Bugeaud de la Piconnerie, Thomas Robert

Bugeaud de la Piconnerie, Thomas Robert (tōmä` rōbĕr` büzhō` də lä pēkōnərē`), 1784–1849, marshal of France, duc d'Isly, general and administrator in Algeria. He served in the army of the French emperor Napoleon I until forced into retirement in 1815. Returning to public life after the July Revolution of 1830, he became a deputy. Sent twice (1836, 1837) to Algeria on special missions, he returned again in 1841 to undertake the pacification of Algeria as governor-general. His celebrated victory at Isly (1844) finally broke the power of Abd al-Kader. Bugeaud attempted to cooperate with the Arabs, to promote military colonization and to encourage French settlers, but the unpopularity of his policies forced his resignation in 1847. He was named commander of the troops in Paris by Louis Philippe during the February Revolution of 1848. A strong general, he was feared in France as a potential dictator. He wrote on colonial, military, and economic subjects.