Pierre de Milard

Pierre de Milard (often referred to as Chevalier Milard, also spelled Chevalier Millard; 1736–1778) was a former French Navy officer, who became a senior officer in the Royal Burmese Armed Forces. He had a key role in supporting the Burmese military efforts against Siam and Qing China. He was lavishly rewarded for his efforts, and made the governor of Tabe. De Milard was very close to King Hsinbyushin. Suffering from a long illness in his last years, the Burmese king asked de Milard on a few occasions to sleep in the same room in order to guard against possible attempts on his life.

In 1756, Pierre de Milard was a member of a French navy force of two or three warships sent to Syriam to provide reinforcements and supplies to the forces of Hanthawaddy in the Konbaung–Hanthawaddy War. The force was to join the French officer Sieur de Bruno who was helping defend the city of Syriam against a Konbaung attack. The Konbaung leader Alaungpaya managed to capture Syriam in July 1756 however. The two French ships with reinforcements and supplies were also captured by Alaungpaya, when Alaungpaya forced Bruno to write a letter to trick them. The French captains were killed and the sailors forced to join the Burmese army

Chevalier Milard was among the soldiers who were forced into the Burmese army. He was only 20 years old when he was captured. The incorporated French troops with their guns and muskets played a key role in the later battles between the Burmese and the Mons. They became an elite corps, which was to play a role in the Burmese battles against the Siamese (attacks and capture of Ayutthaya from 1759 to 1767) and the Manchus (battles against the Chinese armies of the Qianlong Emperor from 1766 to 1769).

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