Chevert Revisited: A New Look at the Legend of the Non-Noble General

François de Chevert (1695–1769) remains one of the most famous general officers of the ancien régime, largely because he is regarded as a commoner who rose up the ranks. Yet, as his epitaph reminds us, he never became a maréchal de France. Historians inform us that the reason for this was his lack of nobility, but in fact his origins were not as humble as many have believed and cannot account for his failure to obtain the marshal's baton. Chevert is also often presented as an outstanding general whose victories were appropriated by officers well placed at court. He thus appeared to be a victim of court politics; yet this belief, too, must be subject to investigation. On several occasions Chevert's behaviour towards subalterns and colleagues alike was far from correct. He lost only one battle, but it was this single defeat that denied him promotion to the maréchalat. Notwithstanding these circumstances, the real Chevert was eclipsed and replaced by a legendary hero, hugely popular at the dawn of the French Revolution.