First years Filippo Paulucci delle Roncole was born in one of the most notable noble couples of
Modena: the family of his father, Giuseppe Paulucci delle Roncole, had held the feudal titles of Vignola, Cividale and Roncole since 1768 and moved from
Perugia to Modena in 1753. His mother, Claudia Scutellari, was the daughter of one of
Parma noble families, with blood ties to the
Spanish court. His older brother was
Amilcare Paulucci, who later commanded the Austrian navy. Filippo was the fifth of their eight sons, and was admitted beyond the pages of the
King of Sardinia after his father's death in 1785. This position granted him access to the military elite of the
Kingdom of Sardinia. In 1792 the Kingdom entered the
war against
France, and in 1794 Paulucci, just appointed
sublieutenant in the 2nd Battalion of the Gards, was sent to the front-line. Captured in action on 27 April, he was freed after a prisoners exchange on 7 May. He went on fighting the Frenchmen, until he was taken prisoner in
Mondovì when the city surrendered to the French army, but subsequently freed after six days following the
Armistice of Cherasco. After the French occupation of
Turin, he challenged to a duel a French officer who questioned the valor of the
Piedmontese soldiers. Since duels were outlawed, Paulucci was arrested and sentenced to a three-week imprisonment. On 19 November 1796, he was promoted to captain and freed from his fealty's oath by the king, who awarded him the Knight's Cross of the
Order of Saints Maurice and Lazarus for the stubborn loyalty he had shown. In 1797 he was listed among the staff officers and aide-de-camp of the
Cisalpine Army, probably as aide-de-camp of
General Giuseppe Lahoz Ortiz. In 1799, in
Mantua he passed in the
Austrian service, taking on garrison duties in
Passau until, in 1803, the city was given to the
Kingdom of Bavaria. In 1804, in
Wien, he married Wilhelmina Franziska von Koskull, daughter of a noble
Curlandian family.
Service in the Russian Empire Paulucci, using his wife's family connections, moved to the Russian service, and in 1807 was promoted
colonel, and was sent on a mission to
Karađorđe's Serbia. On 7 May 1809 he was awarded the 4th class of the
Order of St George "as a reward for prudent orders given whilst in the Finnish army, which helped to defeat the enemy". He took part in the war against the Turks in 1810 and was appointed quartermaster of the
Caucasian Army in 1811, then governor of Georgia. In this position he simultaneously had to wage a war against the Turks (from
Kars), against the Persians (
Karabakh) and insurgents. Paulucci withstood this difficult situation and on 25 April 1812 was awarded the Order of St George 3rd class "as a reward for feats of courage and bravery in the Caucasus against the Persians". However, soon afterwards the preparations for war with Napoleon got underway and Paulucci was summoned to
Saint Petersburg to be appointed Army Chief of Staff. However, after a few days, probably due to the opposition of
Michael Andreas Barclay de Tolly, he received the post of the governor general of
Governorate of Livonia. In 1829 he left the Russian army and went to Italy, where he took command of the army of Piedmont.
Return to service in the Kingdom of Sardinia After the constitutional revolution in 1821, the
Austrian Empire made political manoeuvres to exclude
Carlo Alberto from the succession line, in hope to substitute him with
Francesco IV d'Asburgo-Este. Paulucci met, during one of his Italian licence periods, Carlo Felice in
Turin, and resolved to do whatever he can to help him. Paulucci's later efforts at the Russian court were indeed essential in stopping the Austrian ambitions at the
Verona congress. Memoring these good services, the King
Carlo Felice invited Paulucci in Piedmont in 1829, and the two started a close friendship. After the that, in France, brought
Louis Philippe d'Orléans to power, Carlo Felice feared internal political struggles, and was eager to reinforce his army. The King eventually called on Paulucci, giving him the ranks of
Full General and
Inspector general of Infantry and Cavalry on 28 June 1830. The following month, he was then put at the head of the Sardinian Army, with full authority, except for the
Carabinieri and four generals with greater seniority. It was recorder that Paulucci was not welcomed by the army and the officers, namely being "" (rigid to the bone). Paulucci reorganised the Kingdom's infantry, increasing the number of the troops, modifying the brigade system and facing both enthusiastic approval and bitter critic, especially from the heir to the throne, Prince
Carlo Alberto. Carlo Felice died in March 1831, and Paulucci was eventually discharged of all his positions. The new king, only days later, suppressed the rank of Full General in the Sardinian Army. The name of Paulucci came back to the attention of the public in March 1848, along with that of General Latour, for the command of the
Sardinian Army on the field, those being the only two generals of the entire force that had led troops in battle before. Both his age and bad health induced him to make a public refusal of the position, still never offered to him officially. Filippo Paulucci delle Roncole died in
Nice on 25 January 1849, and was later buried in Mirandola, near
Modena, in the church of Saints James and Philip. == References ==