Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Encyclopedia
Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin (1652–1707) was a French
military officer serving in Acadia
and an Abenaki chief. He is the father of two prominent sons who were also military leaders in Acadia, Bernard-Anselme
and Joseph
. He is the namesake of the former Acadian village of Castine, Maine
.
, Béarn
, France
, the youngest of three sons in this noble family. Little is known of his early years other than he lost his mother in infancy and his father before his teens. He left for Canada at the age of thirteen as an ensign in the army, a suitable pursuit for the younger son of a noble.
He was likely part of Alexandre de Prouville
's brutal campaign against the Iroqois in 1666 although his name does not appear in surviving records until 1670 when he was part of the repossession of Acadia by the French. It was in the Penobscot River
area that he gained his knowledge of the Penobscot and was eventually adopted into a local tribe.
In 1674 he made his way to New France
after a harrowing experience there with Dutch pirates led by Jurriaen Aernoutsz
allied with the Bostonians. Governor Frontenac
gave Saint-Castin the task of allying the Abenaki with the French. He took this role seriously and, while he became the third Baron de Saint-Castin on the death of his elder brother that year, he appears to have devoted his time to becoming an Abenaki.
During King William's War
, after Benjamin Church successfully defended a group of English settlers at Falmouth, Maine
in the fall of 1689, Castin returned to the village in May 1690 with over 400 soldiers and destroyed the village.
He took an Indian wife, the daughter of the Penobscot chief, Madokawando.
He died at Pau, France, in 1707.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
military officer serving in Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
and an Abenaki chief. He is the father of two prominent sons who were also military leaders in Acadia, Bernard-Anselme
Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin was a French military officer serving in Acadia. He was a member of a successful privateering force at the time of Queen Anne's War, and led native and French forces in the defense of Acadia.- Biography :...
and Joseph
Joseph d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Joseph d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin was a French military officer serving in Acadia. He was also an Abenaki chief. His father was Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin and Joseph's brother was Bernard-Anselme d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin....
. He is the namesake of the former Acadian village of Castine, Maine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
.
Biography
Jean-Vincent was born at EscoutEscout
Escout is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France.-References:*...
, Béarn
Béarn
Béarn is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony, it forms in the...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the youngest of three sons in this noble family. Little is known of his early years other than he lost his mother in infancy and his father before his teens. He left for Canada at the age of thirteen as an ensign in the army, a suitable pursuit for the younger son of a noble.
He was likely part of Alexandre de Prouville
Alexandre de Prouville
Marquis Alexandre de Prouville de Tracy was a French aristocrat, statesman, and military leader. He was the seigneur of Tracy-le-Val and Tracy-le-Mont...
's brutal campaign against the Iroqois in 1666 although his name does not appear in surviving records until 1670 when he was part of the repossession of Acadia by the French. It was in the Penobscot River
Penobscot River
The Penobscot River is a river in the U.S. state of Maine. Including the river's West Branch and South Branch increases the Penobscot's length to , making it the second longest river system in Maine and the longest entirely in the state. Its drainage basin contains .It arises from four branches...
area that he gained his knowledge of the Penobscot and was eventually adopted into a local tribe.
In 1674 he made his way to New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
after a harrowing experience there with Dutch pirates led by Jurriaen Aernoutsz
Jurriaen Aernoutsz
Jurriaen Aernoutsz was a Dutch colonial navy captain, who briefly captured a section of the French colony of Acadia in 1674 AD, establishing the brief Dutch Occupation of Acadia....
allied with the Bostonians. Governor Frontenac
Louis de Buade de Frontenac
Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau was a French soldier, courtier, and Governor General of New France from 1672 to 1682 and from 1689 to his death in 1698...
gave Saint-Castin the task of allying the Abenaki with the French. He took this role seriously and, while he became the third Baron de Saint-Castin on the death of his elder brother that year, he appears to have devoted his time to becoming an Abenaki.
During King William's War
King William's War
The first of the French and Indian Wars, King William's War was the name used in the English colonies in America to refer to the North American theater of the Nine Years' War...
, after Benjamin Church successfully defended a group of English settlers at Falmouth, Maine
Falmouth, Maine
Falmouth is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, United States. The population was 11,185 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Portland–South Portland–Biddeford, Maine metropolitan statistical area....
in the fall of 1689, Castin returned to the village in May 1690 with over 400 soldiers and destroyed the village.
He took an Indian wife, the daughter of the Penobscot chief, Madokawando.
He died at Pau, France, in 1707.