Alexandre Pierre Chevalier Moline de Saint-Yon

Alexandre Pierre Moline de Saint-Yon (29 June 1786, Lyon – 17 November 1870, Bordeaux) was a French general, writer, and politician.

Biography

He was the son of Honore de Saint-Yon and Gabrielle Antoinette Rivoire Alexandre Moline, He graduated from the military school at Fontainebleau in 1805, with the rank of second lieutenant. Promoted Lieutenant in 1807, Captain in 1809, he made the Prussian campaign before being sent to Spain under the command of Marshal Soult. Created a Knight of the Empire on 11 June 1810, he was wounded in Saint-Jean-de-Luz (1813), and was promoted to squadron leader and returned to France with Soult. Aide of Napoleon's campaign in France, he was present at Ligny and Waterloo (1815).

Put on half pay by the Second Restoration, he devoted himself to literature.

The July Monarchy reactivated him. He became lieutenant-colonel (1830), Colonel (1831), Field Marshal (1835), Lieutenant-General (1844), Director of Personnel and Operations at the Department of War, Grand Officer of the Legion of Honor (7 November 1845), peer of France (10 November 1845) and on the same day, Minister of War.

He retired as Major General on 8 June 1848 and never reappeared on the political scene.

Works

• Ipsiboë, opéra in 4 acts, music by Rodolphe Kreutzer, premiere at the Académie royale de musique 31 March 1824
• Mathilde ou les Croisades, opéra
• Les Époux indiscrets, comic opéra premiere at the Théâtre Feydeau, 1829
• François Ier à Chambord, opéra in 2 actes, with G. du Fougeroux), music de Genestet, premiere at the Académie royale de musique 15 March 1830
• Les Amours de Charles II, comédy in 5 acts
• Fragment de l'histoire militaire de la France: guerres de religion, de 1585 à 1590, Paris, Anselin, 1834, in-8
• Notice historique sur le prince Eugène, duc de Leuchtenberg, Paris, Crapelet, 1838, in-8
• Les Deux Mina, chronique espagnole du dix-neuvième siècle, Paris, Berquet et Pétion, 1840, 3 vol. in-8
• Histoire des comtes de Toulouse, Paris, A. Bertrand, 1859-1861, 4 vol. in-8

Sources

• « Alexandre Moline de Saint-Yon », in Adolphe Robert, Edgar Bourloton et Gaston Cougny, Dictionnaire des parlementaires français (1789-1891), XIXe siècle
• « Alexandre Moline de Saint-Yon », in Charles Mullié, Biographie des célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850, 1852

References

Third cabinet of Nicolas Jean-de-Dieu Soult (29 October 1840 to 19 September 1847)
Head of state: King Louis Philippe I
President of the council	Nicolas Soult	Nicolas Soult
War	Nicolas Soult Alexandre Moline de Saint-Yon Camille Trézel François Martineau des Chenez (Undersecretary of State)
Interior	Tanneguy Duchâtel Antoine François Passy (Undersecretary of State)
Justice and Religious Affairs	Nicolas Martin du Nord Michel Pierre Alexis Hébert
Foreign Affairs	François Guizot
Finance	Georges Humann Jean Lacave-Laplagne Pierre Sylvain Dumon
Navy and Colonies	Guy-Victor Duperré Albin Roussin Ange de Mackau Louis Napoléon Lannes Jean Jubelin (Undersecretary of State)
Public Education	Abel-François Villemain Narcisse-Achille de Salvandy
Public Works	Jean-Baptiste Teste Pierre Sylvain Dumon Hippolyte Paul Jayr
Agriculture and Commerce	Laurent Cunin-Gridaine