Auguste-Frédéric de Talhouët

He studied at the École spéciale militaire de Fontainebleau and graduated as a sous-lieutenant in the 15th Horse Chasseurs Regiment.

He took part in the Prussian campaign, becoming Napoleon's ordnance officer in 1807, a captain in 1809 after the battle of Wagram, a baron of the Empire on 3 August 1810, chef d'escadron in 1811 and an officer of the Légion d'honneur on 29 September 1813 after the battle of Borodino, where he routed a Russian battalion (he had already been made a légionnaire of the Légion d'honneur on 11 July 1807).

In 1814 he shifted his allegiance from Napoleon to the restored French monarchy and on 27 December that year was promoted to commander of the Légion d'honneur.

He took no action for either side during the Hundred Days and so in September 1815 was appointed maréchal de camp and commander of the Mounted Grenadier Regiment in the Royal Guard.

Promoted to a peer of France on 5 March 1819 before leaving active service, he voted for the right in the upper chamber, took the oath of obedience to the July Monarchy and was member and president of the general counsel for Sarthe, the department which included the château du Lude he had inherited from his mother.