Robert Challe
Encyclopedia
Robert Challe was a French
colonialist, voyager and writer, although he never published under his own name, which accounts for his obscurity until his re-discovery in the 1970s. His two most well-known works are :fr:Les Illustres Françaises, published in The Hague in 1713, and Journal d'un voyage fait aux Indes Orientales, published after his death in 1721.
Challe was born in Paris
, the youngest of five children of the second marriage of a certain Jean Challe, a petit bourgeois and minor civil servant. He had two brothers and two sisters. He was an intelligent boy and a good scholar, and his life appears to have been comfortable until the death of his father in 1681. The influence of his mother, who seems to have preferred her oldest son, ensured that he was inequitably treated in his father's will, receiving only one tenth of the estate, and he entered into violent dispute with his two older brothers, fought a duel with one of them and injured him. Faced with either imprisonment or exile, he chose the latter, and left for Canada
.
With financial help from an uncle he at first bought a shareholding in Compagnie de pêches sédentaires de l'Acadie and later built up his own trading company, dealing in beaver skins, furs and other goods in Chédabouctou, in the area of Nova Scotia
formerly known as Acadia
. His fortunes changed sharply in 1688, however, as a result of raids by English pirates from Salem and his business was ruined. One result of this experience was to arouse in him a contempt for the British, matched only, apparently, by his contempt for the Jesuits. He was forced to return to France, landing at La Rochelle
.
In March 1690 he signed on as an ecrivain de navire, that is the purser or accountant, on a vessel sailing from Lorient
in western France for Pondicherry, India, and other destinations in the Far East. The vessel on which he sailed, L'Ecueil, with a crew of 350 men and a veritable farmyard of fresh food on the hoof, and its several adventures are described in his two volume Journal d'un voyage fait aux Indes Orientales. The vessel, one of a fleet of six, was owned by the Compagnie des Indes Orientales and was an armed merchantman of 38 cannon, sailing for trade but also on a diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Siam. On the return to France, the vessel stopped at Ascension Island
, and then took a long detour across the Atlantic to the Antilles, where it made a long stop-over. It did not return to Port Louis, France until August 1691.
In 1692, Challe re-appears as an ecrivain de navire, but this time on a vessel of the French navy, Le Prince. He participated in the Battle of Barfleur
against the English and Dutch. Challe's navy career was, however, short-lived, and he was discharged in either 1693 or 1694, possibly for corruption.
From 1695 onwards, he concentrated on writing, drawing on his previous adventures as a colonialist and seaman. He did not make a comfortable living. He published a work on Don Quixote as well as Les Illustres and the Journal.
In 1717 he was denounced by a police spy for seditious remarks in a Paris cafe and was imprisoned in the famous :fr:Chatelet(Paris) prison. On being released he was exiled from Paris, and took up residence in Chartres
.
He died, poor and broken-spirited, on 25 January 1721.
A more extensive list of works is given at :fr:Robert Challe
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...
colonialist, voyager and writer, although he never published under his own name, which accounts for his obscurity until his re-discovery in the 1970s. His two most well-known works are :fr:Les Illustres Françaises, published in The Hague in 1713, and Journal d'un voyage fait aux Indes Orientales, published after his death in 1721.
Challe was born in Paris
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...
, the youngest of five children of the second marriage of a certain Jean Challe, a petit bourgeois and minor civil servant. He had two brothers and two sisters. He was an intelligent boy and a good scholar, and his life appears to have been comfortable until the death of his father in 1681. The influence of his mother, who seems to have preferred her oldest son, ensured that he was inequitably treated in his father's will, receiving only one tenth of the estate, and he entered into violent dispute with his two older brothers, fought a duel with one of them and injured him. Faced with either imprisonment or exile, he chose the latter, and left for Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
With financial help from an uncle he at first bought a shareholding in Compagnie de pêches sédentaires de l'Acadie and later built up his own trading company, dealing in beaver skins, furs and other goods in Chédabouctou, in the area of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
formerly known as 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...
. His fortunes changed sharply in 1688, however, as a result of raids by English pirates from Salem and his business was ruined. One result of this experience was to arouse in him a contempt for the British, matched only, apparently, by his contempt for the Jesuits. He was forced to return to France, landing at La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
.
In March 1690 he signed on as an ecrivain de navire, that is the purser or accountant, on a vessel sailing from Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
in western France for Pondicherry, India, and other destinations in the Far East. The vessel on which he sailed, L'Ecueil, with a crew of 350 men and a veritable farmyard of fresh food on the hoof, and its several adventures are described in his two volume Journal d'un voyage fait aux Indes Orientales. The vessel, one of a fleet of six, was owned by the Compagnie des Indes Orientales and was an armed merchantman of 38 cannon, sailing for trade but also on a diplomatic mission to the Kingdom of Siam. On the return to France, the vessel stopped at Ascension Island
Ascension Island
Ascension Island is an isolated volcanic island in the equatorial waters of the South Atlantic Ocean, around from the coast of Africa and from the coast of South America, which is roughly midway between the horn of South America and Africa...
, and then took a long detour across the Atlantic to the Antilles, where it made a long stop-over. It did not return to Port Louis, France until August 1691.
In 1692, Challe re-appears as an ecrivain de navire, but this time on a vessel of the French navy, Le Prince. He participated in the Battle of Barfleur
Battle of Barfleur
This article deals in detail with the action on 19 May 1692. For an overview of the battle, its background and aftermath, see Battles of Barfleur and La Hogue...
against the English and Dutch. Challe's navy career was, however, short-lived, and he was discharged in either 1693 or 1694, possibly for corruption.
From 1695 onwards, he concentrated on writing, drawing on his previous adventures as a colonialist and seaman. He did not make a comfortable living. He published a work on Don Quixote as well as Les Illustres and the Journal.
In 1717 he was denounced by a police spy for seditious remarks in a Paris cafe and was imprisoned in the famous :fr:Chatelet(Paris) prison. On being released he was exiled from Paris, and took up residence in Chartres
Chartres
Chartres is a commune and capital of the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. It is located southwest of Paris.-Geography:Chartres is built on the left bank of the Eure River, on a hill crowned by its famous cathedral, the spires of which are a landmark in the surrounding country...
.
He died, poor and broken-spirited, on 25 January 1721.
Works
- :fr:Les Illustres Françaises
A more extensive list of works is given at :fr:Robert Challe