377 



SEBASTIAN, DOM. 



SEBASTIANI, HORACE FRANgOIS, COUNT. 378 



From infancy Sebastian showed that the love of arms would be his 

 ruling passion. Possessed of a romantic disposition and an extraordi- 

 dinary admiration of chivalrous exploits, all his thoughts tended to 

 the entire subjection of Africa, where his ancestors had made consider- 

 able conquests. At the age of twenty (in 1574) he undertook a cam- 

 paign against the Moors of Africa, in which however he gained no 

 advantage. Soon afterwards, the troubles which arose in Africa gave 

 him the opportunity of carrying his gigantic projects into execution. 

 Muley Abdullah, sultan of Fez and Marocco, had been succeeded by 

 his son Muley Mohammed, in opposition to the order of succession 

 established by the sherifs, that the sons should succeed in the order of 

 their birth, to the exclusion of the grandsons, and which would have 

 required the succession of his uncle. Knowing that his life was in 

 danger, Abdu-1-mumen, the next brother of Abdullah, on whom the 

 crown should have devolved, accompanied by his younger brothers 

 Abdu-l-ma'lik and Ahmed, fled to Tremecen, where he was put to 

 death by assassins who were paid by his nephew. Abdu-l-ma'lik 

 retired to Algiers, whence, having obtained the succour of the Turks, 

 he marched to Marocco, defeated the usurper, who went out to 

 meet him, and made himself master of that capital. Mohammed 

 then solicited the aid of Philip II. of Spain; but as that monarch 

 refused to give him any, he applied, to Sebastian, who readily 

 promised to replace him on his throne, against the advice of his 

 best and wisest friends. However, before starting on his wild expe- 

 dition, Sebastian communicated his design to Philip, who earnestly 

 dissuaded him from it; though he has been unjustly accused by 

 the French historian Laclede (' Histoire Ge'ne'rale d'Espagne,' vol. v., 

 p. 170) of having encouraged him in his attempt, in the hope 

 that he might perish, and the crown of Portugal devolve on 

 himself. 



The preparations being completed, and the cardinal Enrique vested 

 with the regency, in June, 1578, the armament put to sea. It con- 

 sisted of 9000 Portuguese, 2000 Spaniards, 3000 Germans, and 600 

 Italians; in all about 15,000 men. These forces landed on the 10th 

 of July, at Arsila, where they were joined by Muley Mohammed at 

 the head of his army. A council of war was immediately summoned ; 

 and after losing eighteen days, during which time the provisions of 

 the army were greatly diminished, and the enemy were enabled to 

 collect their forces, it was resolved to begin the campaign by the siege 

 of Larache. Though on the arrival of his enemies Muley Abdu-l- 

 ma'lik, improperly called Moluc by the chroniclers of the day, was 

 suffering under a disease which soon after caused his death, he had 

 prepared with activity for their reception, and he hastened to the shore 

 borne in a litter. His army, which was far superior in numbers to the 

 Portuguese, being increased by the arrival of his brother Ahmed, 

 governor of Fez, who joined him near Alcasr-kebir (Alcazar-quebir), 

 Abdu-l-ma'lik determined to oppose the passage of the Christians over 

 the river Luk in the way to Larache; and with this view he posted 

 his troops at the only ford in the neighbourhood. Perceiving, how- 

 ever, that Sebastian, by the advice of his ally, Mohammed, had 

 desisted from his former intention, and was attempting to reach 

 Larache by a more circuitous route, he crossed the river and offered 

 him battle. The cavalry of the Christians, unable to withstand the 

 impetuous onset of the Moors, at first gave way; but Sebastian 

 placed himself ."at the head of his infantry, and charging the enemy, 

 compelled him to fall back on his artillery. At this moment, Muley 

 Abdu-l-ma'lik, fearful of the result, mounted a horse, drew his sabre, 

 and placing himself at the head of a body of cavalry, chiefly com- 

 posed of Spanish Moriscoes whom Philip had banished from his 

 kingdom after the revolt in the Alpujarras, made a desperate charge, 

 by which the Portuguese infantry, consisting of raw soldiers, was 

 broken. Though a vigorous resistance was made on the right and 

 left wings, which were composed of the German's and Spaniards, the 

 rout soon became general. Sebastian made every effort to rally the 

 fugitives; but in vain. Most of the officers and courtiers by whom he 

 was surrounded fell by his side. Two horses had already been killed 

 under him, and the third was exhausted. His retainers, anxious to 

 save his life, earnestly entreated him to fly ; but he haughtily refused, 

 and plunged into the thickest of the fight, where he met with an 

 honourable death, according to some authorities ; others assert that 

 he was taken prisoner by some Moors, but that as they were about to 

 dispute about the possession of so rich a prize, one of their officers 

 came up and killed him with his own hand. On the morning after 

 the day of the battle a search was made, and a body was found, which, 

 though much disfigured, was instantly recognised by Reseude, a valet 

 of Sebastian, to be that of his master. Mohammed succeeded in 

 escaping from the field of battle ; but he was drowned whilst attempt- 

 ing to cross the river. Abdu-l-ma'lik, exhausted by the fatigue of the 

 day, had also breathed his last during the action, though his death 

 was kept secret by his orders ; so that the three kings who entered 

 the field perished on the same day. 



( Sebastian was succeeded by his brother Ahmed. The news of 

 Sebastian's death caused the greatest consternation. The Portuguese 

 could scarcely believe in his death, and for many years after it was 

 generally supposed that he was still living in captivity. This belief 

 produced several impostors, such as Alvarez, the stone-cutter, Gabriel 

 de Espinosa, called by the Spaniards el Peastelero de Madrigal, and 

 two others, who ended their days on the scaffold or in the galleys. 



By the death of Sebastian without issue, the kingdom of Portugal 

 became annexed to Spain. 



(Cabrera, Hiatoria de Felipe II., Mad., 1619, lib. xii. ; Faria y Sousa, 

 Epitome das Historiaa Portuyuezas, part iii. ; Vasconcellos, Anacepka- 

 Iceosis.) 



SEBASTIAN DEL PIOMBO. [PiOMBO, SEBASTIANO DEL.] 



SfiBASTIANI, HORACE FRANCOIS COUNT, was a native of 

 Corsica, having been born at the hamlet of Porta, near Bastia, on 

 Nov. 11, 1776. His uncle, who was a priest, took charge of his 

 education, and was preparing him for his own profession, when the 

 call to arms, in 1792, induced the lad to exchange his cassock for a 

 uniform. He then became secretary to General Casabianca, after 

 which he joined the army of Italy, in 1796, was noticed by Bonaparte, 

 and was made a chef-de-bataillon after the battle of Arcola. In 1799, 

 he distinguished himself greatly at Verona, for which conduct General 

 Moreau appointed him to a regiment on the field of battle. On the 

 18th Brumaire; being in garrison at Paris, with his regiment of 

 Dragoons, he assisted in the coup d'dtat by which Bonaparte becamo 

 master of France. The First Consul promised to reward this proof of 

 devotedness on the part of his compatriot, and henceforth took 

 charge of his fortune. 



After the battle of Marengo (June 14th, 1800) Colonel Sebastian! 

 was appointed commissioner along with Marmont, to conduct negocia- 

 tions preparatory to the armistice of Treviso. In 1802, he was sent 

 to Turkey, Egypt, and Syria, on an important diplomatic mission, 

 which he conducted so skilfully as to obtain the rank of General of 

 Brigade for his address. 



In 1804, he was despatched to watch the movements of the 

 Austrian army in Germany, when the reports he addressed to the 

 War Office are said to have partly determined the campaign of 1805. 

 General Se'bastiani commanded the vanguard of Murat's cavalry when 

 that brilliant corps entered the Austrian capital. At the battle of 

 Austerlitz he displayed his habitual energy, was badly wounded in a 

 desperate charge, and was raised to a division for his conduct. During 

 the next few yeai'S he was employed with much distinction in diplo- 

 matic missions ; in one of which he lost his first wife, who died in 

 giving birth to a girl, afterwards known as the unfortunate Duchesse 

 de Praslin, murdered by her husband in 1847. 



General Se'bastiani was one of the many French officers sent to 

 Spain to retrieve the fortunes of the Emperor, in 1809. He crossed 

 the Gaudiaua and defeated the Spaniards at Ciudad-Real, at Santa 

 Cruz, and several other places. In the early part of 1810 he took 

 possession of the provinces of Jaen, Granada, and Malaga, and is 

 accused of having greatly mutilated the Alhambra and other monu- 

 ments of antiquity, and of ransacking the convents for his own private 

 gain. In the following year, not deeming his services sufficiently 

 appreciated, he returned to France. Napoleon I., who considered the 

 chief talents of this General to be diplomatic, rather than military, 

 had determined not to give him a command during the Russian cam- 

 paign. But the remonstrances of Se'bastiani overcame this decision ; 

 he was therefore placed in the vanguard of the Grand Army. During 

 the march to Moscow he strongly urged upon the Emperor the pru- 

 dence of wintering in the province of Lithuania ; but this advice 

 was unheeded. General Se'bastiani was present at the battles of 

 Smolensko and Moskwa ; he was also one of the first to enter the 

 Russian capital, at the head of the 2nd corps. He suffered greatly 

 during the retreat, lost all his artillery, and all his horses perished in 

 the snow. 



In 1813, after the battle of Leipzic, at which he was wounded, he 

 contributed to the victory at Hanau, where Prince Wrede was 

 defeated. Napoleon afterwards gave him the command of the 5th 

 corps, and ordered him to defend the left bank of the Rhine, at 

 Cologne ; but he was obliged to fall back into Champagne ; where, at 

 the head of three regiments of cavalry of the Imperial Guard, he 

 repeatedly won new honours, particularly at the battles of Arcis- 

 sur-Aube and Saint Dizier. 



On the abdication of Napoleon he retired to private life, but during 

 the Hundred Days he became a member of the Chamber of Repre- 

 sentatives, and was sent as one of the deputies to wait on the allied 

 sovereigns after the battle of Waterloo. After the return of the Bour- 

 bons he spent a few months in England in voluntary exile, though they 

 had not included his name in their list of proscription. In 1819 he was 

 chosen deputy for Corsica, and soon became distinguished as a member 

 of what was termed the liberal opposition in the Chambre des De'pute's. 

 In 1826 he succeeded General Foy as representative of the department 

 de 1'Aisne. After the revolution of 1830, Louis Philippe, in August, 

 appointed him minister of marine, and in the following November, on the 

 retirement of Mold, made him minister for foreign affairs ; in which 

 office he continued until 1832. It was during his administration of 

 this office, in September, 1831, that he incurred so much obloquy by 

 his famous announcement from the tribune of the chamber that 

 " order reigns in Warsaw." In 1833 he again filled for a short time the 

 office of minister for foreign affairs, but resigned on the chamber 

 refusing to confirm the treaty he had made with the United States of 

 America, and was appointed ambassador to Naples. In 1835 he was 

 sent ambassador to London, where he was replaced by Guizot in 

 1840, and on the death of Marshal Maison, he received his baton de 

 Mardchal after 48 years service. In 1841 he spoke strongly in the 



