Captain Jean-Paul Choiseul

Choiseul was the Captain of Praecursoris, a Chanson-de-Guerre, an aviator with 14 years of experience. When the French Revolution happened, Choiseul remained loyal to the Bourbon Kings and was forced to take refuge in other countries.

After Napoleon's victory over Austria, Choiseul came to Britain for shelter and was welcomed by the Aerial Corps, who saw his combat-ready dragon and experience as valuable assets.

His Majesty's Dragon
Choiseul arrives at the Loch Laggan covert while Temeraire and Laurence are still undergoing training. While Temeraire is at first hostile to Praecursoris, and later views him as a rival, neither Choiseul or his dragon are very bothered by this.

He and his dragon accompany Temeraire's formation to Dover and helps Captain Catherine Harcourt care for her dragon, Lily when she is injured during this journey. They grow very close over this period, with Harcourt calling him 'Jean-Paul'.

Despite all this, Laurence catches Choiseul trying to kidnap her to force Lily to fight for the French, and after a brief struggle, he and Harcourt manage to subdue him. After a period of interrogation, Choiseul finally tells them that he was contacted by Napoleon before even leaving Austria. Convinced that he would win the war, agreed to try to recapture the Celestial egg that had been meant for Napoleon, in exchange for a pardon.

By the time he had reached England, however, the egg had hatched. First, he considered killing Temeraire, but couldn't bring himself to hurt the dragon, and instead tried to capture a Longwing and bring it to France. While he did not know the specifics, he revealed that Napoleon intended some sort of attack on Dover.

This information earned Praecursoris a place in the Newfoundland breeding grounds, but Choiseul himself was executed.