André Masséna

Born

6 May 1758

Died

4 April 1817

Born at Nice, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia, and orphaned young, André Masséna served for fourteen years in the Royal-Italian regiment, rising to the senior non-commissioned rank of adjutant before leaving the army in 1789. Elected lieutenant-colonel of a volunteer battalion in 1792, he rose rapidly and became a general of division in 1794. He played a leading role at Loano in November 1795, helping to devise and execute the French offensive under Schérer.

Under Bonaparte in 1796–97, Masséna commanded one of the principal divisions of the Army of Italy and distinguished himself repeatedly, notably at Rivoli, where his intervention against the Austrian right contributed decisively to the French victory. His command at Rome in 1798 ended amid a mutiny by officers and soldiers angered by unpaid wages and widespread corruption and plunder, accusations from which Masséna's own reputation did not escape.

Recalled to command in Switzerland, he decisively defeated Korsakov's Russian army at the Second Battle of Zurich in September 1799, frustrating the Coalition's campaign in Switzerland and forcing Suvorov into a difficult retreat. Masséna later became a Marshal of the Empire and died in Paris in 1817.

Related peopleGenerals & Army

Jean-Baptiste Annibal Aubert du Bayet

General Pierre Augereau

Michel de Beaupuy All in this faction →

Articles about

General André Masséna

No articles about this figure yet.

Browse all articles →