The Battle of Texel was a sea battle fought during the
Nine Years' War on 29 June 1694, when a force of 8 French ships, under
Jean Bart
Jean Bart (; ; 21 October 1650 – 27 April 1702) was a French naval commander and privateer.
Early life
Jean Bart was born in Dunkirk in 1650 to a seafaring family, the son of Jean-Cornil Bart (c. 1619-1668) who has been described variously a ...
, recaptured a French convoy, which had earlier that month been taken by the Dutch, and captured 3 ships of the 8-ship escorting force under
Hidde de Vries. De Vries was captured by the French, but shortly after died of wounds.
[Haws/Hurst p.335]
Context
In 1692 and 1693 there were massive harvest failures in France, leading to acute famine and epidemics. From 1693 to 1694 over 2 million people died.
Therefore, France needed to import large quantities of grain from neutral countries like Poland, Sweden and Denmark.
On 29 May 1694 Jean Bart was instructed to sail to Norway, to escort a huge fleet of 120 ships full of grain to France. The convoy didn't wait for the arrival of Bart's squadron and left under the protection of 3 neutral warships (2 Danish and one Swedish).
The battle
The convoy was immediately captured by the Dutch without a shot being fired. Jean Bart searched for the convoy and found it on 29 June at 3:00 a.m. before the Dutch island of
Texel
Texel (; Texels dialect: ) is a municipality and an island with a population of 13,643 in North Holland, Netherlands. It is the largest and most populated island of the West Frisian Islands in the Wadden Sea. The island is situated north of Den ...
. Despite having fewer guns than the Dutch, at 5:00 a.m. Jean Bart attacked the Dutch flagship of
Hidde de Vries. After a fierce battle which lasted only half an hour, the ''Prins Friso'' was captured, with Hidde Sjoerds de Vries severely wounded and taken prisoner. Two other Dutch ships were also taken, with the remaining five fleeing to their harbor. The Dutch losses amounted to 100 killed, 129 wounded and 455 prisoners.
Jean Bart repaired the damage to his ships and took the convoy to
Dunkirk, where it arrived on 3 July, received by an enormous crowd celebrating their hero. On 5 July Jean Bart, his son
François Cornil and his brother-in-law were invited to
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
and congratulated by King
Louis XIV
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Ver ...
in person. Jean Bart was raised into the nobility on 4 August 1694.
Hidde Sjoerds de Vries died of his wounds on 1 July 1694.
File:1694 Texel Abordage d’un vaisseau hollandais par Jean Bart (Louvre).jpg, ''Abordage d’un vaisseau hollandais par Jean Bart le 29 juin 1694'', oil on canvas by François-Auguste Biard
François-Auguste Biard, born François Thérèse Biard (29 June 1799 – 20 June 1882) was a French painter, known for his adventurous travels and the works depicting his experiences.
Biography
He was born in Lyon. Although his parents intende ...
, 1843, Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
Ships involved
France (Jean Bart)
*''Maure'' 54 (flag)
*''Fortuné'' 50
*''Adroit'' 44
*''Jersey'' 50
*''Comte'' 50
*''Mignon'' 50
*''Bienvenu'' 24 (merchantman)
*''Portefaix'' 24 (merchantman)
*''Biche'' (corvette)
Netherlands (Hidde Sjoerds de Vries)
*''Prins Friso'' 58 (flag) - Captured by ''Maure''
*''Zeerijp'' 34 - Captured by ''Fortuné''
*''Statenland'' 50 - Captured by ''Mignon''
*''Amalia'' 58
*''?'' 54
*''?'' 50
*''?'' 50
*''?'' 40
*120 or more merchant ships - captured that day or soon after
Notes
References
Haws, Duncan; Hurst, Alexander Anthony (1985). The Maritime History of the World: A Chronological Survey of Maritime Events from 5,000 B.C. Until the Present Day, Supplemented by Commentaries. Brighton, Sussex: Teredo Books. .
External links
An account of the battle by Jean Bart (French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Texel 1694
Conflicts in 1694
1694 in the Dutch Republic
Military history of the North Sea
Naval battles of the Nine Years' War
Naval battles involving the Dutch Republic
Naval battles involving France
Battles in North Holland
Battle
A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...