The President-Marshal Marie Esme Patrice Maurice, Count de Mac Mahon,[1] The Duke of Magenta (French pronunciation: [patʁis də makma.ɔ̃]; 13 June 1808 – 17 October 1893), was a French general and politician, with the distinction of Marshal of France. He served as Chief of State of France from 1873 to 1875 and as the second president of the Third Republic, from 1875 to 1879.
MacMahon won national renown and the French Presidency on the basis of his military actions in the war against the Germans. MacMahon was a devout conservative Catholic, a traditionalist who despised socialism and strongly distrusted the secular Republicans. He took seriously his duty as the neutral guardian of the Constitution and rejected suggestions of a monarchist coup d'état. He also refused to meet with Gambetta, the leader of the Republicans. He moved for a parliamentary system in which the assembly selected the ruling government of the Third Republic, but he also insisted on an upper chamber. He later dissolved the Chamber of Deputies, resulting in public outrage and a Republican electoral victory. Soon after MacMahon resigned and retired to private life.
Biography
Family Origins
The Mac Mahon Family is of Irish origin. They left for France with James II of England during the Glorious Revolution (French: Glorieuse Révolution) in 1689, and claim to be descendants of the ancient Kings of Ireland.
They claim to be descendants of the Lords of Munster; after the definitive installation of the Family in France, their nobility was recognized by the patent letter of King Louis XV of France.
A military house family essentially (14 members of the house of de Mac Mahon have integrated the Army), the family settled in Bourgogne (Autun), at the Chateau de Sully, where Patrice de Mac Mahon was born on June 13 1808, sixteenth and the second last son of Baron Maurice-François de Mac-Mahon (French: Maurice-François de Mac Mahon) (1754-1831), Baron of Sully, Count de Mac Mahon and de Charnay, and Pélagie de Riquet de Caraman (1769-1819), herself a descendant of Pierre-Paul Riquet.
Patrice de MacMahon (as he was usually known before being elevated to a ducal title in his own right) was born in Sully (near Autun), in the département of Saône-et-Loire. He was the 16th of 17 children of a family already in the French nobility (his grandfather Knight Lord Overlord Jean-Baptiste de MacMahon[2], was named Marquis de MacMahon and 1st Marquis d'Eguilly (from his wife Charlotte Le Belin, Dame d' Eguilly) by King Louis XV, and the family in France had decidedly royalist politics).
His ancestors were part of the Dál gCais[3] and were Lords of Corcu Baiscind[4] in Ireland. After losing much of their land in the Cromwellian confiscations, a branch moved to Limerick for a time before settling in France during the reign of King William III because of their support of the deposed King James II.[5] They applied for French citizenship in 1749.
The beginnings, Algeria
In 1820, Mac Mahon entered the Petit Séminaire des Marbres at Autun; then completed his education at Lycée Louis-le-Grand at Paris. He then entered the Special Military School at Saint-Cyr on October 23 1825. He then joined the application school at the General Staff Headquarters on October 1 1827, for a period of two years.
Following his graduation from de Saint-Cyr, MacMahon entered the French Army in 1827. He was assigned to the 4th Hussards Regiment (French: 4e Régiment de Hussards) in 1830. He subsequently participated in the French conquest of Algeria (French: conquête de l'Algérie) where, as a Sous-lieutenant in the 20th Line Infantry Regiment (French: 20e Régiment d'Infanterie de Ligne), where he was commended for his capacity and bravery during the seizure of Algiers (French: prise d'Alger). On November 24 1830, he further distinguished himself while serving with his regiment, during the Expedition of Atlas (French: expédition de l'Atlas), during the battle of Mouzaïa mountain (1830) (French: combat du col de Mouzaïa).He was awarded the Knight Order of the Legion d'honneur.
Recalled to France, he participated in 1832 to the Ten Days' Campaign (French: campagne des Dix-Jours) where he was noticed again during the Siege of Antwerp (1832) (French: siège de la citadelle d'Anvers).
He became a Captain in 1833, and returned to Algeria, this time, in 1836 where he was placed under the orders of général Clauzel (French: général Clauzel) then général Damrémont (French: général Damrémont). He led several audacious cavalry raids across tribal occupied plains and distinguished himself during the Siege of Constantine, in 1837, where he was slightly wounded. In 1840, he left Africa (Algeria) and upon his return to France, he found out that he was promoted to Chef d'escadron (cavalry squadron chief).
In May 1841, he returned again to Algeria at the head of the 10th Chasseur Battalion à Pied (French: 10e bataillon de chasseurs à pied) with whom he distinguished himself with, in April, at the combat of col de Bab el Thaza (French: combat du col de Bab el-Thaza) and in front of the troops of Abdelkader (French: Abd el-Kader), on May 25.
On December 31 1842, he was promoted to Lieutenant-colonel at the 2nd Regiment of the French Foreign Legion 2ème R.E.L.E. In 1843, he assumed the functions of regimental commander, by replacing the ill holder, a commandment which he guarded until 1845.
He illustrated himself again during the combat of Chaab el-Gitta (French: combats de Chaab el Gitta) and the combat of Aïn Kebira (French: Aïn Kebira) on October 14 and October 17 1844.
Nominated to Colonel in December 1845, he assumed the command of the 41st Line Infantry Regiment (French: 41e régiment d’infanterie de ligne), the garrisoned at Marnia.
Since 1848, he was nominated at the head of the subdivision of Tlemcen (French: subdivision de Tlemcen), where he was designated as a Général de brigade on June 12 of the same year.
In 1849, he became a Commander of the Order of the Legion d'honneur, and conducted the interim of general Aimable Pélissier (French: général Pélissier), chief of the general staff of the Oran Province.
In 1852, he organized in Algeria the plebiscite of legitimation by universal suffrage destined to approve the French coup d'état of 1851 (French: coup d'État du 2 décembre 1851) before receiving, in March, the commandment of the Constantine Division (French: division de Constantine) and be promoted to Général de division, in July.
Crimean War, Sevastopol
During the Crimean War (French: guerre de Crimée), he was given the commandment of the 1st Infantry Division of the 2nd Orient Army Corps and, on September 1855, he led with success, during the Siege of Sevastopol (French: siège de Sebastopol), the attack of the fortified openings (French: attaque sur les ouvrages fortifies) of the Malakoff Tower (French: Tour Malakoff), where he would have pronounced his famous statement : ("Here I am; here will I stay !") (French: J'y suis, j'y reste ! (citation))[6], which led to the fall of Sevastopol.
Senator, vanquishing in Algeria
After his return to France, he was combed with honors and made Senator. Desiring a more active lifestyle, he refused the supreme commandment of the French troops, and again one more time, to his request, he was sent to Algeria, where he completely vanquished the Kabyles. Returned to France, he voted as senator against the unconstitutional law on general security, proposed after the failed assassination attempt of Felice Orsini (French: Orsini) against the life of the Emperor.
Magenta : Marshal of France
He distinguished himself particularly during the Italian Campaign of 1859. Half by chance of luck, half by audacity and by flair, he pushed his troops forwards without having received orders in a critical moment during the Battle of Magenta (French: bataille de Magenta), a concept reality which assured French victory.
For his brilliant services, he received from Napoleon III the baton of Marshal, and was titled Duke of Magenta.
Governor of Algeria
In 1861, he represented France at the crowning of Emperor William I of Prussia (French: Guillaume Ier de Prusse). In 1864, he was named as the general governor of Algeria.
His action in this post represented the least successful episode of his career. While having effectively placed a couple of reforms in the colonies, complaints were so numerous, that twice during the first half of 1870, he present his resignation to Napoleon III.
When the Olivier cabinet, which finished badly, was formed, the Emperor abandoned his Algerian projects and Mac Mahon was recalled.
War and the Paris Commune
He participated to the Franco-Prussian War (French: guerre franco-prussienne de 1870), while wiping several defeats in Alsace and during the Battle of Sedan (French: bataille de Sedan) where he was wounded since the beginning of combats; his strategy seemed confused and marked by a certain indecision.
He was made prisoner during the capitulation of Sedan on September 1.
In 1871, he was nominated as the head of the regular Army dite « Versaillaise » (French: armée régulière dite « versaillaise ») which, under the orders of the legitimate (legal) government, repressed harshly the Paris Commune (French: Commune de Paris), killing or capturing thousands of people.
France surrendered to the Prussians in January 1871, and formed a new interim government based in Versailles. Radicals in Paris rejected this government and formed the Paris Commune. In May 1871, MacMahon led the troops of the Versailles government against the Commune. In the bitter fighting of what was latter called La Semaine Sanglante ("The Bloody Week"), the government forces under MacMahon crushed the Commune with many communards being executed. He was not blamed for the repression, but instead became the hero of the hour for the right.[7]
President of the Republic
In May 1873, MacMahon was elected President of the French Republic, with the support of monarchists and conservatives in the National Assembly. Only one vote was cast against him.[8]
Renowned for his popularity, de Mac Mahon was elected President of the Republic by the majority of the royalist at the époque, following the unsuccessful election of Adolphe Thiers on May 24 1873 (French: 24 mai 1873). After sacking president council Jules Armand Dufaure, he replaced the later with Duke Albert, 4th duc de Broglie, a monarchist, projecting accordingly a restoration of the monarchy. However, the failure of this restoration drove the latter to a vote for the presidential septennat (seven-year period mandate) (French: septennat). This decision made the public loans reach the Paris Bourse.
"Even though a convinced royalist, he nevertheless did not meet Henri, Count of Chambord in November 1873, estimating his incapability of allying his duties as President of the Republic with the desires of the prince" (according to his great-granddaughter Élisabeth de Miribel (French: Élisabeth de Miribel) in La liberté souffre violence, Plon, p.31). With Duke Broglie as Council President of France (French: président du Conseil), he adopted a series of « moral orders » (French: ordre moral) measures. With the Assembly, on November 9 1873, having fixed his mandate to seven years, he declared, on February 4 1874, that he would accordingly during seven years make respect of the Legal Order established. Preferring to remain « au-dessus des partis » (on top of the parties), he assisted rather than take part to the procedures which, in January and February 1875, led the French Constitutional Laws of 1875 which finally established the French Third Republic as the Legal Government of France. Mac Mahon deemed himself responsible in front of the country, more than the Chambers, which led to bring conflicts with the latter.
Yet MacMahon (also known as Magenta) wrote in his still unpublished memoirs: "By family tradition, and by the sentiments towards the royal house which were instilled in me by my early education, I could not be anything but a Legitimist." He felt some repugnance, too, in forming, in 1876, the Dufaure and the Jules Simon Cabinets, in which the republican element was represented.
On September 26 1875, he stayed at Vernon in the Eure department for several days, in order to prepare the grand maneuvers of the third army. Following the French legislative election, 1876 (French: élections législatives françaises de 1876), which were won by a republican majority, he agreed with great reluctance to the formation of the Governments Jules Dufaure (3) (French: Dufaure III), Government of Jules Dufaure (4) (French: Dufaure IV), and the Government of Jules Simon (French: Jules Simon), which were dominated by the Republicans.
During the night of June 23 and June 24 1875, an important flood in Garonne took place. While visiting the drowned cities and villages, speechless, he declared the famous " « que d'eau… que d'eau !… » (nothing but water…only water!…)[9]. The prefect of the department responded to him : « Et encore, Monsieur le Président, vous n'en voyez que le dessus… ! » (Then again, Mr. President, you are only seeing what's above the surface… !").
German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck sought to contain and destabilize France, and to weaken the rightwing elements that wanted revenge against Germany. Bismarck attempted to promote republicanism in France by strategically and ideologically isolating MacMahon's clerical-monarchist supporters.[10] Bismarck's containment policy almost got out of hand in 1875 during the "War in Sight" crisis. There was a war scare in Germany and France when the German press reported that influential Germans, alarmed by France's rapid recovery from defeat in 1871 and its rearmaments program, were talking of launching a preventive attack on France. Britain and Russia made it clear that they would not tolerate such aggression. Bismarck did not seek war either, but the unexpected crisis forced him to take into consideration the alarm that his aggressive policies, plus Germany's fast-growing power, were causing among its neighbors.[11][12][13]
When the episcopal mandates of the bishops of Poitiers, Nimes and Nevers, recommending the sympathy of the French Government in the case of Pius IX (French: Pie IX), were followed by a resolution of the Chamber of the IIIrd Republic (French: Chambre) proposed by the leftist and asking the Government to « suppress the ultramontanism manifestations », Mac Mahon, twelve days later, asked Jules Simon to resign, and constituted a conservative government under the direction of the Duke de Broglie (French: gouvernement conservateur sous la direction du duc de Broglie); he convinced the Senate of the IIIrd Republic (French: Sénat) to dissolve the Chamber, and conducted a voyage across the country to insure the success of the conservative elections, while protesting that he had no intention of overthrowing the Republic. This was referred to as the May 16 coup (French: coup du 16 mai).[14]
Nevertheless, the elections of 14 October (French: élections suivantes du 14 octobre) gave the Left-wing (French: gauche) a majority of 120 seats, and minister de Broglie accordingly resigned on November 19. Mac Mahon attempted first to form a functionary government directed by général de Rochebouët dit "Government Gaétan de Rochebouët" (French: gouvernement de fonctionnaires dirigé par le général de Rochebouët), but the Chamber having refused to enter in contact with him, Rochebouët resigned the next day, and the President was seen constraint to recall Dufaure a the head of the left government dit "Government Jules Dufaure (5) (French: gouvernement de gauche).
With the senatorial elections of January 5 1879, having delivered the assembly to the leftist, Mac Mahon, who didn't have anymore any sort of parliamentary support, preferred to resign on January 30 1879, after having refused to sign a decree which revolved around confiscating and diminishing a number of military authorities and commands to certain generals.
Léon Gambetta was owed a famous pronouncing formula stated on August 15 1877 : « Le Président n'a que ce choix : il lui faut se soumettre ou se démettre » (The President has only but one choice : he must submit or resign).
His presidency may be summarised thus: on the one hand, he allowed the Republic to establish itself; on the other hand, so far as his lawful prerogatives permitted, he restrained the political advance of secular parties hostile to the Catholic Church, convinced that the triumph of Radicalism would be to the detriment of the nation. MacMahon headed a regime that was mildly repressive toward the left. Newspapers were prosecuted, senior officials were removed if they were suspected of support for republicanism. Critical pamphlets were suppressed while the government circulated its own propaganda. The proprietors of meeting places were advised not to allow meetings of critics of the regime. On the other hand, he gave no support to a coup d'état by monarchists. MacMahon truly believed that the National Assembly should rule France and not the president.[15]
Last years
From 1887 to 1893, he directed the Rescue Society of Wounded Military (French: Société de Secours aux Blessés Militaires) (S.S.B.M), which became since 1940, the French Red Cross (French: Croix-Rouge française).
Patrice de Mac Mahon died on October 17 1893 at Château de la Forêt (French: château de la Forêt), at Montcresson, after having written his memoires, and was buried on October 22 at the Invalides, after a State funeral and a religious mess at La Madeleine, the five cordons of the funeral chariot were held by general Victor Février (French: général Février), grand chancellor of the Legion d'Honneur, Amiral Henri Rieunier (French: Henri Rieunier), Ministère de la Marine, général Julien Loizillon (French: général Loizillon), Minister of War, Mr. Charles Merlin, of the Senate, and Mr. Malvy, from the Chamber.
Armories
| Figure | Blasonnement |
_1.svg) _(W._Maigne-1860).png)
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Arms of House de MacMahon : « Silver adorned, with three topped leopard style Lions Passant Guardant » (Passing side face on Guard). |
 _2.svg)
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Arms of House de MacMahon with Ancien Régime Count Heraldry. |
 _duc_de_Magenta_(Second_Empire).svg)
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Arms of Duke of Magenta with Ancien Régime Duke Heraldy. |
Honours
- Legion d'honneur L.H :
- Knight Order of the L.H (1830)
- Officer Order of the L.H (1837)
- Commander Order of the L.H (1849),
- Grand Officer Order of the L.H (1853)
- Grand Croix Order of the L.H at a military title (1855). He was already a Grand-Croix before being elected President of the Republic and was also Grand Master G.M. in grand quality in 1873.
- Médaille militaire in 1857.
- Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold, 1874.[16]
- Knight Order of the Golden Fleece, 1875 (Spain - Roman Catholic Order)
- Grand Croix in the Order of the Bath (United Kingdom)
- Grand Croix in the Order of the Black Eagle (Prussia)
Battle honours
Wounded four times: in 1837, at the Siege of Constantine (French: Siège de Constantine), a bullet pierced his uniform; in 1840, a bullet pierced his sabre through the rib cage; in 1857 at the battle of Icheriden (French: Bataille d'Icheriden); and finally quite badly on September 1, 1870 in front of Sedan.
Quotes
"I have remained a soldier", he says in his memoirs, "and I can conscientiously say that I have not only served one Government after another loyally, but, when they fell, have regretted all of them with the single exception of my own".
In his voluntary retirement he carried with him the esteem of all parties: Jules Simon, who did not love him, and whom he did not love, afterwards called him:
un grand capitaine, un grand citoyen et un homme de bien (a great captain, a great citizen, and a man of goodwill)
.
- Showing his faith in the Foreign Legion during the Battle of Magenta: "The Legion is here. It's in the bag! ("Voici la Légion ! L'affaire est dans le sac !").[17]
- During the Siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War, MacMahon led an assault by French troops against the Malakoff redoubt. MacMahon captured the Malakoff, but was urged to withdraw rather than be crushed by imminent Russian counter-attacks. He refused, replying "J'y suis. J'y reste!" ("Here I am, Here I stay!"). MacMahon's troops held the Malakoff, and Sevastopol soon fell.[18]
MacMahon's line became widely quoted as an expression of defiance. P. G. Wodehouse's character Bertie Wooster used it in response to pressure from his valet Jeeves to shave off his new moustache.
Gallery
-
Élisabeth de MacMahon (1834–1900), wife of Patrice. -
Marshal de MacMahon (1860s, Bibliothèque nationale de France). -
Official portrait of Patrice de MacMahon by Pierre Petit (1873) -
Caricature of Marshal MacMahon by Théobald Chartran for Vanity Fair (1879). -
Patrice de MacMahon, The Duke Magenta.
See also
- Origins of the French Foreign Legion
- Marie Louis Henry de Granet-Lacroix de Chabrières
- François Certain Canrobert
- Jean-Luc Carbuccia
- Francois Achille Bazaine
- 16 May 1877 crisis
References
- ^ Gabriel de Broglie (2000). Mac Mahon. Perrin. p. 17.
- ^ Lord Messier, Knight Lord overlord of the towns, countries, castles and lands of Seenish, Inisch, Arovan, Ylan-Magrath, Ing, located in the County of Clare and the island of Fymes, of the city and not of Ryencanagh, and several lands in Limerick County, 1st Marquis of Éguilly.
- ^ genealogy of MacMahon family http://www.familyhistoryireland.com/genealogy-blog/item/30-did-marshal-patrice-macmahon-have-a-bosnian-family-connection
- ^ Family History Ireland (22 February 2016). "Marshal MacMahon and the Ottomans".
- ^ Firinne, D.H. and Eugene O'Curry, Life of Marshal MacMahon, Duke of Magenta. (The "Irishman" Office, Dublin, 1859) pp. 5–6.
- ^ This word that is very suggestive in its concision, was that of Marshal de Mac Mahon, in the circumstances which historian Henri Martin related to: Mac-Mahon, while launching all his division, had finished off with repelling the Russians from Malakof. Informed that the openings were rigged with mines and that there were severe risks of explosions and be blown to pieces, he responded with the famous : ("J'y suis, j'y reste !" - "Here I am; here will I stay !'). Later, other controversies were engaged around the authenticity of this word, and no certain proof of this authenticity were able to be appropriated. It seems that the historical truth would be a little different. After having entered into Malakof, the French troops had to sustain violent comebacks launched by the Russians; it was only after a couple of hours that their position were finally consolidated, and Mac-Mahon would have sent a letter to Pélissier with the following message, quite different in the form and the content :" Je suis dans Malakof et je suis sûr de m'y maintenir" - "Here I am in Malakof and I am certain of maintaining myself" (Paris soir, January 4 1937)
- ^ Hutton, Patrick H., Historical Dictionary of the French Third Republic. (Greenwood Press, New York, 1986) pp. 587-88
- ^ D.W. Brogan, France under the Republic: The Development of Modern France (1870-1939) (1940) p 97
- ^ Eugène Labiche et Delacour, Le Voyage en Chine (The Voyage to China), edition. Dentu, 1865
- ^ James Stone, "Bismarck and the Containment of France, 1873-1877," Canadian Journal of History (1994) 29#2 pp 281-304 online
- ^ A.J.P. Taylor, The Struggle for Mastery in Europe (1955) pp 225–27
- ^ William L. Langer, European Alliances and Alignments, 1871–1890 (2nd ed. 1950) pp 44–55
- ^ T. G. Otte, "From 'War-in-Sight' to Nearly War: Anglo–French Relations in the Age of High Imperialism, 1875–1898," Diplomacy and Statecraft (2006)17#4 pp 693–714.
- ^ D.W. Brogan, France Under the Republic: The Development of Modern France (1870-1939) (1940) pp 127-43.
- ^ Robert Tombs, France: 1814-1914 (1996), pp 440-42
- ^ Almanach royal officiel: 1875; p. 55
- ^ The French Foreign Legion: A Complete History of the Legendary Fighting Force (book), Porch, Douglas
- ^ Bellamy, Christopher (2001). Richard Holmes (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Military History: Crimean War. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-866209-2.
Further reading
- D.W. Brogan, France Under the Republic: The Development of Modern France (1870-1939) (1940) pp 127–43.
External links
- Firinne, D. H.; O'Curry, Eugene (1859), Life of Marshal MacMahon, Dublin: The "Irishman" Office, retrieved 9 August 2008
- Works by Patrice de MacMahon at Open Library
- https://web.archive.org/web/20030224080507/http://www.limerick.com/history/marshallmcmahon.html
- Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Marie-Edmé-Patrice-Maurice de MacMahon". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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