KING LOUIS XVIII (FRANCE) - MILITARY APPOINTMENT SIGNED 08/30/1814 CO-SIGNED BY: PIERRE DUPONT DE L'ESTANG - HFSID 47143

LOUIS XVIII and PIERRE DuPONT de L'ETANG

Military Appointment signed during the First Restoration, counter-signed by a former Napoleonic general as Minister of War. The King should have been more careful in selecting his military officers, since many of them would soon defect to Napoleon during the Hundred Days.

Military Appointment Signed: ""Louis" as King of France and "L'Etaing DuPont" as Secretary of State for War. Tuileries Palace (Paris), 1814, August 30. 16x10½.Appointment of the Marquis of Oraray as Marshal of Camp with the rank of Lieutenant General. KING LOUIS XVIII of France (1755-1824), the grandson of the guillotined Louis XVI and the son of Louis XVII (who died in prison in 1795, unrecognized by the French Republic), lived in exile from 1791 until 1814, when Allied armies restored him to power by defeating Napoleon. He returned to Paris in April 1814, taking up residence in the Tuileries Palace, only to flee the city in March of 1815 when Napoleon, escaped from his own exile, returned to Paris for the Hundred Days. Defeated again at Waterloo, Napoleon was permanently exiled, and Louis returned to the capital. Intent on restoration of Bourbon power and the privileges of the aristocracy, Louis XVIII did not undo all of the reforms introduced by the Revolution and Napoleon, and tried to restrain the ultra-Royalists who wanted more vengeance upon their defeated foes. Louis actually retained many Napoleonic officers in his service, which proved to be a mistake since many of them defected to Napoleon during the Hundred Days. Louis reigned until 1824, the last French monarch to die while still on the throne. PIERRE DUPONT DE L'ESTANG (1765-1840) had been a Napoleonic general, but he only changed sides once. A successful division commander in several campaigns, he was made Napoleon's scapegoat when his untrained army was defeated in Spain. Court martialed and imprisoned by Napoleon, he returned to favor as Louis XVIII's Minister of War (April-December 1814). He remained loyal to the King during the 100 Days, and sat in the French legislature from 1815 to 1830. Marquis of Oraray must have been a temporary designation awarded Louis Victor de Rochchouart (1788-1858) fought against Napoleon, serving in the armies of Britain and Russia. He was made commander of Paris in 1814, securing the city for Louis' return, and was promoted to Marshal of Camp in August 1814. He accompanied King Louis during the Hundred Days, returning to the role of military commandant of Paris (1815-1821). He was assigned the task of executing Marshal Ney, one of Napoleon's top commanders, a duty he performed with great reluctance. Corners worn. Multiple mailing folds. Pencil note (unknown hand) on verso. Toned and lightly soiled on verso. Minor notches at bottom edge. Top corners torn. Otherwise, fine condition.