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Michel Ordener was a general of division and a commander in Napoleon's elite Imperial Guard. Of plebeian origins, he was born 2 September 1755 in L'Hôpital and enlisted as private at the age of 18 years in the Prince Conde's Legion. He was promoted through the ranks; as warrant officer of a regiment of ''Chasseurs à Cheval'', he embraced the French Revolution in 1789. He advanced quickly through the officer ranks during the French Revolutionary Wars. In 1804, Ordener organized and led the controversial kidnapping of the Duke d'Enghien. In 1805, he commanded a regiment of the Imperial Guard cavalry at several important battles, including the Battle of Austerlitz; although he led an energetic and opportune charge, Napoleon noted that Ordener seemed tired and predicted that the general would last only five or six years more. Ordener participated in one more campaign and then accepted a post in the Senate. Napoleon appointed him as Josephine Bonaparte's equerry, supervising the care and maintenance of her horses. He followed this with the post as governor of the Emperor's household in Compiegne, where Ordener died in 30 August 1811. ==Career== Although little is known of Ordener's youth, he was the son of commoners and joined the legion of the Prince of Conde (cousin to the king) at the age of 18 (1776). He was assigned as a private of the ''Boufflers Dragoons'', part of this legion. In 1783, he was appointed to the quartermaster corps and in 1787, he was promoted to warrant officer. In the early days of the French Revolution, he adopted its principles with zeal and enthusiasm.〔 D. E. Madrolle. "Michel Ordener." ''Biographie universelle, ancienne et moderne.'' Paris: Joseph Fr. Michaud, Louis Gabriel Michaud, 1844, p. 94.〕 Subsequently, Ordener took part in all the French Revolutionary Wars. In the War of the First Coalition, he served with distinction in the armies of the Moselle, the Rhine, the Danube and in northern Italy. He was promoted to lieutenant in the 10th Regiment ''Chasseurs à Cheval'' (light horse) on 25 January 1792 and captain the following year. In 1796 he was promoted to ''chef de brigade'' of the 10th Regiment.〔 At the Battle of Lodi, in northern Italy, despite the ravaging fire of Austrian cannons, Ordener held the famous bridge until the arrival of Napoleon with the rest of the army. Ordener crossed the Adda river with a brigade to encircle and envelope the Austrians at the Battle of Pavia. Afterward, he helped to take Milan.〔 E. Pascallet. ''Revue Générale, Biographique, Historique, Etc. Le Biographe Universel Et L'historien''. Paris. 1846, pp. 244–251.〕 At the onset of the War of the Second Coalition in 1799, when the armies of the Danube and Helvetia were formed, he was assigned to the Army of the Danube under command of Jean Baptiste Jourdan. His 10th Regiment was part of Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr's III. Division, and held the far left flank at the Battle of Ostrach, 21 March 1799, in southwestern Germany. Although he was wounded on 14 August 1799 in Switzerland, he participated in the Second Battle of Zurich in which his 10th ''Chasseurs à Cheval'' routed a division of Russians, a decisive moment in the French victory.〔 Ordener was promoted to colonel of the regiment in 1801 and on 29 August 1803, he was promoted to general of brigade.〔Tony Broughton. "The ''Garde Imperiale'' and Its Commanders during the Period 1804–1815. The Cavalry Regiments." ''Military Subjects, Organization and Strategy.'' (Napoleon Series ). Robert Burnham, editor in chief. February 2003. Accessed 18 May 2010.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Michel Ordener」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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