Jean-Claude Banc: Montalivet. L’homme de confiance de Napoléon (Montalivet, a man Napoleon could trust)

Montalivet ranks among the few ministers of Napoleon who have never been the subject of any biography. Yet he is undoubtedly one of those who shared with Bonaparte, from 1785 to 1815, 30 years of successes and disappointment. Born into a middle-class family from Royans, Montalivet, after a short stint in the army, went to law school. Advisor to the Parliament of Grenoble at the age of 19 years, he met Bonaparte in Valencia in 1785 and remain faithful to him until 1815. He would later be appointed by Napoleon, as Mayor of Valencia, Commissioner of the “Directoire” of the Drôme and Deputy Commissioner officer in the Italian army. Appointed prefect of “la Manche” in 1801 and then of the “Seine et Oise” in 1804, he entered the Conseil d’État in 1805 before taking on the General Direction of Bridges and Highways in 1806. His unwavering loyalty led to his being made a count of the Empire in 1808 and Minister of the Interior in 1809. Faithful among the faithful, he accompanied the Empress Marie-Louise to Blois in 1814 as secretary of the Regency and became, during the Hundred Days, Quartermaster General of the Crown.

Regular contributor to historical magazines, Jean-Claude Bench is the author of numerous articles on key civilian and military figures of the Revolution and the Empire. He has published Vie et Exploits du Général Championnet and Dictionnaire des Maréchaux de Napoléon.

Paris: Editions de la Fondation Napoléon – Nouveau Monde Editions, 2011, Series Biographies, 300 pages.

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