Marshal Lannes

A courageous and brilliant commander, Lannes often won battles against great odds. Honest and outspoken, he was a true friend to Napoleon, who wept openly at his death.

A Gascon farmer’s son, Jean Lannes was briefly educated by his brother, a priest, before becoming a dyer. Joining the army in 1792, he rose through the ranks during several campaigns. At Arcola in 1796, he was wounded when his horse slid into a bog as he was protecting Napoleon Bonaparte, this act of bravery established a friendship between them. In 1799, he was shot in the head and left for dead during the Siege of Acre and wounded at Aboukir. The following year, his performance at Montebello and Marengo also was noted by Napoleon.

Realizing that courage could not replace education and self-control, Lannes developed his tactical skills, sought to master his temper, and assumed increasingly important responsibilities. As ambassador to Portugal (1801-1804), he negotiated a commercial treaty with that historically pro-British nation. In 1804, he became one of fourteen active marshals of the empire. His talents helped ensure many of France’s greatest victories, including those at Friedland (1807), Tudela (1808), Siege of Saragossa (1808-1809), and Ratisbon (1809). Lannes’s death from wounds sustained at Aspern-Essling (1809) deprived the army of one of its most charismatic leaders. He was the first marshal killed in action. Napoleon lost a comrade who could not be replaced.