Joachim Murat

Joachim Murat
Marshal of the Empire Admiral of France
Portrait c. 1808
King of Naples
Reign	1 August 1808 – 20 May 1815
Predecessor	Joseph
Successor	Ferdinand IV
Grand Duke of Berg
Reign	15 March 1806 – 1 August 1808
Successor	Napoléon Louis
Born	Joachim Murat-Jordy (1767-03-25)25 March 1767 Labastide-Fortunière, Quercy, Kingdom of France
Died	13 October 1815(1815-10-13) (aged 48) Pizzo Calabro, Calabria, Kingdom of Naples
Burial	Père Lachaise Cemetery
Spouse	Caroline Bonaparte ​ (m. 1800)​
Issue	4, including Achille and Lucien
House	Murat
Father	Pierre Murat-Jordy
Mother	Jeanne Loubières
Religion	Catholic
Signature
Military career
Allegiance	France
Service / branch	French Army
Years of service	1787–1813
Rank	Marshal of the Empire
Battles / wars	See list: Napoleonic Wars War of the First Coalition Campaign in Italy (1796–1797) War of the Second Coalition Campaign in Egypt and Syria Battle of Marengo War of the Third Coalition Battle of Austerlitz War of the Fourth Coalition Battle of Jena Battle of Eylau French Invasion of Russia Battle of Borodino French occupation of Moscow War of the Sixth Coalition Battle of Leipzig Neapolitan War Battle of Tolentino

Joachim Murat (/mjʊəˈrɑː/ mure-AH, also /mʊˈrɑːt/ muurr-AHT, French: [ʒɔaʃɛ̃ myʁa]; Italian: Gioacchino Murat; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French Army officer and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Under the French Empire he received the military titles of Marshal of the Empire and Admiral of France. He was the first Prince Murat,^[1] Grand Duke of Berg from 1806 to 1808,^[2] and King of Naples as Joachim-Napoleon^[3] (Italian: Gioacchino Napoleone) from 1808 to 1815.^[4][5]

Born in Labastide-Fortunière in south-western France, Murat briefly pursued a vocation in the clergy before enlisting in a cavalry regiment on the outbreak of the French Revolution. Murat distinguished himself under the command of General Napoleon Bonaparte on 13 Vendémiaire (1795), when he seized a group of large cannons and was instrumental in suppressing the royalist insurrection in Paris. He became Napoleon's aide-de-camp and commanded the cavalry during the French campaigns in Italy and Egypt. Murat played a pivotal role in the Coup of 18 Brumaire (1799), which brought Napoleon to political power. In 1800 he married Caroline Bonaparte, thus becoming a brother-in-law to Napoleon.

Murat was named a Marshal of the Empire on the proclamation of the French Empire. He took part in various battles including those of Ulm, Austerlitz, Jena and Eylau, where he led a famous massed cavalry charge against the Russians. In 1806, Murat was appointed Grand Duke of Berg, a title he held until 1808 when he was named King of Naples. He continued to serve Napoleon during his Russian and German campaigns but abandoned the Grande Armée after the Battle of Leipzig to save his throne. In 1815, Murat launched the Neapolitan War against the Austrian Empire but was decisively defeated at Tolentino. He fled to Corsica and then made a last-ditch attempt to recover his throne, but was soon taken prisoner by King Ferdinand IV of Naples. He was tried for treason and sentenced to death by firing squad in Pizzo.