The Order of Saint Joachim

Here is a photo of a painting I wanted to share with the group. It has not been seen before , as it is in a private collection and was sent to me for possible identification.

He is a Napoleonic French General of Brigade who is wearing the Légion d'honneur (Commandeur, Chevalier), Ordre de St Louis, Ordre du Lys, and the Knight Cross of the Order of Saint Joachim. He also wears the variation breast star of our Order.

The General appears to have been made a Knight Commander or perhaps Grand Cross of our Order during the period when our Grand Master, Karl II Gustav Reinhard Waldemar of Leiningen, (1787 to 1798) was taken prisoner by the invading French armies in 1793. On his death in French captivity in St. Germain in 1798, his son Count Ferdinand Karl III as Coadjutor became the hereditary ruler of Leiningen and Grand Master of the Order of Saint Joachim.

When Napoleon created the Confederacy of the Rhine he installed his own brother-in-law, Joachim Murat, as the Governor of the newly created "Duchy of Berg", which included Leinigen. Joachim Murat declared himself the Grand Master of our Order in 1806. During this period he created several knights and officers of our Order - mostly French members of the Legion of Honour - who were not recognized by the legitimate Order at the time.

Any thoughts as to who this might be are appreciated. It was initially thought to be General Edouard-Jean-Baptiste Milhaud, but this is probably not correct.

Here is a closeup of his medal bar and breast star. It appears Murat redesigned the breast star to add rays between the arms of the cross, a green St. Lazarus style maltese centre cross, and gold highlights. The Knight Cross of the bar also has a rosette added in the French style of knightly orders.