Source: National Archives & Historic Records of Kingdom of France
Military • Historical Archive • 🇫🇷 France • 2 views

Jean Lannes 🇫🇷

Jean Lannes, duc de Montebello (Known as "The Roland of the Grande Armée")
Marshal of the Empire, Duke of Montebello, Intimate Friend and General to Napoleon
Born Apr 10, 1769 🇫🇷 Lectoure (Gers, Gascony), France
Passed Away May 31, 1809 Kaiserebersdorf (near Vienna), Austrian Empire
Lifespan 40 years old
2 views
Notice / Correction
"A soldier who does not fear death is stronger than an entire fortress."

Archival Overview

Gascon military genius and beloved Marshal of France acclaimed as 'the Roland of the Grande Armée', one of Napoleon's closest personal friends, victor at Montebello, and the first marshal killed in battle.

Biographical Record

Apprenticed to a dyer, Lannes volunteered in 1792, displaying fearless audacity in the Pyrenees. Meeting General Bonaparte in Italy in 1796, he won fame at Arcole and commanded the advance guard that smashed Austrian lines at Montebello and Marengo in 1800.

One of the few men who maintained the intimate 'tu' with Napoleon, Lannes displayed tactical brilliance at Austerlitz, Jena, and Friedland. In May 1809 at the Battle of Aspern-Essling, while sitting on a ditch, a ricocheting Austrian three-pound cannonball struck his legs; Napoleon wept bitterly at his bedside as he succumbed to gangrene.

Memorial Guestbook & Tributes

0 messages recorded

Leave a Respectful Tribute

No tributes recorded yet. Be the first to leave a message in honor of Jean Lannes.

Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial
Panthéon (Tomb in Vault XXII)
Paris, France
GPS: 48.8464, 2.3461
View on Memory Atlas
Archival Standards PastLegacies adheres to strict neutral biographical guidelines and legal standards of remembrance. Next-of-kin may request modifications or removal at any time via our expedited process.