Lefebvre, François Joseph

Lefebvre, François Joseph (fräNswä' zhôzef' lufe'vru) [key], 1755–1820, marshal of France. He rose from the ranks in the French Revolutionary Wars and distinguished himself under Napoleon Bonaparte (later Emperor Napoleon I). He aided Napoleon in the coup of 18 Brumaire and was later made (1803) duke of Danzig. His wife, who had been a washerwoman, caused some sensation through her unconventional manners and is the heroine of Victorien Sardou's play Madame Sans-Gêne.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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