 1st Count de Beaumont (1763–1830)]], and another brother, Alexandre-Louis-Edme, 1st Baron d'Avout (1773–1820), married in 1808 to Alire Parisot (1786–1856).<ref>{{cite book|title=Les maréchaux du Premier empire : leur famille et leur descendance|language=fr|date=1957|author=Valynseele, Joseph}}</ref> The youngest daughter, Adelaide-Louise, marquise de Blocqueville, left provision in her will for the name of her father to be given to a lighthouse. In 1897, the [[Phare d'Eckmühl]] was opened on the headland of Penmarc'h in Brittany.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==Further reading== * Potocka-Wąsowiczowa, Anna z Tyszkiewiczów. ''Wspomnienia naocznego świadka.'' Warszawa: Państwowy Instytut Wydawniczy, 1965. * {{Cite book|first=John G.|last=Gallaher|title=The Iron Marshal. A Biography of Louis N. Davout|publisher=The Greenhill Books|location=London|year=2000}}

==External links==

{{Commons category}}

*[http://www.napoleonicsociety.com/english/scholarship97/c_davout.html ''Davout and Napoleon:A Study of Their Personal Relationship'' By John Gallaher for the International Napoleonic Society] * [http://www.Souvenir-Davout.com Souvenir du Maréchal Davout]

{{S-start}} {{S-off}} {{Succession box| title=[[Minister of Defence (France)|Minister of War]]| before=[[Henri Jacques Guillaume Clarke]]| years= 20 March 1815{{snd}}7 July 1815| after=[[Laurent, marquis de Gouvion Saint-Cyr]]}} {{S-reg|fr}} {{Succession box|before=New creation|title=[[Duc d'Auerstaedt|Duke of Auerstaedt]]|years=1808-1823|after=[[Napoléon Louis Davout d'Auerstaedt d'Eckmühl|Napoleon Louis Davout]]}} {{S-end}} {{MarshalsNapoleon}} {{Napoleonic Wars}} {{Commanders in chief of Army of Duchy of Warsaw}} {{French Revolution navbox}} {{French government of the Hundred Days}} {{French Executive Commission of 1815}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davout, Louis Nicolas}} [[Category:1770 births]] [[Category:1823 deaths]] [[Category:Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery]] [[Category:Commanders in the French Imperial Guard]] [[Category:Dukes of Auerstaedt]] [[Category:French military personnel of the French Revolutionary Wars]] [[Category:Ministers of war of France]] [[Category:Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Military Order of Max Joseph]] [[Category:Grand Crosses of the Virtuti Militari]] [[Category:Knights of the Military Order of Christ]] [[Category:Marshals of France]] [[Category:Marshals of the First French Empire]] [[Category:Mayors of places in Île-de-France]] [[Category:Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Bourbon Restoration]] [[Category:Members of the Chamber of Peers of the Hundred Days]] [[Category:People from Yonne]] [[Category:Princes of Eckmühl]] [[Category:Names inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe]] [[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Eagle (Poland)]] [[Category:People of the War of the First Coalition]] [[Category:French recipients of the Legion of Honour]]