André Masséna

André Masséna, prince d'Essling, duc de Rivoli (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃dʁe massena]; born Andrea Massena; 6 May 1758 – 4 April 1817), was a French military commander of the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was one of the original eighteen Marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon I, who nicknamed him "the dear child of victory" (l'enfant chéri de la victoire). He is considered to be one of the greatest generals of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Beginning his career as an enlisted soldier under the ancien régime, Masséna established himself as one of the best generals of the French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars. He served as Napoleon Bonaparte's main lieutenant in the Italian campaign of the War of the First Coalition, playing a decisive role in the victories of Arcole and Rivoli, and was at the helm of the advance into Austrian territory that compelled them to open peace negotiations. In 1799, Masséna defeated Second Coalition forces at the Second Battle of Zurich, which had considerable strategic repercussions for France.

Under the French Empire, Masséna continued to demonstrate great competence in his various commands, both under Napoleon's direct orders and at the head of independent forces in secondary fronts. He campaigned in Italy once again in 1805, invaded the Kingdom of Naples in 1806 and played a major role at the battles of Aspern-Essling and Wagram in 1809. Masséna was rewarded by Napoleon with the titles of Duke of Rivoli (duc de Rivoli) and Prince of Essling (prince d'Essling). However, his failed invasion of Portugal in 1810 earned him the disgrace of the Emperor, who no longer appointed him to any major commands during the Empire. Having rallied to the Bourbon Restoration, Masséna died in Paris shortly afterwards at the age of 58.

Although many of Napoleon's generals were trained at the finest French and European military academies, Masséna was among those who achieved greatness without the benefit of formal education. While those of noble rank acquired their education and promotions as a matter of privilege, Masséna rose from humble origins to such prominence that Napoleon referred to him as "the greatest name of my military empire". In addition to his battlefield successes, Masséna's leadership aided the careers of many. A majority of the French marshals of the time served under his command at some point.

André Masséna was born on 6 May 1758 in Nice, in the County of Nice, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, the son of Jules César Masséna (1731–1764) and Catherine Fabre. He was baptized Andrea Massena the same day at the Cathedral of Saint Reparata by Canon Ignazio Cacciardi. His father's family, originally from Piedmont, had lived for at least three centuries in the Vésubie valley and owned land in Levens, a town in the hinterland of Nice. His father, after serving in the army for seven years, became a wine merchant on his return home in 1754. That same year he married Catherine Fabre, daughter of a contractor and shipowner from Toulon, with whom he had six children. He died from tuberculosis in 1764 and his widow, who quickly remarried, entrusted their children to the care of her first husband's relatives; André, the eldest of three sons, was then six years old.

Masséna spent his childhood in the family home in Levens and revealed himself early on a turbulent boy. When he was not yet ten years old, his grandmother, anxious to compensate for his lack of education, tried to make him a baker, but Masséna did not appreciate this career any more than he did working in his uncle's soap factory, where he remained until the age of 14. Giving up on becoming a craftsman, he preferred to run away and became a cabin boy aboard a merchant ship. He sailed in the Mediterranean Sea and on an extended voyage to French Guiana. In 1775, at the age of 17, Masséna definitively gave up sailing and, on the advice of his uncle Marcel, who was already serving in the unit as a non-commissioned officer, enlisted in the Royal Italian Regiment [fr] stationed in Toulon.

Benefiting from his good physical condition, Masséna learned the profession of arms while his uncle took care of his education. Appointed corporal on 1 September 1776, he was successively promoted to sergeant on 18 April 1777, to quartermaster on 14 February 1783, and finally to adjutant at the age of 26 on 4 September 1784. This was the highest rank a non-nobleman could achieve in the French Royal Army. On 13 April of the same year, Masséna was received as an apprentice in the Toulon masonic lodge Les Élèves de Minerve. His progression within the hierarchy of the lodge was rapid and he became its master of ceremonies on 15 August. On 27 September 1787, the Grand Orient de France created the lodge La Parfaite Amitié within the Royal Italian Regiment itself, of which Masséna became the president.

In 1788, following the restructuring of the Royal Italian, Masséna was sent to Antibes where he joined the corps of Royal Chasseurs of Provence. He stood out as a competent non-commissioned officer; with further advancement blocked, Masséna requested the following year to be transferred to the gendarmerie, but his request was rejected despite the recommendations of his commanding officer. He finally left his regiment on 3 August 1789, in the early days of the French Revolution, to settle in Antibes. There he married Marie Rosalie Lamare, daughter of a master surgeon, on 10 August. With little wealth, Masséna opened up a grocery store and, without much success, engaged in smuggling for about two years. During this time he became an active member of local revolutionary circles. With the establishment of the National Guard in French cities, Masséna was appointed instructor of the Antibes unit due to his military experience. He showed great efficiency in this post and was soon elected instructor captain of the 2nd volunteer battalion of Var on 14 September 1791. He became second lieutenant-colonel on 1 February 1792 and first lieutenant-colonel on 1 August.