Pétain, Philippe

Pétain, (Henri-) Philippe

Philippe Pétain.

(credit: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.)

(born April 24, 1856, Cauchy-à-la-Tour, France—died July 23, 1951, Île d'Yeu) French general. He served in the French army from 1876 and later taught at the war college. His successful defense in the Battle of Verdun (1916) made him a national hero, and in 1918 he became commander in chief and a marshal of France. After the war he was appointed vice president of the Supreme War Council (1920–30) and minister of war (1934). After the German invasion of France (1940), Pétain was appointed premier at age 84. He concluded an armistice with Germany, and as head of Vichy France he attempted to obtain concessions by cooperating with the Germans. In 1942 the Germans forced him to accept Pierre Laval as premier and he withdrew to a nominal role as head of state. After the Allied invasion of France, he fled to Germany. In 1945 he was tried and condemned to death; the sentence was commuted to life in prison, where he died at age 95.