Louis-Nicolas Davout

Louis-Nicolas d'Avout (English: duh-VOO, French: [lwi nikɔla davu]; 10 May 1770 – 1 June 1823), better known as Davout, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, was a French military commander and Marshal of the Empire who served during both the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. His talent for war, along with his reputation as a stern disciplinarian, earned him the nickname "The Iron Marshal" (Le Maréchal de fer). He is ranked as one of Napoleon's finest commanders, and also stands among the most outstanding military commanders of the modern era.

Born into a minor noble family in Burgundy, Davout was educated at the École Militaire and joined a royal cavalry regiment in 1788. On the outbreak of the French Revolution, Davout embraced the revolutionary cause and first distinguished himself at the Battle of Neerwinden. Rapidly rising through the ranks, he took part in the 1796 Rhine campaign and Napoleon's Egyptian expedition, and by 1800 he had reached the rank of divisional general.

Davout was named one of the original 18 Marshals of the Empire upon Napoleon's ascension as Emperor in 1804. As commander of the III Corps of the Grande Armée, he played a major role in the French victory at Austerlitz. He achieved further successes at Auerstedt—where he routed the Prussian army of the Duke of Brunswick despite being vastly outnumbered—as well as Eylau, Eckmühl and Wagram. In 1807, Napoleon named him governor-general of the Duchy of Warsaw and granted him the title Duke of Auerstaedt. Davout took part in Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, and was in the middle of a six-month siege of Hamburg when Napoleon abdicated.

Davout went into retirement upon the First Restoration of the Bourbons. He rejoined Napoleon during the Hundred Days and was appointed Minister of War, but did not receive a field command. Following Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo, he held Paris until July when he ultimately submitted to the again restored Bourbon monarchy, after which he was exiled and deprived of his titles. In 1819, his titles were restored and he was made a Peer of France.