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 | 20 November 1753 Versailles, Kingdom of France |
| Died | 1 June 1815 (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, prince de Neuchâtel et Valangin, prince de Wagram (French pronunciation: [lwi alɛksɑ̃dʁ bɛʁtje]; 20 November 1753 – 1 June 1815) 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 by either suicide or murder shortly before the Battle of Waterloo. Berthier's reputation as a superb operational organiser remains strong among current historians.