Hubert Lyautey
17 November 1854 (1854-11-17) – 21 July 1934 (1934-07-22)
Hubert Lyautey
Place of birth	Nancy, France
Place of death	Thorey-Lyautey, France
Allegiance	France
Service/branch	French Army
Years of service	1873-1925
Rank	Général de division
Awards	Marshal of France Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor Médaille militaire

Louis Hubert Gonzalve Lyautey (17 November 1854 - 21 July 1934) was a French Army general, the first Resident-General in Morocco from 1912 to 1925 and from 1921 Marshal of France.

Contents 1 Early life 2 Madagascar 3 Morocco 4 Final years and association with fascism 5 Miscellaneous 6 References 7 Literature 8 External links

[edit] Early life

Lyautey was born at Nancy (Lorraine) into an upper-middle class family with aristocratic connections, royalist sympathies and a military past.

In 1873 Lyautey entered the French military academy of Saint-Cyr, from 1876 attended the army training school and in December 1877 was made a lieutenant. He made his career serving in the colonies and not in the more prestigious metropolitan France. The first years after graduating, Lyautey served as a cavalry officer in Algeria and from 1894 to 1897 in Indochina, under Joseph Gallieni.

Lyautey adopted and emulated Gallieni's policy of methodical expansion of pacified areas followed by social and economical development to ensure obedience of the natives. This strategy became known as "tache d'huile" (as it resembles oil spots spreading to cover the whole surface).

[edit] Madagascar

From 1897 to 1902 Lyautey served on Madagascar, again under Galliéni. He played a key role in the invasion of Madagascar (1896-1898), in which he commanded the French forces. His military skill and success in this campaign greatly contributed to his promotion to general de brigade in 1902.

[edit] Morocco

The murder of French citizens in Casablanca was used as a pretext for Lyautey to occupy Oujda in eastern Morocco at the Algerian border in 1907. Having been promoted to général de division, Lyautey was Military Governor of French Morocco from 4 August 1907 to 28 April 1912. After the Convention of Fez established a protectorate over Morocco, Lyautey served as Resident-General of French Morocco from 28 April 1912 to 25 August 1925.

He is considered to have been an apt colonial administrator. During the First World War, he continued the occupation of the country, regardless of the fact that France needed most of her resources in the struggle against the Central Powers. Lyautey served as France's Minister of War for three months in 1917. In 1925, Lyautey lost the military command of the French forces engaged against Abd-el-Krim to Philippe Pétain and resigned to return to France.

[edit] Final years and association with fascism

In his final years, Lyautey became associated with France's growing fascist movement, admired Italian leader Benito Mussolini, and was associated with the far right Croix de Feu. In 1934, he threatened to lead the Jeunesse Patriotes to overthrow the government. ^[1]

[edit] Miscellaneous

• Lyautey died in Thorey, was buried in Morocco but reinterred in Les Invalides in 1961
• The town of Kenitra, Morocco was named "Port Lyautey" by the French in 1933, but renamed after independence in 1956.
• The Garrison of the 13th Parachute Dragoon Regiment is named after him.
• Lycée Lyautey in Casablanca, Morocco is named after him.

• Lyautey has been suggested as the author of the famous quote about dialects stating that "a language is a dialect which owns an army, a navy and an air force" ("Une langue, c'est un dialecte qui possède une armée, une marine et une aviation."). A separate article discusses the origin of this aphorism in greater detail.

[edit] References

• Portions of this article were translated from the French language Wikipedia article fr:Hubert Lyautey.

[edit] Literature

• André Maurois: Marshal Lyautey, Paris, Plon, 1931. Translated to English and published in London and New York in 1931.
• William A. Hoisington Jr.: Lyautey and the French conquest of Morocco, Palgrave Macmillan, 1995, ISBN 0312125291, preview at Google Books.

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Hubert Lyautey

• Short biography

Preceded by Henry Houssaye

Seat 14 Académie française 1912-1934

Succeeded by Louis Franchet d'Espérey

Preceded by Pierre Roques

Minister of War December 12, 1916 - March 14, 1917

Succeeded by Lucien Lacaze