Joachim Murat - the marshal and associate of Napoleon - a man of insane courage, ready to sacrifice himself for the salvation of his comrades, earned himself the love and veneration of his subordinates. He was their idol. Napoleon, loving him, believed that he brought him success, and did everything for him that he could. He said that this man was brave only at the sight of the enemy, and in the office was a simple bouncer and insane.
Childhood and youth
Joachim Murat (1767–1815) was born on March 25, 1767 in Gascony (France), the hamlet of Labastide-Fortuniere (now Labastide-Murray) of the Law department. He was the youngest and latest child in the family. His father was, according to one version, an innkeeper, and according to another, the groom of the princes of the Taylerans, and in his dreams he saw the boy as a priest. He was sent to the seminary, from which he escaped, not feeling in himself the desire to become a priest.
The young man was a real Gascon: desperate and hot, he loved horses very much. At the age of 20, he enrolled in a passing horse ranger regiment. But two years later he was dismissed from the army and returned to Labastide-Fortuniere. At this time, there is one important event that influenced the biography of Joachim Murat - the Great French Revolution. In 1791, he recovered in the army.
A year later, he served his first officer rank of sub-lieutenant. In 1793 he became captain. Soon, he, a hot, ardent, convinced ardent Republican, was removed from command of the squadron. Left without work, in 1794 he went to Paris, where fate brings him together with General Bonaparte. This meeting drastically changed his life.
The start of take-off. The suppression of the royalist rebellion
In October 1795, a rebellion of royalists took place in Paris, seeking to restore the monarchy. The government of the republic - the Directory - appoints Napoleon as the protector of his interests. There wasn’t enough forces for this, and Bonaparte regrets talking about the artillery located in Sablon, which cannot be transported through the rebel camp.
Murat takes up this matter. It was necessary to hurry, since the royalists could seize the guns. Murat rushes like the wind, knocking everyone and everything in its path. Having burst into the Sablon camp, the detachment knocked over the rebels, who, not expecting an onslaught, quickly retreated. Having captured the guns, he delivered them to Napoleon, who dispersed the royalists with buckshot.
It was this feat of Murat that laid the foundation for his fast-paced career. Murat’s lack of military knowledge was offset by courage and energy, and later by practice.
Rapprochement with Napoleon
The brave Murat did not go unnoticed. Already in 1796 he became an adjutant to Napoleon, who was impressed by the courage of Colonel Murat and the love for him of the soldiers whom he commanded. Subordinates simply idolized him. They believed him and were completely devoted. Napoleon decided that fate itself favored him by sending Murat.
Italian hike
In the Italian campaign, Murat, having shown his courage, becomes a brigadier general. His bold and swift equestrian attacks on the Austrians always ended in victories, bringing rich trophies and prisoners. It seemed to Napoleon that luck itself carried him on a horse, pointing the way to victory. It was in the battles of Rivoli, Rovereto, San Giorgio and others. Over time, the name of Colonel Joachim Murat alone threw the enemy into confusion, and his swift onslaught put them to flight.
Egyptian expedition 1798-1801
The equestrian units of the French showed miracles of courage and superiority over the Mameluke detachments. This was facilitated by the discipline and training of soldiers who had passed Italian campaigns. During the conquest of Palestine by Napoleon, the Syrian army is formed, where Murat plays one of the important roles.
With only a thousand men under his command, the brave general crushed the Damascus Pasha camp and captured the city of Tiberius. He also repulsed a Turkish landing near Abukir. In a personal battle with Mustafa Pasha and his janissaries, he captured him, but was wounded in the lower part of the face, under the jaw. After this, he returned to France with Napoleon.
Participation in the coup of 1799
All the events that took place brought together two such different people as Napoleon and Murat so much that all decisions of the future emperor were made with the participation of the latter. Bonaparte trusted him so much that in all subsequent events, the brave and devoted Joachim Murat was in the foreground. He played an important role in the coup, which brought Napoleon to power, resolutely supporting the hesitant friend, instilled in him confidence in his own abilities.
He played a decisive role in breaking up the legislative assembly - the “Council of Five Hundreds”, when he, with a small detachment of grenadiers with rifles at the ready and drums, entered the Council. There was an ever-drowning and continuous rumble of drums. The grenadiers ran into the palace. The deputies, seeing Murat leading their soldiers into battle, rushed to run, realizing that he was ready for anything, not knowing that Napoleon had forbidden him to arrest or kill them. Bonaparte becomes the first consul, intending to soon become emperor.
Murat’s Marriage
In addition to military affairs, two comrades-in-arms were connected by another important event concerning the Murat family. He in 1800 married Carolina Bonaparte - the sister of the future emperor. She was eighteen years old. On arrival in Paris, she fell in love with a brave general who by that time turned 30 years old. Joachim reciprocated.
Napoleon was against marriage, dreaming of giving his darling for General Moreau. But Carolina insisted on what she never regretted. After much resistance, the brother agreed. The Murat family had four children: two sons and two daughters. In 1804, two more important events took place in Murat's life. He becomes mayor of Paris and receives the title of Marshal of France.
Conquest of Europe
Dreaming of becoming emperor, Napoleon begins to conquer Europe. In 1805, Murat was appointed commander of the reserve cavalry of the Great Army. His task was to inflict directed strikes. Until this year, Austria was the main European adversary, which in September entered into an alliance with Russia against Napoleon.
The first battles brought victory to the Austro-Russian union. Napoleonic Marshal Murat also distinguished himself by capturing the only surviving bridge over the Danube River. His Austrians decided to blow up. He personally convinced the commandant that a truce was declared, and then, with a sudden blow, prevented them from fulfilling the order. On this bridge, the French were able to cross to the left bank, blocking the path of the retreating army of Kutuzov.
But Murat allowed Kutuzov to conduct himself in the same way, who informed him of the truce. The stopped Murat began to double-check this data. This time was enough for the Russians to get out of the encirclement. This company ended with the victory of the Napoleonic troops over the allies in the battle of Austerlitz. Despite the defeat, Russia refused to sign a peace with France.
Military campaigns of 1806–1807
In 1806, the war begins with Russia and Prussia. Murat’s cavalry became a participant in all the major battles of the military companies of 1806–1807. The Napoleonic army won one battle after another. Murat captured several fortresses. In the battle of Heilsberg, he chopped off with Russian cavalrymen. General Lassalle saved him from death, after which he was already recaptured by Murat.
Commander-in-Chief in Spain
In 1808, he became commander-in-chief of the French army in Spain, part of which, beyond the Pyrenees, did not submit to Napoleon. The troops of the emperor first encountered a popular war. Murat distinguished himself in Spain in that he brutally crushed the uprising in Madrid. In the same year, Napoleon makes his Marshal the King of Naples. True, his wife Carolina ruled the kingdom.
Military company in Russia
Napoleon, going to fight with the Russians in their territory, did not fully realize the whole adventurism of this event. If the barrier in Spain for them was the Pyrenees mountains and the people, then in Russia even greater tests awaited him. The victories in Europe, where the Russian armies acted as puppets in the struggle for foreign rulers and foreign lands, played a cruel joke with them. Their self-confidence led to the collapse.
First, values have changed, since the Russians had to fight for their land, for their home. Secondly, vast territories where the distances between the villages were more than a dozen kilometers. Thirdly, autumn thaw and Russian frost. The French fought in warm countries before Russia, so there was nothing to even compare with. And most importantly, the Russian soldiers are not Austrians, Saxons, Bavarians, who fled from only one type of Murat’s cavalry.
The cavalrymen of Murat Joachim in the Russian campaign of 1812 amounted to 28 thousand, were in reserve and fought at the forefront. After crossing the Russian border, failures accompanied them in everything. So, immediately after the border, a battle took place near the village of Ostrovno. The corps of A.I. Osterman-Tolstoy and two French corps participated in it. The Russian infantry resisted the attacks of the Murat cavalry.
The battle of Borodino showed the marshal from the best side. He was in the midst of battle, leading the cavalry. Hacked with Russians on sabers, was surrounded and remained alive, thanks to the French infantry. Without hiding behind the backs of his subordinates, he managed to survive. The French army lost 40 generals killed here. Russian Cossacks loved Murat for his selfless courage and bravery. During the lull, without fear, he went alone to inspect the position. The Russians welcomed him, and General Miloradovich drove up to chat with him.
Escape
The occupation of Moscow did not deliver the French much satisfaction; Borodino was to blame for this. The battle did not bring the desired victory, although the French today continue to consider Napoleon the winner, but he himself could not say this with confidence. In the battle of Tarutino, the vanguard of Murat was completely defeated, the French army almost lost its cavalry. That was the beginning of the end.
The cunning Kutuzov forced the French to retreat along the old Smolensk road. There was no food and fodder, in December the first not very severe frosts began. Partisans constantly attacked troops and convoys. It was clear that this was a disaster. 12/06/1812, Napoleon throws troops, leaving Murat for the commander in chief, and fled to France. Murat did not last long with the army, a month later, having transferred command to General de Beauharnais, he left for Naples without the permission of the emperor.
Leipzig Battle of the Nations
Returning with troops of recruits to the army, Napoleon won two victories (under Lutzen and Bautzen) over the Russian-Prussian troops. Murat was with him again. In Saxony, near Leipzig, a battle took place, which later became known as the “Battle of the Peoples”. He was opposed by the army of Austria and Sweden, supported by the Sixth Coalition, which included Austria, Sweden, Russia, Prussia, Spain, Great Britain, and Portugal. After the defeat of France, Murat returned to Naples.
Betrayal
Arriving in Naples, Murat entered into negotiations with the Allies, trying to reserve the rule of the kingdom. But the monarchs of Europe did not want to recognize him, considering him an impostor. After Napoleon's triumphant return to France, he returned to him again, but was not received by the emperor. He declared war on the Austrians, hoping with the idea of reunification of Italy to win over the people. He collected 80 thousand soldiers, but at the battle of Tolentino he was defeated by the Austrians.
After the defeat of Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, Murat again entered into negotiations with Austria, seeking to preserve the Kingdom of Naples. The condition of the Austrians was his abdication, and he agrees. Austria provided him with a passport and determined his place of residence in Bohemia, where his family was evacuated. He goes to Corsica by sea, where he is received as king.
The death of Murat
He again decides to regain the throne and, having deployed a flotilla, goes to Sicily. But the storm swept his ships, and on the remaining two he decides to go to Austria. Having sailed to Colabri, landed with 28 soldiers. With all the regalia, he appeared in Monte Leone, where he fell into the hands of the gendarmes. He found a proclamation with an appeal to the Italian people. The court indicted the organization of the uprising. He was sentenced to death. Murat only managed to send a letter to his family. On October 13, 1815, the sentence was carried out.
In exile on the island of St. Helena, Napoleon, recalling the events and associates, gave Murat an exhaustive description, recognizing that he loved Murat, just as he did his emperor. He regretted that he had released him from himself in recent days, since Murat was nobody without him. For his beloved emperor, he was an indispensable assistant and with his right hand.