Duc de Tarente

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Jacques MacDonald, Duke of Tarentum (1765-1840), was a renowned French general who served as marshal of the Empire under Napoleon. Having enlisted in the French army during the 1780s, he rose through the ranks to become colonel at the outbreak of the French Revolution. Following a short campaign in Italy from 1798-9, MacDonald returned to France and backed Napoleon during the coup d'état of 18 Brumaire. However, his support for anti-Bonapartist General Moreau in 1804 led to his dismissal. Nevertheless, in 1809, Napoleon reinstated him and eventually promoted him marshal of the empire and Duke of Tarentum. Later on, MacDonald served Louis XVIII, who appointed him to lead the defense of Paris against Napoleon in 1815. After the Second Restoration of the Bourbons, MacDonald was made Major General of the Royal Guard and awarded the Legion of Honour.