- published: 15 Oct 2010
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Louis Nicolas was a French missionary in Canada in the late-seventeenth and early-18th century. Born August 15, 1634 in Aubenas, Vivarais (France), this Jesuit priest arrived in New France in 1664 and stayed for eleven years. He was fascinated by the wildlife and Native peoples of the New World, and is believed to have been the author of the hand-drawn book known as the Codex canadiensis, which documents these subjects. Louis Nicolas is the confirmed author of the books Histoire Naturelle des Indes Occidentales and the Grammaire algonquine. Historians believe that he died in 1682.
Louis-Nicolas d'Avout (10 May 1770 – 1 June 1823), better known as Davout, 1st Duke of Auerstaedt, 1st Prince of Eckmühl, was a Marshal of the Empire during the Napoleonic Era. His prodigious talent for war along with his reputation as a stern disciplinarian, earned him the title "The Iron Marshal". He is ranked along with Massena and Lannes as one of Napoleon's finest commanders. During his lifetime, Davout's name was commonly spelled Davoust, which is how it appears on the Arc de Triomphe and in much of the correspondence between Napoleon and his generals (see external links below for examples).
Davout was born at Annoux (Yonne), the son of Jean-François d'Avout (1739 – 1779) and wife (married in 1768) Françoise-Adélaïde Minard de Velars (1741 – 1810).[citation needed] He joined the French army as a sub-lieutenant in 1788. On the outbreak of the French Revolution, he embraced its principles. He was chef de bataillon in a volunteer corps in the campaign of 1792, and distinguished himself at the Battle of Neerwinden the following spring. He had just been promoted to general of brigade when he was removed from the active list because of his noble birth. He nevertheless served in the campaigns of 1794-1797 on the Rhine, and accompanied Desaix in the Egyptian expedition of Napoleon Bonaparte.