Louis-Alexandre Berthier

Marshal of the Empire Louis-Alexandre Berthier Prince of Neuchâtel and Valangin, Prince of Wagram
Portrait by Jacques Pajou, 1808
Minister of War
In office 11 November 1799 – 2 April 1800
Preceded by	Edmond Louis Alexis Dubois-Crancé
Succeeded by	Lazare Carnot
In office 8 October 1800 – 19 August 1807
Preceded by	Lazare Carnot
Succeeded by	Henri Guillaume Clarke, Duke of Feltre
Sovereign Prince of Neuchâtel and Valangin
In office 25 February 1806 – 3 June 1814
Preceded by	Frederick William III of Prussia
Succeeded by	Frederick William III of Prussia
Personal details
Born	(1753-11-20)20 November 1753 Versailles, Kingdom of France
Died	1 June 1815(1815-06-01) (aged 61) Bamberg, Kingdom of Bavaria
Relations	Jean-Baptiste Berthier (father) César Berthier (brother) Napoléon Alexandre Berthier (son)
Awards	Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Commander of the Order of Saint Louis Vice-Grand Constable of France
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of France  Kingdom of France  First French Republic  First French Empire Kingdom of France
Branch/service	Army
Years of service	1764–1815
Rank	Marshal of the Empire
Battles/wars	American Revolutionary War French Revolutionary Wars Napoleonic Wars

Louis-Alexandre Berthier (20 November 1753 – 1 June 1815), Prince of Neuchâtel and Valangin, Prince of Wagram, was a French military commander who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He was twice Minister of War of France and was made a Marshal of the Empire in 1804. Berthier served as chief of staff to Napoleon Bonaparte from his first Italian campaign in 1796 until his first abdication in 1814. The operational efficiency of the Grande Armée owed much to his considerable administrative and organizational skills.

Born into a military family, Berthier served in the American Revolutionary War and survived suspicion of monarchism during the Reign of Terror before a rapid rise in the ranks of the French Revolutionary Army. Although a key supporter of the coup against the Directory that gave Napoleon supreme power, and present for his greatest victories, Berthier strongly opposed the progressive stretching of lines of communication during the Russian campaign. Allowed to retire by the restored Bourbon regime, he died of unnatural causes shortly before the Battle of Waterloo. Berthier's reputation as a superb operational organiser remains strong among current historians.