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January 02, 2007
De Boigne and Chambery
Chambery is a delightful small city in the French Alps. Centuries ago it was the capital of Savoy, a small country ruled by a Duke. The Duke's castle is still maintained and can be visited, but now it is occupied by the Prefect, a bureaucrat appointed by Paris to control everything.
Aside: Savoy became part of France in 1860, to avoid being drawn into Italy, which was just becoming a united country pulling in all its diverse provinces. Savoy joined France after California became a state.
If you spend a little time in Chambery you become aware that their foremost citizen, at least historically, was some guy named de Boigne. The most elegant shopping street, running from the Duke's Chateau to the monument at the center of town, is Rue de Boigne. The monument is the Elephants Fountain. The heads, at least, of four elephants are carved into the fountain, facing four directions. The monument was erected in honor of de Boigne. I went to language school in Chateau de Boigne, a magnificent bit of architecture about a mile from the center of town, beautifully situated on a small hill. Next to the Chateau is the city's largest park. So who was this guy de Boigne?
He was a mercenary who made a lot of money. Count Benoit de Boigne was born March 8, 1751 and died June 21, 1830. He began and ended his life in Chambery but traveled widely in his chosen profession. His great success began in 1784 when he was hired by the Marathas. The Maratha Confederacy was the largest political entity in India, rivaled only by the British East India Company. Between them the Brits and the Marathas controlled or influenced almost all of India. The territory of the Marathas was larger, more populous, and far richer than any European country.
The Marathas were well aware that a revolution in military technology and organization had begun in Europe and had spread to India. They were scrambling to maintain their position, so they hired de Boigne and other mercenaries. The Marathas had plenty of money and they paid the mercenaries generously. De Boigne organized and trained native battalions in the use of European weaponry and tactics, then led those troops. He won a number of battles and his troops acquitted themselves well in every engagement. By 1795 de Boigne faced health problems. He retired and returned to Chambery immensely wealthy.
Evidently he was quite a benefactor to the community. The Fountain of Elephants was erected in his honor eight years after his death. The elephants, of course, are reminiscent of Indian elephants employed by Indian armies.
There is an addendum to the story. The Marathas continued into the 19th Century as the greatest native power in India but eventually they had to face the perfidious Brits, specifically the Wellesly brothers. The older brother, Richard, was appointed governor-general of British holdings in India and the younger, Arthur, was one of a number of British generals running around loose in India trying to make a name for themselves. In 1803 Arthur picked a fight with the Marathas and beat them, in spite of being vastly outnumbered. The Indian troops trained by de Boigne and other mercenaries fought well but were no match for the Scottish soldiers under Wellesley's command.
So India became British, the East India Company was angry at Richard for going over budget as the Welleslys conquered the subcontinent, and Arthur went on to defeat Napoleonic armies in Spain, and Napoleon himself at Waterloo. We know him as the Duke of Wellington.
Posted by rob at January 2, 2007 01:09 PM
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Posted by: Anonymous at January 2, 2007 01:09 PM