General Pietro Teulié

Italian patriot who served with the French and was killed during the siege of Kolberg

Born: February 3, 1769

Place of Birth: Milan, Italy

Died: June 20, 1807

Cause of Death: Mortally wounded

Place of Death: Kolberg, Prussia

Arc de Triomphe: TEULIÉ on the east pillar

Pronunciation:

A lawyer at Milan, Pietro Teulié observed the ideals of the French Revolution with admiration. When the French Army of Italy under General Bonaparte began to make progress in northern Italy, Teulié left his law career and joined the National Guard of Milan. He took command of the first legion formed at Milan and joined the French to fight the Austrians, receiving the rank of chef de bataillon. Teulié participated in many battles in northern Italy between 1797 and 1800, notably distinguishing himself at Legnano in March of 1799. Known for his intelligence and courage, after the Battle of Marengo he was promoted to général de brigade and then in 1801 he was named Minister of War of the Cisalpine Republic. However, Teulié resigned months later because he ultimately had to report to French General Brune and he did not have as much autonomy as he would have liked, his power limited by the French.

In 1803 Teulié was officially relieved of duty due to an alleged conspiracy with Murat and Lechi. He was also suspected of being an Italian partisan pushing for Italian unification and independence. Nevertheless, that October he was given a command in the camp of Boulogne. In 1805 Teulié was promoted to général de division and in 1806 he joined the Grande Armée in the war against Prussia. The following March he took part in the siege of Kolberg where his leg was taken off by a ball, and he died an agonizing six hours later.

Bibliography

Updated March 2018