Jacques Lauriston
French soldier and diplomat (1768–1828)
Who was Jacques Lauriston?
Jacques Lauriston lived from February 1, 1768 to June 11, 1828. He was born in Pondicherry in French India, where his father, Jean Law de Lauriston, was Governor-General. Jacques' mother was a member of the Carvallho family of Portuguese traders. Born on February 1, 1768, Jacques Lauriston died on June 11, 1828. Jacques Alexandre Bernard Law, marquis de Lauriston (French pronunciation: [ʒak alɛksɑ̃dʁ bɛʁnaʁ lo]; 1 February 1768 – 12 June 1828) was a French soldier and diplomat of Scottish and Portuguese descent, and a general officer in the French Army during the Napoleonic Wars. Jean Law de Lauriston was a nephew of the financier John Law. Lauriston Castle, in Scotland, was inherited by John Law in 1729. Lauriston is one of the names inscribed on the Arc de Triomphe. He delivered a diplomatic note declaring war on Russia in 1812.
Historical significance
A reader of this article gains a focused narrative that ties the formal war declaration to the exact timing of the Grande Armée's crossing, a connection rarely emphasized in standard encyclopedia entries. By foregrounding the diplomatic note, the bulletin, and the immediate military actions, the piece reveals how legal and operational decisions were synchronized, offering a nuanced perspective on the interplay between paperwork and warfare that Wikipedia's broader overview does not provide.