author
Grégoire-Gaspard-Félix Coffinières de Nordeck
1811–1887
A French general who spent much of his career at the crossroads of military leadership, engineering, and education, he is especially remembered for leading the École Polytechnique during the Second Empire. His name also remains tied to the dramatic and controversial fall of Metz in 1870.
1 Audiobook
Het land der Bagas en de Rio-Nuñez De Aarde en haar Volken, 1887
by Grégoire-Gaspard-Félix Coffinières de Nordeck
About the author
Born in Castelnaudary in 1811, Grégoire-Gaspard-Félix Coffinières de Nordeck became a senior French army officer and eventually reached the rank of general of division. He is noted in major reference sources as Grégoire Gaspard Félix Coffinières, later Coffinières de Nordeck, and he died in Paris in 1887.
He is best known for serving as commander of the École Polytechnique under the Second French Empire, a role that places him in the history of one of France's most important scientific and military schools. Library and catalog records also connect him with published writings, including his response to critics after the events at Metz.
During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, he commanded the fortifications of Metz. That episode became the most contested part of his legacy, as contemporary summaries and later reference works note that the city was surrendered without being defended, making his career one that combined distinction, public responsibility, and lasting controversy.