Denis Decrès

Denis Decrès ( born June 18, 1761 Châteauvillain, France, † December 7, 1820 in Paris) was a French admiral and politician of the First Empire.

Rise

Decrès went at the age of 18 years for the French Navy, in 1793 and 1797 captain of Rear Admiral. As a Rear Admiral in 1798, he commanded the rear guard in the Battle of the Nile. He escaped to Malta, where he contributed much to the defense during the 17- month siege of the island of the same, but the English supremacy was surrendered in March 1800. After replacement of English prisoner of war he was prefect of the fourth Seearrondissements and appointed by Napoleon Bonaparte, whose confidence he won completely, Vice Admiral and 1801 as Minister of Marine and Colonies, which office he held until Napoleon's abdication in 1814.

Marine Minister Napoleon

Decrès advised Napoleon in his vigorous colonial policy and presented, insightful and active, the numerous misfortunes almost annihilated navy restores. In the Navy Decrès was very unpopular. He was regarded as tough on subordinates and made the Emperor reluctant proposals for the transport deserved officers. Napoleon liked about him but his prudence and his severity towards nepotism. He also attached great importance to the improvement of education. To this end, he advocated shortly after the crushing defeat of Trafalgar (1805 ) Cruises French ships of the line overseas. Regularly by Napoleon as part of the great naval armament program of 1810 consulted, managed Decrès the head of state to convince to send almost all manned French frigates to privateering in the North Atlantic and the North Sea to convey the sailors who for years blocked fleet a realistic training 1813. However Decrès rejected the construction favored by Napoleon flotilla, which consisted of gun-, ab.1813 rose Napoleon him Duke and also during the Hundred Days in 1815 again to the Minister of Marine.

After the fall of Napoleon

After his fall, looking back from Saint Helena, Napoleon issued a negative opinion on Decrès, whom he accused of having too hard as a courtier to the imperial favor, rather than to have operated in the ports of the reconstruction of the Navy. After the return of the Bourbons he did not get back his ministry. Through the trials of his valet to blow him up in bed in the air, heavily wounded, he died in 1820.

Swell

• Maurice Dupont L' amiral Decrès et Napoléon, ou, La fidélité orageuse d'un ministre. Economica, Paris, 1991, ISBN 2-7178-2106-6.
• Pierre Leveque: L' amiral Decrès, un ministre courtisan. In: Revue du Souvenir Napoléonien. No. 417, (1998 ), pp. 13-21.
• Meyers Great Conversation Lexicon. Fourth band ( Decrès ), Leipzig / Wien 1906, p 575.
• Pierer 's Universal -Lexikon. Fourth band ( Decrès ), Altenburg 1858, p 788.
• Augustin Thomazi: Les marins de Napoleon. Tallandier, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-84734-137-4.
• Nicola Peter Todorov: 1812 - Moscow or London? Napoleon's landing projects in the British Isles after Trafalgar 1806-1813. Hamburg 2012, ISBN 978-3-8495-0180-8.