Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois
(1 October 1748 in
Ville-sous-la-Ferte
,
Aube
? 5 November 1839) was a French general during the
French Revolutionary Wars
and the
Napoleonic Wars
. He is best known for the surrender of
Malta
to the British in 1800. On 20 August 1808 he was created Comte de Belgrand de Vaubois. Later, his name was inscribed on the
Arc de Triomphe
(
Arche Kleber
) in
Paris
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Vaubois was born at Clairvaux (now part of
Ville-sous-la-Ferte
,
Aube
). In 1765 he was appointed a lieutenant of
artillery
in the Regiment of Metz. In 1789 he was appointed a Captain Commandant of Artillery. In 1791 he became a
lieutenant colonel
of volunteers. During service with the Army of the Alps, he was promoted to
general of brigade
in September 1793 and to
general of division
in 1796. After transferring to General
Napoleon Bonaparte
's Army of Italy, he led his troops in the capture of
Livorno
. Appointed to command a division in the
Bassano campaign
, he participated in the victory at the
Battle of Rovereto
on 4 September.
[1]
During the
Arcola campaign
, Vaubois defended
Trento
with a 10,500-man division.
Paul Davidovich
's Austrian corps proved to be unexpectedly strong and fell upon Vaubois with 18,000 men. In a series of skirmishes, Vaubois was driven out of Trento and pushed back to
Calliano
where his command was defeated on 7 November. Bonaparte arrived to stabilize the situation but the French army commander left Vaubois to do the best he could while Bonaparte attacked the main Austrian army at Arcole. The French won the three-day battle of Arcole on 17 November, the same day that Davidovich beat Vaubois again at
Rivoli Veronese
. The defeat had little consequence, since Bonaparte soon massed against Davidovich and sent his corps fleeing northward. Soon after, Bonaparte gave Vaubois' division to
Barthelemy Joubert
.
On 24 November 1796, Bonaparte wrote of him, "Vaubois is a brave man. Has the proper qualifications for the commander of a besieged place but not for the commander of a division in a very active army or in a war so vigorously conducted as this."
[2]
The events of 1798-1800 were to prove he was certainly the right choice to command a besieged place.
Belgrand de Vaubois in Malta
[
edit
]
Today he is most often remembered in
Malta
, where
Napoleon
appointed him
Commandant en chef des Isles de Malte et du Goze
) on 19 June 1798, just seven days after the
Knights Hospitaller
, rulers of this archipelago from 1530, signed a surrender on board
L'Orient
, Napoleon's flagship. Napoleon and his expedition then set sail for
Egypt
, with the Knight's treasure, worth five million francs in gold and one million in silver plate, on board the flagship. (
Nelson
's fleet destroyed
L'Orient
on 1 August at
Ab? Q?r Bay
in the
Battle of the Nile
; the Knights' treasures are still on the bottom of sea there.)
Napoleon left behind a garrison of 3,053 men, 5 companies of
artillery
and a medical unit in Malta and
Gozo
. The French proceeded to institute a number of policies. They declared the
French language
to be the official language. Although the French initially tried to win the support of the
Catholic Church
, they soon came into conflict with the
Maltese Church
as they instituted
French revolutionary reforms
. They abolished papal jurisdiction, authorized civil marriage, expelled all priests,
regular clergy
and nuns who were not native of Malta, and plundered the churches of gold and silver artifacts and paintings. The plundering of their churches outraged the staunchly pious Maltese. Furthermore, French draining of most of the cash of the
Monte di Pieta
and the
Massa frumentaria
precipitated an unprecedented financial crisis. On 2 September 1798 the Maltese rose against the French garrison in Notabile (Citta Vecchia or
Mdina
). Soon both Malta and
Gozo
were in full rebellion, with the Maltese forming a National Assembly. They dispatched to a petition to
Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies
, their official Suzerain, in Naples, to help them in their struggle against the French occupiers. Though Ferdinand promised much, he did little, having enough of his own troubles to worry much about his loyal Maltese subjects.
Insurrection and the arrival of the British
[
edit
]
Still, on 18 September, a
Portuguese
squadron of four ships began a blockade of Malta. That blockade - although varying in the number and national composition of the ships - continued until the French surrendered. Nelson dispatched British forces under the command of Captain
Alexander Ball
, who arrived on 12 October 1798. The Maltese insurrectionist forces forced the French to withdraw to
Valletta
and the Three Cities around the
Grand Harbour
. On 28 October
Gozo Island
fell as the French commander there surrendered himself and his 217 men to Captain Ball. With General Vaubois's forces besieged in Valletta, Captain Ball's ships continued the blockade. Expecting the imminent French capitulation, Nelson wrote to Ball in January 1799:
... Respecting the situation of
Malta
with the
King of Naples
, it is this – he is the legitimate Sovereign of the Island: therefore, I am of opinion his Flag should fly. At the same time, a Neapolitan garrison would betray it to the first man who would bribe him. I am sure the King would have no difficulty in giving his Sovereignty to England; and I have lately, with
Sir William Hamilton
, got a Note that Malta should never be given to any Power without the consent of England ...
P.S. – In case of the Surrender of Malta, I beg you will not do anything which can hurt the feelings of their Majesties. Unite their Flag with England's, if it cannot, from the disposition of the Islanders, fly alone.
The siege of Valletta
[
edit
]
In February 1799, the Maltese insurgents, having lost hope in an intervention of King Ferdinand, requested that Ball, who had previously landed near the village of
Qrendi
on the south of the island, preside over the National Assembly. He changed the name of the assembly to that of National Congress and declared himself chief of government. In March, the Congress appealed to King
George III
to assume sovereignty over Malta, but no answer came from
Pitt
's ministry.
The starving French garrison received a little relief at the beginning of February 1799. The frigate
La Boudeuse
ran the blockade and entered the
Grand Harbour
. However, she was the last ship to re-supply Vaubois and his men.
On 1 November 1799 Nelson was off
Valletta
on board the
Foudroyant
. Vaubois, who was still hoping for relief from
France
, summarily rejected a new surrender demand. Vaubois wrote: "Mindful of being worthy of the respect of your country, as you are with our own, we are resolved to defend this fortress to the last."
[
citation needed
]
Nelson ordered Ball to take command of the Maltese forces ? about 2,000 Maltese troops along with about 1,500 irregulars, unpaid, ill-equipped and half-starving. A hard pressed King Ferdinand agreed to confirm Ball as Governor of Malta.
The whole Maltese population, running short of essential provisions, was living close to famine so that the siege was turning into a race of which side would starve first. The British and Maltese, together with a Neapolitan contingent of 1,200 men, got some relief in January 1800.
However, General Vaubois waited in vain for supplies. French preparations had dragged on until Napoleon—now
Premier Consul
—appointed
Contre-amiral
Jean-Baptiste Perree
to command a relief expedition. The squadron, comprising
Le Genereux
(one of the two survivors of the Battle of the Nile), three corvettes serving as armed storeships, and one armed storeship, all with some 3,000 men, arms, food and ammunition on board, sailed from
Toulon-sur-Mer
on 6 February 1800. The expedition ended in disaster. On the morning of 18 February English ships met the French squadron off
Lampedusa
island.
Contre-amiral
Perree was killed at the start of the action and at 1.30 p.m.
Le Genereux
struck her colours. The rest of the French convoy returned to
Toulon
.
On 24 August Vaubois dispatched the frigates
La Diane
and
La Justice
to run the blockade to France. The
Success
sighted them, with the
Northumberland
and the captured
Le Genereux
, now crewed by the British, giving chase. The British captured
La Diane
but
La Justice
escaped under cover of darkness.
Vaubois' surrender
[
edit
]
The siege was nearing its end. The French garrison had eaten all the horses, the mules, the dogs, the cats and the rats of Valletta. Finally, on 4 September 1800, Vaubois sent an emissary under a flag of truce to the British commander Major-General
Henry Pigot
. The following day, Pigot and Captain George Martin, RN, negotiated terms of surrender with General Vaubois and
Contre-amiral
Villeneuve. (Ironically the French excluded Captain Alexander Ball, as chief of the Maltese, from the negotiations, as the French did not want to surrender to the Maltese.) The British granted Vaubois and the French fair terms and the honours of war, including the right to keep their arms and spoils. Vaubois and his troops were quickly repatriated to
Marseilles
.
After Malta
[
edit
]
While the siege continued, Vaubois became a senator on 27 July 1800. He was named a Grand Officer of the
Legion of Honour
in 1804 and a
Count
of the
Empire
in 1808. In 1809 he led a division of the National Guard.
[3]
He became a peer of France and Knight of St. Louis in 1814. During the
Hundred Days
in 1815, Vaubois did not join Napoleon. He died in 1839.
Sources
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Chandler, p 458
- ^
Fiebeger, study folder, p 13
- ^
Chandler, p 458
External links
[
edit
]
|
---|
Background
| |
---|
Occupation
| |
---|
Siege of Malta
| |
---|
Fortifications
| |
---|
Notable figures
| |
---|
Aftermath
| |
---|
|
---|
International
| |
---|
National
| |
---|
Other
| |
---|