Throughout History there have been many executions ordered of high profile members
of the army and military. These were often conducted by firing squad, as it was said
to have been a noble execution. Soldiers were to be shot, and this was considered a valiant
way for officers and high ranking members of the armed forces to go. One of these men who would
be executed was one of the original 18 marshals of the Empire created by Napoleon, Michel Ney.
He was known as ‘The Bravest of the Brave,’ and he would be executed for his crimes in Paris at
the age of 46. But what did he do? Join us today as we look at the brutal execution of
Michel Ney, and remember to support our channel please make sure to subscribe.
Michel Ney was born in Sarrelouis in the French province of Lorraine close to the German border.
His father was a master Cooper, and a veteran of the Seven Years War. He grew up being able
to speak fluent German and French, and he was a civil servant but he was not suited to this life.
Because of this he in 1787 enlisted in the Colonel General Hussar Regiment, and entry
to being an officer was restricted at the time to those with an element of nobility in their blood.
But Ney continued to rise throughout the ranks as a non commissioned officer, however following the
French Revolution, he served in what was known as The French Revolutionary Army.
He saw action at the Battle of Valmy and he was the commissioned as an officer under the republic.
He fought at a number of other battles and was wounded,
but in August 1796 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier general.
He commanded cavalry units on the German fronts, and during the Battle of Neuwied,
he led cavalry against Austrian’s who were trying to take French cannons. These were beaten back,
but Ney’s cavalry was also counter attacked and he was thrown from his horse and was captured.
But as he was a valuable French asset, they swapped him in a prisoner exchange for an Austrian
general. Further promotions came, and he continued to prove he was a skilled cavalry commander.
He was given his marshals baton in may 1804, and became a Marshal of the Empire.
He continued to command at various different battles under Napoleon,
and he fought in many different skirmishes where he proved himself as an adept military tactician.
However when Napoleon invaded Russia, he was given command of the 3 Corps of the Grande
Army in 1812. At Smolensk he was wounded in the neck, but he did recover. But during the retreat
of Moscow he commanded the rearguard and was considered as the last frenchman on Russian soil.
He had been cut off during the battle of Krasnoi from the main army, and he then
managed to escape using the heavy fog as a decoy across the Denier River. But his forces
suffered heavy losses, and he became known by Napoleon as ‘The bravest of the brave.’
He was wounded yet again, and he fought many more battles and commanded many more units.
At Fontainebleau he became a spokesperson for the marshals revolt that demanded Napoleon’s
abdication. Paris then fell when the Bourbons reclaimed the throne, and Ney who pressured
Napoleon to accept the abdication and exile was promoted and was made a Peer of France by the
newly crowned King Louis XVIII. But Napoleon would return to France, and Ney was determined to keep
France at peace and he demonstrated loyalty to the King. He organised a force to stop
Napoleon’s march to Paris, and he also promised to bring Napoleon back in an iron cage alive.
Napoleon however learned of this plan. But he then joined Napoleon and defected, and he was
made the commander of the left wing of the Army of the north. But then the forces were split for
fight two battles, and Ney was criticised when he attacked the Duke of Wellington at Quatre Bras.
At the Battle of Waterloo, Michel Ney commanded the left wing of the army. He ordered a mass
cavalry charge against the Anglo Allied lines, and his cavalry over ran the enemy cannons. They found
the infantry formed in cavalry proof formation and without this he failed to break the squares.
Some claim that this inability to break up the enemy resulted in Napoleon’s defeat.
He also failed to spike the enemy cannons and render them unusable. The loss of such a large
amount of cannons could have weakened the army and caused the withdrawal of Napoleon’s enemy
from the battlefield. He was seen during the battle hitting his sword against the
side of a cannon in frustration, and he had four horses killed under him. He led one of the last
infantry charges and shouted to his men, ‘come and see how a marshal of France meets his death.’
However when Napoleon was defeated and exiled for a second time in the summer of 1815,
Michel Ney was arrested on the 3rd August. He was court martially, and was then tried for treason.
His lawyer said that Ney was a Prussian and that he could not
be tried for treason in a French court, as his hometown had been annexed by Prussia.
However he interrupted his lawyer saying, ‘I am French and I will remain French.’
137 Peers voted for the death penalty against Michel Ney, which was overwhelming
considering 17 voted for deportation and five abstained. Only one vote was for an acquittal.
He was condemned to die on the 6th December 1815 and he was executed the following day.
He was taken by guards in Paris near to the Luxembourg Gardens. Opposite him stood a firing
squad, and he was approached by the leader of the executioners who offered him a blindfold.
He was allowed the right to also give the order to fire as he was so senior in the military, meaning
he could command then men when to shoot. Facing his executioners he said, ‘Soldiers when I give
the command to fire, fire straight at my heart. Wait for the order. It will be my last to you.
I protest against my condemnation, I have fought a hundred battles for France and not
one against her, soldiers fire.’ With this, Michel Ney was instantly killed.
His execution divided the French public, and he was considered by Napoleon as the Bravest
of the Brave, but ultimately Michel Ney met a brutal end being faced by a firing squad.
Thanks for watching
To support please subscribe
Thanks again for watching.