Following on from Bernadotte, a marshal who made a serious go of running his own country, we come to Murat, someone who failed to make a serious go of just about anything. We all know a Murat. Slim, too handsome, arrogant. They were generally captain of the school rugby team. Superficially everybody liked them, and you were certain that this chap would without doubt make a great go of his life. I remember thinking that about my rugby captain. At eleven he was 5'9" with a hairy chest and muscles and stuff, complete with genuine girlfriend. He couldn't go wrong. At twenty-five he was still 5'9", with a broken marriage and the child support agency breathing down his back. And he was an Estate Agent.

So it was with Murat. Born in La Bastide (now with the added name Murat), his family kept the Post House and Inn. They were upper middle class country folk, which of course in 1767 meant little better than trash. Murat was one of six surviving children, three of each. Murat's parents intended their curly-haired infant for the church, and at 10 he received a scholarship to the College of St Michael in Cahors. Coming along quite nicely, he went on to Archiepiscopal Seminary of the Lazarites in Toulouse, becoming something of a star turn in the choir. Then at the age of 20 it all went horribly wrong.

Unsurprisingly, his departure from the Seminary coincided with his discovery of the opposite sex. Whether for love or otherwise, he ran away with a girl over whom he fought a duel, ran out of money, got ditched, and like so many jilted lovers before and since, joined the army. He joined the Chasseurs ŕ Cheval du Champagne rather appropriately. Then, mysteriously, he turned up back in La Bastide, doing some part time work in the local draper's shop. He claimed to have been promoted to sergeant-major in the Chasseurs and to be on a leave of absence. Other rumours said that he had been discharged for bad behaviour. Whatever, Murat took the opportunity to get involved in organising the local National Guard. There was now a new feeling in the land and a well educated dashing young fellow might go far. And one thing Murat had was ambition.

Following the King's swearing of allegiance to the constitutional monarchy in 1790, Murat was recalled to the Chasseurs, and he was indirectly involved in the shenanigans culminating in the arrest of the king and queen whilst trying to flee the country. Coming to notice, in February 1792 Murat was posted to the Constitutional Guard, whose real job was to prevent Louis XVI attempting any more escapes. This posting only lasted a month, culminating with Murat absent without leave and doing a stint in the guardroom. To avoid punishment, he decided to leave the Guard, but then claimed that he had only been punished because the officers of the Guard were traitors trying to recruit men for émigré units. Incredibly this testimony was handed to the Legislative Assembly and helped disband the regiment.

12th Chasseurs

Meanwhile, Murat once more rejoined his old outfit, now called the 12th Chasseurs ŕ Cheval. Being Murat, even though he rejoined as a trooper, on April 29th 1792 he was a brigadier, on May 5th sergeant-major, and by the last day of October he was a lieutenant! A letter to his brother Pierre reveals Murat's already out-of-control ego, and the shallow cunning of his personality. Boasting of his rapid promotion, he makes no bones about his obsequious fawning to his superiors, having already lined up an ADC captaincy should his colonel be promoted to general. As for his courage and martial prowess, he is not backward in coming forward about these either. Don't you just love him?

Ironically, Pierre had been dead three weeks when the letter was conceived. Surprisingly, Murat decided to take responsibility for the widow and three children. Perhaps it was the fact that under Dumouriez in Flanders, he had seen little action and consequently little glory, being primarily on garrison duty. With the execution of Louis in January of 1793, Murat smelt a chance, and within a month had wangled a trip to Paris. He spent a small amount of time building up favours by getting various associates postings in the cavalry. However no grand posting came his own way, and it must have been with a degree of disappointment that he returned to Dumouriez, who was subsequently soundly thrashed by the Austrians at Neerwinden. Things were indeed going particularly badly for the fledgling republic - you know you're in trouble when even the Spaniards are advancing against you - and Dumouriez decided that the time was ripe to turn coats and talk with a German accent.

This turned out to be a notable piece of luck for Murat, for Dumouriez's replacement was General Dampierre, who knew Murat from a supper he had hosted that February. Accordingly Murat rapidly made captain, and by September of 1793 he was a major in the newly formed 21st Chasseurs, to whom he had been transferred to help train them properly. However all did not run smoothly. Landrieux, the unit's colonel, and the man who had originally asked for Murat, was exasperated to find out that his second in command was generally interested in training, as opposed to avarice.

They had a stand-up row, culminating in Landrieux realising that it was a 'him-or-me' situation. Accordingly he accused Murat of disloyalty and accusing him of being an aristocrat. When this plan failed on production of Murat's birth certificate, Landrieux seized the opportunity of Robespierre's downfall to brand Murat an agent of the Terror. Once more though, this fell flat.

Right Place, Right Time

With the arrival of Barras and the Directory, the Jacobin revolt was taken seriously, and although it was General Bonaparte who put down the insurrection, it was Murat who seized the artillery park at the Place de Sablons to provide the means to do it. Once more he was in the right place at the right time and was promoted to colonel for his part, and received an appointment to Napoleon's staff at the beginning of his Italian campaigns. During this period Napoleon showed more and more faith in Murat's ability and judgement, heaping responsibility on him.

In truth, Murat did distinguish himself during this period, commanding both infantry and cavalry, and when the captured standards were taken back to France, it was Murat's honour to escort them. It is perhaps worth pointing out that at this time Napoleon was essentially invincible, and nearly all the commanders who served under him did well. One wonders if it is akin to driving a Williams in modern Formula One racing. In this case too there is a suggestion that practically anybody could do well.

General de Brigade

On May 10th 1796 he was promoted to General de Brigade and a year later commanded a brigade of dragoons on the trip to Egypt. He did little at the Battle of the Pyramids, but performed brilliantly at Aboukir when his flank attack wrecked the entire Mameluke army. At the climax of this he wound up in single combat with the enemy commander, Said Mustafa Pasha, taking a pistol shot in the mouth before lopping off two fingers with his return sabre stroke.

As we all know, things did not end up too splendidly for Napoleon in Egypt, and there was something of a queue to get on the boat home. Needless to say, Murat, now Mr Invaluable of the Cavalry got a berth. Considering the good men left behind one hopes that his renowned sea-sickness came back to haunt him. If it did, then little effect it had on the burgeoning career. Murat, of all the future Marshals, had sussed out that the little artillery general was the coming man.

On July 25th 1799 he became a General de Division, and on the fateful day of 18eme Brumaire (November 9th) when the Council of Deputies denounced Napoleon as a traitor, demanding his immediate execution, it was Murat who led in the grenadiers, sword in hand, to turn the situation on its head. His reward was command of the Consular Guard, and an introduction to Napoleon's sister, Caroline. As far as bad moments in the history of Napoleonic France are concerned, this seemingly incongruous moment rates pretty highly. In terms of mixed company there are not the words on hand to portray Caroline Bonaparte adequately. That she as a nasty piece of work is without doubt. She was even more ambitious than Murat, and to make matters worse she had a brain that she was more than willing to use. She was sixteen to Murat's thirty when they married in January of 1800. It was a match made in Hell.

It did not, however, do any harm to Murat's career. Caroline petitioned ruthlessly on his behalf. After all she told Napoleon, he was family now. In April Murat became commander of the Cavalry Reserve, which he subsequently led with his usual flamboyance at Marengo, stealing a few of the honours more deserved by the unfortunate Desaix, who suffered from that age-old problem of getting himself killed. Murat meanwhile assumed that as he regarded himself as brilliant at everything, so would Napoleon. He was in for a shock, being bluntly told that he was commander on the battlefield only, and that the grand strategy was not his department. Nevertheless the germinating cavalry leader did receive a Sword of Honour to further boost his reputation as the greatest rider in Europe.

When in 1804 Napoleon changed the course of French history with his transition to Empire, Murat was in his element. Always a showy dresser, and so vain that it was painful to behold, he was now loaded with decorations and titles, even showing up as Grand Admiral of the Empire. Pretty good for a man with chronic sea-sickness. Most importantly, with the exception of the Emperor's toad, Berthier, Murat was senior on the list of new marshals, with all the weight that went with it.

1805 saw the first big test of Imperial French arms, clashing once more with the 'Auld Enemy', namely Austria. Fresh from preparing to invade the spare 'Auld Enemy', namely England, Murat headed off ahead of the Grand Army to reconnoitre, using the pseudonym of Colonel de Beaumont. It was this work which enabled Mack to be surrounded at Ulm, and he then led the great charge at Austerlitz. He was now in his element, and in company with Lannes he single-handedly captured the garrisoned bridge of Vienna, casually strolling across it pretending that an armistice had been agreed.

Prince Imperial

In 1806 Murat was made Grand Duke of Cleve-Berg, becoming a Prince Imperial, thanks to being Napoleon's brother-in-law. Much of this was his wife's doing. It must be admitted that his excellent performances against an out-of-date and inept Prussian army were all his own, and when he finally entered Warsaw on November 7th, the Poles, actually believing that Napoleon would honour his promise to make them an independent kingdom, thought Murat might become their king. Luckily for Poland this did not happen. 1807 was another good year for Murat, and in the blood-bath of Eylau he led a savage massed charge which bought the Emperor valuable time to save the day, and following the peace of Tilsit Murat was showered with awards by his former enemies in the tradition of the time.

It was 1808 that marked the real turning point for Murat. Caroline had inveigled command in Spain for Murat, who proceeded to Madrid, intent on replacing Ferdinand with someone far more suitable. Guess who? Unfortunately for Murat, the Spanish people strangely considered that they had a say in their own country - an opinion not shared by their own government, it should be admitted. Mamelukes were attacked in a Madrid street on the day that Murat was made Lieutenant-General of the Kingdom. Being Mamelukes, they responded by practically annihilating the street, and the subsequent insurrection was ruthlessly put down in a style alien to Murat beforehand.

One can sniff the attention of the charming Caroline influencing him once more. He was recalled to France on June 15th, and one month later, with Joseph installed as King of Spain, there was a vacancy in Naples. Sadly Murat got it. This was a huge blunder by Napoleon, for Murat really thought of himself as royalty, so puffed up had he become. Napoleon clearly saw him as a subordinate ruler, but not so Murat, who now believed himself to be Napoleon's bona fide ally.

Things began awfully well. The Neapolitans, being a showy lot by nature, adored their bizarrely-dressed new sovereign, who swaggered around striking poses and looking down benignly on one-and-all. He found a country ruined by Joseph's mismanagement, and proceeded as he saw it to put things right, undertaking all sorts of reforms to turn the Neapolitan army into the top notch outfit everybody knew they were capable of becoming. At first everything went relatively well.

Dressed in immaculate new uniforms, the Neapolitan troops participated in the capture of Capri (the island, not the car) alongside French troops, so with this in mind in 1809 Murat undertook to recapture Sicily, which was being dangled before his eyes by the former Bourbon king, Ferdinand. Being as Naples was formally titled the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, it rankled Murat that he only had the one. With French troops in support he moved confidently, only to be humiliated into retreat when the French refused to disembark, claiming that they were under the direct orders of the Emperor only. Murat was furious.

He began by allowing trade with England, clearly in contravention of the Continental System. Napoleon found out and they had a major row. Probably because of this Napoleon considered removing Murat as king, and whilst in Paris for the christening of the Emperor's son, Murat got wind of this, fleeing at once for Naples where Caroline told him that he was king by right and that there was nothing that her nasty brother could do about it. Busy with other things, Napoleon left him be, and it was not until 1812 that France again called on King Joachim Napoleon.

Invasion of Russia

With the invasion of Russia imminent, Murat was given the entire cavalry to command. Any doubts Murat might have had were washed away by the sheer magnitude of it all. To not have been a part of such a thing was unthinkable to him. He did not stop to think that such a massive army might actually lose.

Detailed as commander of the advanced guard, Murat was in his element, becoming something of a hero to the enemy Cossacks, who had finally found someone who in their eyes rode even better than themselves. It might have been better for France if he had taken up one offer to change sides and become a Cossack hetman. Murat performed without distinction at Borodino, and by December it had all gone horribly wrong. During the fateful retreat Napoleon left the army to reorganise France, and unfortunately he put Murat in charge. Not up to the job, he deserted, leaving Eugene to pick up the pieces. He should have been shot.

Back in Naples, Murat began casting around for friends, certain that France and Napoleon were doomed and intent only on preserving his own position. Nobody exactly came rushing to knock down Murat's door on this, and despite negotiations with the Allies, when in 1813 Napoleon called once more, Murat had nothing better on. It would have been better if he had not, for with poorly equipped and trained troopers to replace those he had so casually frittered away during the glory years, Murat grossly bodged up Lieberwolkwitz on the eve of Leipzig, and didn't do much better then. Under the pretence of returning to Naples to recruit more troops, Murat deserted once more.

Once back home, he proceeded to enter secret discussions with Britain and Austria who agreed to a deal leaving Murat in position. This meant that in 1814 Murat lined up with 30,000 troops against Prince Eugene who was defending Italy with far more honour. Murat now saw the possibility of actually becoming king of all Italy, and failing to attack Eugene, instead secretly wrote to Napoleon suggesting that he would return to the fold if all Italy were made his. Napoleon, disgusted with what Murat had become, wrote to Eugene effectively saying 'promise him anything, mean nothing.' Meantime, Murat clashed with Lord William Bentinck whose Anglo-Sicilian troops were supporting Murat. The Emperor's abdication put an end to all Allied disagreements however and Murat retired back on Naples, having to be content with his lot.

Safest Option

The Congress of Vienna was split on what to do with Naples. Austria was satisfied with Murat, obviously considering that having such an incompetent in charge made for the safest option. The British less so and the Russians absolutely opposed. Having not been invited to the Congress in person, the snubbed king decided to mobilise his army amidst rumours that the British were about to invade. Things might have come to a head of their own volition, had not Napoleon once more got in first by returning from exile. Murat now saw his chance.

Believing that the Allies were against him, he turned coat once more. Invading Italy, he was hammered at Tolentino by the Austrians, and seeing that his number was up, did his usual trick by deserting Naples and heading for France in disguise, replete with a huge some in diamonds and other jewels, under some romantic notion that as an individual his sword was of some worth to Napoleon.

Napoleon had finally learnt his lesson however, and Murat was bluntly ignored, being ordered to remain in Toulon. Following Waterloo, Murat began a comedic flight from France, hiding here, there and everywhere before fleeing ironically for Corsica aboard a boat which of course sank. Nevertheless, washed up in Ajaccio, Murat was hailed a hero. He received passports for his family from Austria where he would be allowed to live as a count, but the foolish Murat instead, believing his own press, decided to invade Naples with the 250 soldiers available to him. Clearly he fancied that what Napoleon could do he could do better.

In fact a storm came up and when daybreak came Murat found that his was the only boat in sight. Finally deciding that perhaps it was not such a good idea Murat ordered his captain to sail for Trieste, as he still had those passports handy. There then ensued an argument over supplies, and the captain insisted that they land at Pizzo to re-provision. Dressed in full uniform, Murat and his 30 troops unfurled a standard, cried "Long live King Joachim!" and were arrested.

Court Martial

The court martial was semi-farcical, with Murat first claiming to be King of Naples and thus not subject to his own subjects. Then saying that they were not recognising this he was obviously French. He was sentenced to death.

On October 13th 1815 Murat attended his final engagement. The firing squad must have been pleased that he had not chosen the uniform himself, because for once he was attired dismally in plain blue. Even at the end, this incredibly vain fool asked the firing squad not to shoot at his face. Three of them were clearly spiteful. The final resting place of the corpse is uncertain. Rumours that he was beheaded and thrown into the sea are probably spurious.

What conclusions can one make of Joachim Murat? Firstly, he was a damned fine jockey. He was also foolishly brave in combat. However away from the battlefield he was a walking disaster, afraid of his own shadow and happy to be guided by potentially the worst noblewoman since Lucrezia Borgia cashed in her chips. He has been called chivalrous and courageous, but I would question how many times one can desert and still claim such a title. He dressed like a peacock, and his vanity would have been more at home on a modern catwalk.

The sustained image of Murat as a great cavalry leader is at last taking a few rightful knocks, and the Emperor did well to always keep him tightly leashed until suitably required. There were some great soldiers during the Napoleonic Wars. Murat was not one of them. On a popularity list, I think I prefer Macdonald.

Related

The Battle of Lieberwolkwitz