Charles de Gaulle Autograph

Profession:
(1890-1970) French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II.

Year of Birth: 1890

Charles de Gaulle was born on November 22, 1890, in Lille, France. He was the son of Henri de Gaulle, a professor of history and geography, and Jeanne Maillot, a devout Roman Catholic. His father was a staunch republican and an ardent supporter of the Third Republic.

De Gaulle attended the Jesuit College of the Immaculate Conception in Lille from 1900 to 1910. He then went on to the military academy at St. Cyr where he graduated in 1912, ranking eleventh in his class. De Gaulle entered the French army as a second lieutenant in the 33rd Infantry Regiment.

In 1916, de Gaulle saw action during World War I. His bravery and leadership earned him the Croix de Guerre and the Legion of Honor. After the war, he remained in the army and in 1925 he wrote an influential book called "The Army of the Future" which proposed major reforms in the French military. He also served as a military attaché in Poland from 1928 to 1932.

In 1940, Germany invaded France and de Gaulle was appointed as Undersecretary of State for National Defense in the new government of Marshal Philippe Pétain. When Pétain decided to collaborate with the Germans, de Gaulle refused and escaped to England. There he set up the Free French Forces, which fought alongside the Allies against the Axis forces in North Africa and Europe.

In 1944, de Gaulle returned to France and was recognized as the leader of the Free French. He was appointed as the head of the French Provisional Government in June of that year and was later elected as the first President of the Fifth Republic in 1959. During his presidency, de Gaulle worked to modernize France and sought to make it a major international power. He also worked to improve relations between France and its former colonies in Africa and Asia.

De Gaulle served as president until 1969, when he resigned after losing a referendum on constitutional reform. He died in Paris in 1970 at the age of 79. He is remembered as one of the most influential figures in French history and is credited with restoring French pride and rebuilding the country after World War II.