author
duc de Raymond-Aymery-Philippe-Joseph de Montesquiou Fezensac
1784–1867
A French general, diplomat, and memoirist, he lived through the rise and fall of Napoleon and turned those years into vivid military recollections. His writing is valued for its clear-eyed picture of campaigns, command, and life in the imperial army.
1 Audiobook
Souvenirs militaires de 1804 à 1814
by duc de Raymond-Aymery-Philippe-Joseph de Montesquiou Fezensac
About the author
Born in Paris on January 26, 1784, into the old Montesquiou family, he began his military career during the Napoleonic era and went on to serve in many of the Empire’s major campaigns. He rose through the army, became a general, and later inherited the title of 2nd Duke of Montesquiou in 1832.
His life did not end with the battlefield. He also held political and diplomatic roles in France, including service as a peer of France, which reflects how closely his career was tied to the turbulent public life of 19th-century France.
Today he is especially remembered as the author of Souvenirs militaires de 1804 à 1814, a memoir drawn from his own experience of the Napoleonic wars. Readers interested in firsthand accounts of the Empire often return to his work for its direct, disciplined, and observant tone.