Anne Jean Marie René Savary, 1st Duke of Rovigo (26 April 17742 June 1833) was a French military officer and diplomat who served in the French Revolutionary Wars, the Napoleonic Wars and the French invasion of Algeria. He was Minister of Police between 1810 and 1814.
Early life and career
Savary was born in Marcq, Ardennes. He received his education at the College of St Louis in Metz and joined the royal army in 1790. His initial military campaign took place in 1792, under General Custine, against the retreating forces led by the Duke of Brunswick. He subsequently served under Pichegru and Moreau and notably distinguished himself during Moreau's strategic retreat from an untenable position in the heart of Swabia. In 1797, he attained the rank of chef d'escadron and participated in the Egyptian campaign under General Louis Desaix. His firsthand account of this campaign is both interesting and valuable.
Savary demonstrated his exceptional abilities during the Battle of Marengo on 14 June 1800, where he served alongside Desaix. Following Desaix's death in battle, Savary's loyalty and competence caught the attention of the First Consul Napoleon Bonaparte. Consequently, he was appointed commander of the Elite Gendarmes of the Consular Guard. Savary exhibited great skill and activity in uncovering the intricate details of the Georges Cadoudal-Pichegru conspiracy. He ventured to the cliffs of Biville in Normandy, a frequent landing spot for the conspirators, and attempted to lure the Comte d'Artois (later known as Charles X) to land by mimicking the signals used by the royalist plotters. However, his efforts were unsuccessful.
During his tenure as the commanding officer at Vincennes, Savary found himself embroiled in controversy due to the summary execution of the Duc d'Enghien. Hulin, the presiding officer at the court-martial, later accused Savary indirectly of obstructing his attempts to appeal for mercy to Bonaparte. According to Hulin, Savary allegedly intervened when Hulin was drafting the appeal. Although Savary denied these allegations, his denial has not been widely accepted by historians.
Napoleonic Wars
In February 1805, he was promoted to General of Division. Shortly before the Battle of Austerlitz on 2 December 1805, Napoleon dispatched him with a message to Emperor Alexander I, requesting an armistice. This maneuver only motivated the Russian monarch to strike a decisive blow, leading to disaster for the Russians. After the battle, Savary once again conveyed a message to Alexander, persuading him to negotiate a truce.
During the 1806 campaign, Savary displayed remarkable boldness in pursuing the Prussians after the Battle of Jena. He also negotiated during the Siege of Hameln. At the beginning of the following year, he assumed command of a corps and achieved a significant victory at Ostrolenka on 16 February 1807.
After the Treaty of Tilsit was signed on 7 July 1807, Savary traveled to St. Petersburg as the French ambassador. However, he was soon replaced by General Caulaincourt, another individual involved in the execution of the duc d'Enghien. It is said that the empress dowager's aversion to Savary played a role in his recall. However, it is more likely that Napoleon required his scheming abilities for the Spanish affairs he initiated towards the end of 1807. Bestowed with the title of Duke of Rovigo, named after a small town in Venetia, Savary departed for Madrid when Napoleon's plans for exerting control over Spain were nearing completion. Working alongside Murat, Savary skillfully exploited the divisions within the Spanish royal family in March and April of 1808. He convinced Charles IV of Spain, who had recently surrendered under duress, and his son Ferdinand VII, the de facto king of Spain, to submit their claims to Napoleon. Savary persuaded Ferdinand to cross the Pyrenees and proceed to Bayonne, a decision that cost Ferdinand his crown and his freedom until 1814.
In September 1808, Savary accompanied the emperor to the renowned meeting at the Congress of Erfurt with Alexander I. 1809 he participated in the campaign against Austria, albeit without distinction.