Gomes Freire de Andrade

Gomes Freire de Andrade
Born	27 January 1757 (1757-01-27) Vienna, Austria
Died	18 October 1817 (1817-10-19) (aged 60) Oeiras e São Julião da Barra, Portugal
Allegiance	Portugal (to 24 May 1807) France (to 5 May 1814)
Years of service	1782-1814
Rank	Lieutenant General Général de Division
Commands held	4th Infantry Regiment (1790-1807) Portuguese Legion (1810-1814)
Battles/wars	War of the Oranges Napoleonic Wars Battle of Wagram Battle of Smolensk Battle of Vitebsk Battle of Borodino Peninsular War
Awards	Commander of Order of Christ Order of St. George 4th Class

Gomes Freire de Andrade, ComC (27 January 1757, Vienna - 18 October 1817) was a Portuguese officer that served France at his military careers end.

History

Early Life

Son of Ambrósio Freire de Andrade, Ambassador of Portugal in Vienna from 1752 to 1770, first cousin of the first and second count of Bobadela, and a German aristocrat of Bohemia and Moravia, Gomes Freire de Andrade, born January 27, 1757, returned to Portugal by the hand of Portugal's ambassador in Vienna, Count of Oyenhausen and his wife, Leonor de Almeida Portugal, the celebrated poet, who will be known as Marchioness of Alorna. This return was supported in Portugal by the Duke of Lafões, however returned to Portugal, who had known his father well, when his prolonged stay in the Austrian capital.

Made Commander of the Order of Christ, still in Vienna, he arrived in Portugal in 1781 joining the infantry regiment of Peniche, military unit which he lived daily with several members of his extended family.

Climbing the ranks as quickly as possible to an aristocratic officer, but not enough for his taste, he tried every means to rise rapidly in the hierarchy transferring to the Navy, taking advantage of the war of Russia against the Ottoman Empire, and the signing of the Treaty of Friendship and Alliance between Portugal and Russia, to offer volunteer for the Russian army, in the war waged by the Empress Catherine and Potemkin directed by the celebrated general, a conflict that will end with the conquest of the Crimea by Russia.

Starting as Major he quickly climbed the ranks of the Russian army, and these promotions being always confirmed in Portugal, when he arrived in Portugal in 1793 was already colonel, since 1790, the Lisbon Garrison Regiment, formerly commanded by the Marquis of Minas and will be known from that time as "Freire '.

Napoleonic Wars

Appointed commander of the brigade of grenadiers in creating assisting Portuguese army that fought in Catalonia thither, carrying with competence, with out using his military experience against the Ottomans, but also against the French, who fought in its passage through front war between Prussia and France, on the northern border of France.

The auxiliary army Gomes Freire de Andrade, the policy will continue his uncle, 2. º Earl of Bobadela, Governor General of Weapons of Porto in 1777, that by attacking the earl of Hoyenhausen, German official relative of Count Lippe, logo beginning of the reign of Queen Mary I, accusing him of changing military regulations without authorization, which caused his resignation, began the policy of Viradeira in the army.

The young aristocrat vehemently attack the direction of the auxiliary army, commanded by officers who were born abroad but mainly formed in the school of Count Lippe and the Marquis of Pombal, represented among others by the Scottish Forbes, the Mestral, these two officers coming to Portugal in Swiss 1762, and Portuguese through marriage, and the French Claviere. At the same time, and with the same purpose of criticizing those who were not aristocrats like him, will also attack the commanders of artillery, and Rosa Teixeira Rebelo, these, old sergeants, coming from small peasants from the countryside, who had managed to ascend the officer corps due to his studies and his expertise, supporting its lack of social quality, a time in which the monarchical Europe throughout the aristocracy tried to maintain exclusive access to officialdom.

Back in Portugal, saw its proposal to create a Legion of Light Troops be implemented, but with the command given to the Marquis of Alorna. He was promoted to Field Marshal in promoting graduate of 1795, came to be known in the Portuguese army, in an unflattering way, the epithet of Russian general. Remained in command of his regiment of the Lisbon garrison until the war of 1801, having been promoted to field marshal effective. After the war, returning to Lisbon, actively participated in the struggle against the Royalist party, trying to drive the aristocratic party and removing it from the direction of the Marquis de Alorna, who had assumed after the resignation of the Duke of Lafões.

Directed, so the disturbances of Campo de Ourique, an event that has been given in July 1803 had the power to make it impossible to implement the proposals by GGeneral Forbes military reforms, and their supporters in government, especially D. Rodrigo de Sousa Coutinho, João de Almeida e Castro and Luís Pinto de Sousa, and they were to be implemented in the late summer of that year, which was an attack, how to write his own "against the aristocracy."

In late 1805, has been involved in trying to put the Princess Carlota Joaquina in power, and that is also a little-known aristocratic conspiracy, seems to have to do, not so much with a hypothetical disease of the Prince Regent, but with preparations for a war against Spain in the summer of that same year, possible reason for John VI have gone to reside in Vila Viçosa, where he was also the governor of weapons of Alentejo, marquis of Alorna.

In 1807, as lieutenant-general, during the first French invasion, was in charge of the command of the division who defended the southern margin of the Tagus and Setúbal, against a British attack. General Solana received in Setúbal, accepting the burden of demobilize the Portuguese army stationed in the south and disarm the militia regiments. The collaboration with the Spanish and French occupiers, made him be appointed to 2. º Portuguese army commander, retired in accordance with French regulations, which went in April 1808 to France, where the French army was integrated with the title Légion Portugaise.

In Spain, had time to fight the Spanish uprising against the French invaders, being sent with some Portuguese troops for the siege of Saragossa. Returned to France with the Portuguese troops from his command, heading for Grenoble, French Legion garrison.

After the Napoleonic Wars

Little work had in France. Your single command campaigning had it in 1813, during the campaigns of liberation of Germany, Dresden governor to be appointed by Napoleon Bonaparte. With the end of the Portuguese Legion, enacted in mid-1813, he returned to Paris where he witnessed the two restorations of the French monarchy. Having completed the formalities required for their return, and with the support of the Marquis of Marialva old brother of the Duke of Lafões, arrived in Lisbon in May 1815.

Seems to have had the intention to resume its policy of attacking the foreign army command, now dominated by British officers. Your dream or premonition, told in a letter of 1815, where it sees the attempt to exit the General 'Tartar' (Beresford) of Portugal, through a general 'China' (Gomes Freire) that militated in Persia (France) but we will die, seems to prove that.

Was hanged in front of the fortress of São Julião da Barra, on 18 October 1817, following the discovery of a plot against the regency, in which pontificated his cousin Miguel Pereira Forjaz, who had always opposed, the Roussillon 1808, and with whom he had lived since the barracks regiment Peniche. During the Republic the day of his death was a national holiday.

Promotion and Units

References

• http://arqnet.pt/exercito/freire.html''