Philippe Pétain

On September 14, 1920, Pétain married an old lover, Eugénie Hardon, who had been divorced from François de Hérain. The couple had no children together and remained married until Pétain's death.

Philippe Petain died on July 23, 1951, while serving his sentence on the Ile d'Yeu, an island off the coast of Brittany, at the age of 95. He was buried in a Marine cemetery near the prison.

Philippe Pétain, full name Henri-Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain, was born on April 24, 1856, in Cauchy-à-la-Tour, Pas-de-Calais, Second French Empire. His father, Omer-Venant, was a farmer.

Philippe went to a local village school, followed by a religious secondary school before being admitted to Saint-Cyr military academy in 1876.

In 1887, he was enrolled at the École Supérieure de Guerre, an army war college, in Paris.

Until the age of 58, Philippe Pétain served in various garrisons with different battalions of the Chasseurs à pied. He alternated between staff as well as regimental assignments but did not had any active-duty experience.

In 1914, he was given command of a brigade and after distinguishing himself at the ‘Battle of the Marne’, he was appointed a full general in 1915 and took command of the 11th Army.

In 1916, when the Germans undertook a massive concentrated attack on the fortress city of Verdun, Pétain was ordered to stop them at all costs. Though the situation was practically hopeless, he instilled enthusiasm in his troops, and skillfully reorganized both the front and the transport systems. As a result, the French army was successful in defeating the Germans and Pétain was crowned a national hero.

Subsequently, when serious mutinies erupted in the French army following the ill-considered offensives of General Nivelle, then French commander in chief, Pétain was named his successor. Upon assuming the command, he quickly restored order by combining strict disciplinary measures with a caring attitude towards his troops.

In November 1918, he was named the Marshal of France and later became the Vice president of the Supreme War Council.

As General of the French battalion during World War I, he won much fame and respect for his successful defense of Verdun against the Germans in 1916.

He was appointed the commander-in-chief of the French Army and was successful in restoring morale in the French army after a series of mutinies in 1917.