Maximilien Garreau
Jean-Auguste Maximilien Garreau (July 5 1102 - October 1 1178) was a Meron military and political leader who rose to prominence during the National Revolution, leading the Grande Armée Nationale into a series of successful campaigns against monarchist reaction. After seizing power in 1134, Garreau became the de facto leader of the Meron Republic, overseeing its victory in the revolutionary wars, and the creation of the Liberal Bloc. Garreau would oversee the signing of Merony's third constitution, and rule the country with near-absolute power until his death in 1178.
During his rule, Garreau dominated international affairs in the Midwestern World, leaving a lasting legacy in both politics and warfare. Having never personally lost a battle, he is considered one of history's greatest generals.
Biography
Early Life
Garreau was born in the town of Galport, on the southern coast of the Marian Sea. His father, Antoine Maximilien Garreau, was a wealthy merchant who oversaw shipping routes from the Meron colonies in Alada, and held a high-ranking position in one of the last merchant guilds of the Steel Age. Because of this, young Maximilien was given a comfortable childhood, and offered the best education allowed to the middle classes at the time (the highest ranking educational institutions were reserved for the nobility). In 1118, Garreau moved to Cardon, in order to attend St. Damien Military Academy. Unlike many men his age, Garreau did not become involved with radical student groups, focusing instead on achieving a position of prestige within the royal armed forces. At the academy, his professors quickly noted his quick grasp of mathematics, history, and geography. Garreau would graduate with several recommendations, that would land him in the staff of artillery colonel Alain Gérard. In the army, Garreau got the opportunity to engage with radical politics, as several of his close colleagues (including Colonel Gérard himself) harbored Liberal sympathies, as well as general discontentment with the monarchy. Garreau was initiated into underground reading circles, and developed a late-blooming passion for Liberal philosophy. In the years leading up to the National Revolution, Garreau quickly climbed through the ranks of the military, but was often thwarted by nobles with political appointments, who received preferential treatment when it came to promotions.National Revolution
In 1124, revolution broke out in the capital city of Merennes. With the complete failure of King Philippe VII's economic reforms, the price of basic goods began to skyrocket, resulting in the working classes of the city storming the Urban Palace. As the leading intellectuals of the Meron republican movement began using the popular uprising to form a revolutionary opposition to the monarchy, Garreau found himself stationed at Avenue Jaubert, a key strategic point for controlling troop movements throughout Merennes. Receiving a signal from his Liberal colleagues, Garreau declared his loyalty to the revolutionary committee, and blocked royalist troops from reaching the center of the city in time to prevent the overthrow of the royalist government. This would earn him the favour of the National Provisional Government. In the brief civil war that followed the revolution, Garreau was given command of an artillery unit, which allowed him to prove himself a superior tactician to those he faced, usually aristocrats who had won their positions through favours. At the Battle of Cheurblanc, Garreau stated "perhaps we would have been given a fight today, if only our enemies had raised fighting men", referring to the generally incompetent royalist commanders, who were handily routed after a few hours of fighting. With the formation of the First Republic, and the signing of the Constitution of 1126, the Meron Armed forces saw the end of aristocratic appointments, with promotions being awarded, at least on paper, on the basis of merit. Seeing the roadblocks to his career finally gone, Garreau became an even more ardent supporter of the revolution, participating in several political treatises on the role of the state in a post-absolutist world. Despite his disdain towards the aristocracy, Garreau defended the continued existence of Philippe VII as ceremonial King of Merony. A strong, educated head of state, he argued, would be a unifying force for the nation, although he recognized that the Greteaux Dynasty was, at the moment, too reactionary to direct the economy in a progressive way. Still, he believed that the king's cooperation was genuine, and that as long as his heir, Prince Emillien, received "a proper Liberal education", some executive power could be returned to the king within a few generations. In 1127, with counter-revolutionary resistance in the hinterlands waning, Garreau was made Major General, and given the command of an artillery division in the northern border with Laurena, just as tensions between the new republic and the old monarchist powers began to deteriorate.First Reaction
When news of King Philippe's death reached the old Heartland Powers, declarations of war rained on the Meron Republic. Now a general, Garreau led the Northern Army in a counter-offensive that stopped the Lauren advance in its tracks. However, the Valenish armies were more successful on their attacks on the western border, and a protracted war on Merony's soil ensued. Garreau won several battles, after facing numerical disadvantages multiple times. However, his counter-offensive began to stall when the Populiste government began a program of assigning Political Officers to ensure the loyalty of the army. The government had become wary of the elitist leanings of army generals, and Garreau's growing influence in particular. Garreau became increasingly frustrated at his decisions being vetoed by his political officers, and although the monarchist coalition was also facing significant challenges, the republican army was not able to push them out of the country until the following summer. He did real good and contributed to the W, led a crazy offensive that nearly took Lusia out of the war.The Moralist Putsch
In 1130, Garreau was on leave in Merennes when the Society of Moral Men, supported by King Philippe, attempted a coup d'etat against the National Assembly. In the decisive early hours of the coup, Garreau took an active role in organizing a defense of the Urban Palace, outmanoeuvring the disorganized conspirators. While the already collapsing Parti Radicale government was universally blamed for allowing the counter-revolutionaries to get this close to power, Garreau was popularly seen as the "man of the hour", and was rewarded with a Triumphal parade through the Grand Avenue, in the style of the old Meron Supremacy (organized by the Parti Radicale, in their final attempt to regain public favour). This event shattered Garreau's previous opinions on the monarchy, and he reportedly felt very personally betrayed by King Philippe. When the new government of the République Populaire swept into power the next year, and callled for the execution of the king, Garreau did not protest the decision.Second Reaction
He kept doing real good and got some good propaganda for himself. While the country was under attack, he directed an expedition against fantasy Yugolavia in a lightning campaign, securing territory that would allow Merony to blockade Valenish ships going through the Bastian Strait.April Coup
Upon coming back to Merony, he overthrew the Republique Populaire, which secured his image in the eyes of the growing bourgeoisie as the savior of the fatherland. Garreau became the National Overseer. Having secured the loyalty of the army, he pushed the reactionary powers back. He pushed into Laurena, which resulted in the junior officers of the Lauren military staging a revolution of their own. This tipped the scales and allowed for a push into Hardland and, finally, into the Valenish heartland itself, which got a ceasefire to be negotiated.Third Reaction
Previously thought to be dead, Prince Emilien turned up in Valenia. Pouncing on the opportunity to gain favour with a restored Greteaux Dynasty, the old powers rejoin Valenia in its coalition. The make inroads into Merony and set up a rump state. With their resources becoming exhausted, Garreau accepts a ceasefire.Fourth Reaction
Old powers attempt a coup de gras against Merony. Instead, Garreau secures an alliance with Fantasy Ottomans, and manages to encircle the rump state. Prince Emilien is killed. Valenish colonies declare independence, and the old powers' fates are sealed. Merony's coalition delivers a devastating blow to their enemies, winning their final surrender. Peace of Orlouse Early Imperial Regime Parliamentary Crisis Later Life Death LegacyMental characteristics
Gender Identity
Male
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments