Michel Ordener
| Michel Ordener | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
2 September 1755 L'Hôpital, Moselle, France |
| Died |
30 August 1811 (aged 55) Compiegne, France |
| Allegiance |
 France
|
| Service/branch | Imperial Guard |
| Years of service | 1776–1811 |
| Rank | General of Division |
| Battles/wars |
French Revolutionary Wars 1799 campaign in Germany and Switzerland Battle of Austerlitz |
| Awards |
Grand Officer of the Legion d’Honneur |
| Other work | Senate, First Equerry for the Empress, Governor of the Imperial Palace at Compiegne |
French Revolutionary Wars 1799 campaign in Germany and Switzerland
Grand Officer of the Legion d’Honneur
Order of the Iron Cross, 1807
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 on 30 August 1811.
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.
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