Murat, who is married to Napoleon’s sister Caroline, is named Marshal of the Empire in 1804 and Commander of Cavalry in recognition of his prior successes in ending the 1795 uprising to topple the Assembly and in the Italy and Egypt campaigns. His famous cavalry charges at Austerlitz and Jena lead to being named King of Naples in 1808. He survives the 1812 defeat in Russia, but abandons Napoleon after the 1813 loss at Leipzig, seeking more independent control in Naples. He attempt to reunite with Napoleon after the Emperor’s return from his Elba exile is rejected, and after Waterloo he is captured and executed in the south of Naples after a loss at Tolentino.
Joachim Murat
