Anne Hilarion de Tourville
Encyclopedia
Anne Hilarion de Costentin, comte de Tourville (1642, Paris
– 23 May 1701) was a French naval
commander
who served under King Louis XIV
. He was made Marshal of France
in 1693.
, he fought his first naval battle on a frigate of the Order of Malta.
At 25, he joined the French Royal Navy and started an active career, fighting the 1673 campaign of the Franco-Dutch War
on the Sans-Pareil
, at the Battle of Agosta
where he was in command of the Syrene, and later in command of the Sceptre.
He served under Abraham Duquesne
during the campaigns of 1676, and became a commander in 1690 during the War of the Grand Alliance
. He put his flag on the Soleil-Royal
, where it would stay until the battle of La Hougue
in 1692. At the Battle of Beachy Head
(Victoire de Béveziers), 1690, he defeated an Anglo
-Dutch
fleet, sinking and capturing 15 enemy ships.
On 29 May 1692, at Barfleur
, with only 45 ships, he inflicted heavy losses on an English and Dutch fleet 97 ships strong, but was forced to retreat. He himself suffered heavy losses after the battle when fire ships attacked the French ships of the line immobilised for repairs in Cherbourg.
On 27 June 1693, he defeated a convoy of 59 English ships commanded by George Rooke
at Cape St. Vincent
near Lagos Bay in Portugal
, during the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
Tourville retired after the Peace of Ryswick and died in Paris on 23 May 1701, regarded as a national hero.
A number of French naval vessels
from the 18th through 20th centuries were named in Tourville's honour.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
– 23 May 1701) was a French naval
French Navy
The French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
who served under King Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. He was made Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
in 1693.
Military career
At age 17, as a Knight of MaltaKnights Hospitaller
The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem of Rhodes and of Malta , also known as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta , Order of Malta or Knights of Malta, is a Roman Catholic lay religious order, traditionally of military, chivalrous, noble nature. It is the world's...
, he fought his first naval battle on a frigate of the Order of Malta.
At 25, he joined the French Royal Navy and started an active career, fighting the 1673 campaign of the Franco-Dutch War
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by France, Sweden, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the United Netherlands, which were later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance...
on the Sans-Pareil
French ship Sans Pareil
Five ships of the French Navy have born the name Sans Pareil :* Sans Pareil, a 62-gun ship of the line * Sans Pareil, a 50-gun ship of the line...
, at the Battle of Agosta
Battle of Agosta
The naval Battle of Augusta took place on 22 April 1676 during the Franco-Dutch War and was fought between a French fleet of 29 man-of-war, five frigates and eight fireships under Abraham Duquesne and a Dutch-Spanish fleet of 27 plus five fireships with Dutch Lieutenant-Admiral-General Michiel de...
where he was in command of the Syrene, and later in command of the Sceptre.
He served under Abraham Duquesne
Abraham Duquesne
Other topics that could fall under Duquesne can be found at Marquis Duquesne Abraham Duquesne, marquis du Bouchet was a French naval officer, who also saw service as an admiral in the Royal Swedish Navy. He was born in Dieppe, a seaport, in 1610, and was a Huguenot...
during the campaigns of 1676, and became a commander in 1690 during the War of the Grand Alliance
War of the Grand Alliance
The Nine Years' War – often called the War of the Grand Alliance, the War of the Palatine Succession, or the War of the League of Augsburg – was a major war of the late 17th century fought between King Louis XIV of France, and a European-wide coalition, the Grand Alliance, led by the Anglo-Dutch...
. He put his flag on the Soleil-Royal
French ship Soleil-Royal (1670)
Soleil Royal was a French 104-gun ship of the line, flagship of Admiral Tourville.She was built in Brest between 1668 and 1670 by engineer Laurent Hubac, was launched in 1669, and stayed unused in Brest harbour for years...
, where it would stay until the battle of La Hougue
Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue
The related naval battles of Barfleur and La Hogue took place between 29 May and 4 June New Style , 1692 ....
in 1692. At the Battle of Beachy Head
Battle of Beachy Head (1690)
The Battle of Beachy Head was a naval engagement fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. The battle was the greatest French tactical naval victory over their English and Dutch opponents during the war...
(Victoire de Béveziers), 1690, he defeated an Anglo
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
-Dutch
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
fleet, sinking and capturing 15 enemy ships.
On 29 May 1692, at Barfleur
Battles of Barfleur and La Hougue
The related naval battles of Barfleur and La Hogue took place between 29 May and 4 June New Style , 1692 ....
, with only 45 ships, he inflicted heavy losses on an English and Dutch fleet 97 ships strong, but was forced to retreat. He himself suffered heavy losses after the battle when fire ships attacked the French ships of the line immobilised for repairs in Cherbourg.
On 27 June 1693, he defeated a convoy of 59 English ships commanded by George Rooke
George Rooke
Admiral of the Fleet Sir George Rooke was an English naval commander. He is known for his service in the wars against France and particularly remembered today for his victory at Vigo Bay and for capturing Gibraltar for the British in 1704.-Early life:Rooke was born at St Lawrence, near Canterbury...
at Cape St. Vincent
Cape St. Vincent
Cape St. Vincent , next to the Sagres Point, on the so-called Costa Vicentina , is a headland in the municipality of Sagres, in the Algarve, southern Portugal.- Description :This cape is the southwesternmost point in Portugal...
near Lagos Bay in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
, during the Battle of Cape St. Vincent.
Honours and tributes
A number of French naval vessels
French ship Tourville
Several ships of the French Navy have been named in honour of Anne Hilarion de Tourville. Among them:* Tourville, a Téméraire class 74-gun ship of the line...
from the 18th through 20th centuries were named in Tourville's honour.