Jean Maximilien Lamarque

Who was Jean Maximilien Lamarque?

Jean Maximilien Lamarque was a French commander during the Napoleonic Wars who later became a member of French Parliament. Lamarque served with distinction in many of Napoleon's campaigns. He was particularly noted for his capture of Capri from the British, and for his defeat of Royalist forces in the Vendée in 1815. The latter campaign received great praise from Napoleon, who said Lamarque had "performed wonders, and even surpassed my hopes".

After the restoration of the Bourbons Lamarque became an outspoken opponent of the return of the Ancien Régime. With the overthrow of the Bourbons in the Revolution of 1830, he was placed in command of a force to suppress any uprisings by their supporters, known as the Legitimists.

However, he soon became a leading critic of the new constitutional monarchy of Louis Philippe, arguing that it failed to support human rights and political liberty. He also advocated French support for independence struggles in Poland and Italy. Lamarque's views made him a popular figure. His death was the catalyst of the Parisian June Rebellion of 1832, which provided the background for events depicted in Victor Hugo's novel Les Misérables.