WB-03 MARÉCHAL NEY, LE LION ROUGE

Michel Ney was born in January 1769 (the same year as Napoleon) and was shot in December 1815. He was an officer of the French army, its general and marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Wars (1799-1815). Michel Ney volunteered for the military as early as 1787, at the age of 18. He very quickly supported the Revolution and in 1794 he was promoted to the commander of a cavalry squadron. He fought in battles, inter alia, at Altenkirchen and Obernburg. In 1796 he became a brigadier general, and shortly after a division general. In 1800 he took part in the Battle of Hohenlinden, and four years later he became Marshal of France - he was then 35 years old. He efficiently commanded his troops in the course of the 1805-1807 campaign, taking part in the battles of Jena, Iława Pruska or Frydland. In 1812 he took part in the Russian campaign and fought at Borodino. In the course of the retreat from Russia, he became famous for his great courage and commanding talents, being at the head of the arierguard of the French army. In 1813, he took part in the battles of Dresden, Bautzen, and Leipzig, among others. In the course of Napoleon's 100 days, he initially strongly supported Louis XVIII, but after meeting with the Emperor, he quickly joined his side. He took part in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, where he indirectly contributed to the French defeat. After this defeat, he was accused of high treason and sentenced to execution by the French House of Peers. The sentence was carried out on December 7, 1815. Marshal Ney, even in the face of death, showed courage and fully deserved the nickname "Bravest of the Brave".