Charles François Dumouriez
A brilliant, turncoat general who saved the French Revolution with his victories before attempting to betray it to the monarchy.
1739–1823 (age 84)·French politician and military officer·Birthday: January 25
Biography
Charles François Dumouriez lived a life of dramatic reversals, a skilled military mind whose ambitions ultimately exiled him from the nation he helped define. A career soldier under the French monarchy, he found his moment in the chaotic early years of the Revolution. Appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs and then a general, his star soared with a stunning victory at the Battle of Valmy in 1792, where his artillery halted a Prussian invasion and effectively saved the revolutionary government. He followed this with a successful invasion of the Austrian Netherlands. But Dumouriez, a Girondin sympathetic to a constitutional monarchy, grew disgusted with the radicalism of the Paris Jacobins. In a fateful gamble in 1793, he attempted to march his army on Paris to overthrow the government, failed to persuade his troops, and was forced to defect to the Austrians. He spent the rest of his life as a restless consultant and exile, his name etched on the Arc de Triomphe for his early victories, yet his legacy forever shadowed by his final, treasonous act.
#1 When Charles Was Born
The biggest hits of 1739
Charles's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1739Born
1744Started school
1752Became a teenager
1755Could drive
1757Could vote
1760Turned 21
1769Turned 30
1779Turned 40
1789Turned 50
1799Turned 60
1809Turned 70
1819Turned 80
1823Died at 84
Key Achievements
- Commanded the French army to a decisive victory at the Battle of Valmy in 1792, a pivotal moment that preserved the French Revolution.
- Successfully invaded and captured the Austrian Netherlands (modern Belgium) in late 1792.
- Served as both the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of War during the Girondin government.
- Has his name inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris for his military service.
Did You Know?
He served as a military advisor to several European powers after his defection, including England and the Austrian Empire.
Dumouriez initially offered his services to the Dutch Republic before joining the French revolutionary army.
He wrote extensive memoirs and political pamphlets during his decades in exile.
“The Republic is lost; I must save the army and then treat with the enemy.”
