Joachim Murat (/ mjʊəˈrɑː / mure-AH, also / mʊˈrɑːt / muurr-AHT; French: [ʒɔaʃɛ̃ myʁa]; Italian: Gioacchino Murat; 25 March 1767 – 13 October 1815) was a French Army officer and statesman who served during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
Joachim Murat was a French cavalry leader who was one of Napoleon’s most celebrated marshals and who, as king of Naples (1808–15), lent stimulus to Italian nationalism.
Joachim Murat (1767-1815) was a French cavalry officer who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars (1792-1802) and Napoleonic Wars (1803-1815). He was appointed marshal of the French Empire in 1804, Grand Duke of Berg in 1806, and ruled as King of Naples from 1808 until 1815.
The son of an innkeeper, Joachim Murat would one day go on to become a cavalry general, a king, and Napoleon's brother-in-law. But his family never envisioned such lofty goals and instead intended for him to become a priest, securing a scholarship for him to attend the seminary at Cahors.
The flamboyant Joachim Murat led some of history’s greatest cavalry charges and ruled the Napoleonic Kingdom of Naples, but his poor political judgment would cause his downfall.
Marshal, King of Naples: in the Napoleonic chess game, Murat was the knight, the splendid warrior in extravagant attire; the impetuous and unthinking bishop; and the queen who needed proof of affection from the master in order to offer full devotion.
Joachim Murat was a prominent and intriguing figure in the Napoleonic era, known for his flamboyant personality and military prowess. As one of Napoleon’s most trusted generals, he played a key role in many of the major campaigns of the time.