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Chevalier de Folard
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Chevalier de Folard
The Chevalier de Folard (13 February 1669 – 23 March 1752) was a professional soldier from Avignon which at the time was part of the Papal State. A military theorist, he championed the use of infantry columns, rather than the prevailing preference for linear formations. Although his ideas were generally dismissed by contemporaries and he died in obscurity, they remained influential in the long-running debate on tactics that followed.
Jean Charles de Folard was born 13 February 1669 to Jérôme de Folard (1631–1706), a Professor of Law, and Madeleine de Ruffi (died 1688). Originally from England, the Folard family settled in Savoy during the 13th century, before moving to Avignon at the end of the 16th.
One of seven surviving children, Foulard was the second of four brothers. The eldest, Nicolas-Joseph (1664–1734), was a canon at Nîmes Cathedral and noted scholar. Melchior (1684–1739), the youngest brother, also became a priest and wrote a number of plays that are now largely forgotten.
Little is known of the third brother Paul (1683–after 1745), who had a long and undistinguished military career, retiring in 1745 as a captain after forty years of service. Hubert de Folard (1709–1803), a prominent French diplomat of the later 18th century who helped edit Folard's books, is sometimes incorrectly described as his nephew. In fact, he was the son of his cousin Joseph François (1681–1748).
Like his brothers, Folard was educated by the Jesuits but ran away to join the French Royal Army at the age of 16, an action allegedly inspired by reading Caesar's "Commentaries". Forced to return home after his father wrote to his commanding officer, in 1687 he was allowed to join the Régiment de Béarn as an Officer cadet. Promoted Second lieutenant on the outbreak of the Nine Years War in 1688, his unit spent most of the war on garrison duty and when peace came in 1697, Folard was an obscure lieutenant.
The War of the Spanish Succession began in July 1701, and in early 1702 Folard's regiment was sent to secure Naples, where he spent most of the next three years. He used the time to produce a series of tactical ideas and suggestions that brought him to the attention of the duc de Vendôme, commander of the French forces in Italy. Despite this, promotion remained slow, allegedly because Folard was unpopular with his superiors.
In October 1703, Savoy joined the anti-French Grand Alliance. During 1704, Folard served in Lombardy under Vendôme's less talented brother, Philippe de Vendôme, also known as the "Grand Prior". The campaign largely consisted of siege and positional warfare, which allowed Folard to display his engineering skills, and by the end of 1704 he was acting as technical advisor to the Grand Prior. Wounded at Cassano in August 1705, he was awarded the Cross of St. Louis in recognition of his service. While recuperating, Folard began developing the ideas on columns that formed the basis of his intellectual effort from then on.
He recovered in time for the 1706 campaign, and was appointed deputy to the commander of the French garrison in Modena. Defeat at Ramillies in July forced Louis XIV of France to withdraw many of his forces from Italy, while the breaking of the Siege of Turin left Modena isolated and it surrendered in February 1707 after a siege of four months. In March 1707, the Convention of Milan provided the remaining French troops in Italy free passage to France, rather than being held as prisoners of war.
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Chevalier de Folard
The Chevalier de Folard (13 February 1669 – 23 March 1752) was a professional soldier from Avignon which at the time was part of the Papal State. A military theorist, he championed the use of infantry columns, rather than the prevailing preference for linear formations. Although his ideas were generally dismissed by contemporaries and he died in obscurity, they remained influential in the long-running debate on tactics that followed.
Jean Charles de Folard was born 13 February 1669 to Jérôme de Folard (1631–1706), a Professor of Law, and Madeleine de Ruffi (died 1688). Originally from England, the Folard family settled in Savoy during the 13th century, before moving to Avignon at the end of the 16th.
One of seven surviving children, Foulard was the second of four brothers. The eldest, Nicolas-Joseph (1664–1734), was a canon at Nîmes Cathedral and noted scholar. Melchior (1684–1739), the youngest brother, also became a priest and wrote a number of plays that are now largely forgotten.
Little is known of the third brother Paul (1683–after 1745), who had a long and undistinguished military career, retiring in 1745 as a captain after forty years of service. Hubert de Folard (1709–1803), a prominent French diplomat of the later 18th century who helped edit Folard's books, is sometimes incorrectly described as his nephew. In fact, he was the son of his cousin Joseph François (1681–1748).
Like his brothers, Folard was educated by the Jesuits but ran away to join the French Royal Army at the age of 16, an action allegedly inspired by reading Caesar's "Commentaries". Forced to return home after his father wrote to his commanding officer, in 1687 he was allowed to join the Régiment de Béarn as an Officer cadet. Promoted Second lieutenant on the outbreak of the Nine Years War in 1688, his unit spent most of the war on garrison duty and when peace came in 1697, Folard was an obscure lieutenant.
The War of the Spanish Succession began in July 1701, and in early 1702 Folard's regiment was sent to secure Naples, where he spent most of the next three years. He used the time to produce a series of tactical ideas and suggestions that brought him to the attention of the duc de Vendôme, commander of the French forces in Italy. Despite this, promotion remained slow, allegedly because Folard was unpopular with his superiors.
In October 1703, Savoy joined the anti-French Grand Alliance. During 1704, Folard served in Lombardy under Vendôme's less talented brother, Philippe de Vendôme, also known as the "Grand Prior". The campaign largely consisted of siege and positional warfare, which allowed Folard to display his engineering skills, and by the end of 1704 he was acting as technical advisor to the Grand Prior. Wounded at Cassano in August 1705, he was awarded the Cross of St. Louis in recognition of his service. While recuperating, Folard began developing the ideas on columns that formed the basis of his intellectual effort from then on.
He recovered in time for the 1706 campaign, and was appointed deputy to the commander of the French garrison in Modena. Defeat at Ramillies in July forced Louis XIV of France to withdraw many of his forces from Italy, while the breaking of the Siege of Turin left Modena isolated and it surrendered in February 1707 after a siege of four months. In March 1707, the Convention of Milan provided the remaining French troops in Italy free passage to France, rather than being held as prisoners of war.
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