Léonard Charner
Encyclopedia
Léonard Victor Joseph Charner (1797, Saint-Brieuc
, Côtes-d'Armor
– 1869) was an Admiral
of the French Navy
.
under Admiral Jean-Baptiste Cécille
and together with the diplomat Lagrene. The move responded to the successes of the British
in China in 1842, and France hoped to counterbalance these successes by accessing China from the south.
In 1860, Charner was commander of the French naval forces in the Far East
. He was involved in the Second Opium War
in China until its end in 1861.
in January 1861 with his naval squadron and a force of 3,000 troops to support French troops encircled in Saigon. In 1861, he relieved the Siege of Saigon
, thereby continuing the endeavour of Admiral Rigault de Genouilly, and permitting the establishment of the first French territories in Vietnam
. The French Navy Minister Chasseloup-Laubat wrote to Charner: "We wish to draw commerce to Saigon (...) What we want is a sort of suzerainty or sovereignty with free trade accessible to all".
After three weeks of combat, ending with the Battle of Kỳ Hòa, Charner managed to relieve the Saigon garrison. These efforts allowed the French to capture three provinces of Cochinchina
.
Charner was replaced by Admiral Bonard in November 1861, who managed to obtain the recognition of the French conquests by Emperor Tự Đức in 1862, with the June 1862 Treaty of Saigon.
Several French Navy ships have been named after him, such as the French cruiser Amiral Charner (1893) or the Bougainville-class colonial sloop ("aviso
colonial") Amiral Charner (1933) which fought at the Battle of Koh Chang
in the 1941 Franco-Thai War.
Saint-Brieuc
Saint-Brieuc is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France.-History:Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who evangelized the region in the 6th century and established an oratory there...
, Côtes-d'Armor
Côtes-d'Armor
Côtes-d'Armor is a department in the north of Brittany, in northwestern France.-History:Côtes-du-Nord was one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was created from part of the former province of Brittany. Its name was changed in 1990 to...
– 1869) was an Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
of the French Navy
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...
.
Far East
In 1843, Captain Charner was part of the fleet sent to the Pacific Ocean by the French Foreign Minister François GuizotFrançois Guizot
François Pierre Guillaume Guizot was a French historian, orator, and statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics prior to the Revolution of 1848, a conservative liberal who opposed the attempt by King Charles X to usurp legislative power, and worked to sustain a constitutional...
under Admiral Jean-Baptiste Cécille
Jean-Baptiste Cécille
Jean-Baptiste Thomas Médée Cécille was a French Admiral and politician who played an important role in Asia.-Military career:...
and together with the diplomat Lagrene. The move responded to the successes of the British
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
in China in 1842, and France hoped to counterbalance these successes by accessing China from the south.
In 1860, Charner was commander of the French naval forces in the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
. He was involved in the Second Opium War
Second Opium War
The Second Opium War, the Second Anglo-Chinese War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a war pitting the British Empire and the Second French Empire against the Qing Dynasty of China, lasting from 1856 to 1860...
in China until its end in 1861.
War in Vietnam
As soon as the war ended, Charner left for VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in January 1861 with his naval squadron and a force of 3,000 troops to support French troops encircled in Saigon. In 1861, he relieved the Siege of Saigon
Siege of Saigon
The Siege of Saigon, a two-year siege of the city by the Vietnamese after its capture on 17 February 1859 by a Franco-Spanish flotilla under the command of the French admiral Charles Rigault de Genouilly, was one of the major events of the Cochinchina campaign...
, thereby continuing the endeavour of Admiral Rigault de Genouilly, and permitting the establishment of the first French territories in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. The French Navy Minister Chasseloup-Laubat wrote to Charner: "We wish to draw commerce to Saigon (...) What we want is a sort of suzerainty or sovereignty with free trade accessible to all".
After three weeks of combat, ending with the Battle of Kỳ Hòa, Charner managed to relieve the Saigon garrison. These efforts allowed the French to capture three provinces of Cochinchina
Cochinchina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1954. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
.
Charner was replaced by Admiral Bonard in November 1861, who managed to obtain the recognition of the French conquests by Emperor Tự Đức in 1862, with the June 1862 Treaty of Saigon.
Several French Navy ships have been named after him, such as the French cruiser Amiral Charner (1893) or the Bougainville-class colonial sloop ("aviso
Aviso
An aviso , a kind of dispatch boat or advice boat, survives particularly in the French navy, they are considered equivalent to the modern sloop....
colonial") Amiral Charner (1933) which fought at the Battle of Koh Chang
Battle of Koh Chang
The Battle of Koh Chang took place on 17 January 1941 during the French-Thai War and resulted in a decisive victory by the French over the Royal Thai Navy. During the battle, a flotilla of French warships attacked a smaller force of Thai vessels, including a coastal battleship.In the end, Thailand...
in the 1941 Franco-Thai War.