Michel Ney

Michel Ney (1769–1815) was a French general and Marshal of the Empire who served Napoleon and was executed for treason after the Bourbon Restoration.

Battle of Waterloo: The 1815 battle in which a coalition led by Wellington and Blücher defeated Napoleon. Ney commanded French forces in Napoleon’s final defeat, amid disputes over his battlefield decisions.
French Revolution: A period of political upheaval in France from 1789 that ended the monarchy and transformed state and society. Its wars expanded Ney’s opportunities and reshaped the army in which he rose.
Napoleon: French military and political leader who ruled as emperor from 1804 to 1814 and again in 1815. Ney served Napoleon across campaigns and returned to his command during the Hundred Days.
Treason: The crime of betraying a state or sovereign, often through aiding an enemy or opposing lawful authority. Ney was convicted of treason for serving Napoleon during the Hundred Days after pledging loyalty to Louis XVIII.
Battle of Borodino: A major 1812 battle between Napoleon’s invasion army and Russian forces near Moscow. Ney’s leadership there earned him the title Prince of the Moskva.
French Revolutionary Wars: A series of conflicts from 1792 to 1802 between France and changing European coalitions. Ney gained his early field experience in these wars before Napoleon became emperor.
Louis XVIII: King of France restored to the throne in 1814 and again in 1815 after Napoleon’s fall. Ney’s pledge to Louis XVIII before switching sides shaped the treason case against him.
Duc d'Enghien: Louis Antoine, Duke of Enghien, a French Bourbon prince executed on Napoleon’s orders in 1804. His execution under Napoleon provides a stark reversal to Ney’s execution under the Bourbons.
Hundred Days: Napoleon’s return to power in France from March to July 1815. Ney pledged to stop Napoleon’s return, then rejoined him as the Bourbon regime collapsed.
French Army of the Rhine: French forces deployed along the Rhine during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. Ney served in the Rhine campaigns where his cavalry leadership brought rapid promotion.

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