Charles Eugène, Comte de Boisgelin, Vicomte de

Pléhédel Pléhédel (; ) is a commune in the Côtes-d'Armor department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Pléhédel are called ''pléhédelais'' in French. Notable people * Boisgelin Family ** Charles Eugène, Comte ...

(2 August 1726 – 27 October 1791) was a

French nobleman The French nobility (french: la noblesse française) was a privileged social class in France from the Middle Ages until its abolition on June 23, 1790 during the French Revolution. From 1808 to 1815 during the First Empire the Emperor Napolé ...

who served in the

French Royal Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

''(Marine Royale)'' and later became a politician.

Early life

Charles Eugène was born on 2 August 1726 at the Château de Boisgelin in

, Brittany as son of René Joseph, Comte de Boisgelin.

Service

After studying at the

Jesuit college The Jesuits (Society of Jesus) in the Catholic Church have founded and managed a number of educational institutions, including the notable secondary schools, colleges and universities listed here. Some of these universities are in the United Stat ...

in La Flèche, he joined the Marine Guards (''Gardes de La Marine'') on 1 January 1746.Batel During this period he served on several ships of the line including: * Trident, bound for Acadia, New France which had to turn back in 1746 * Sirène, commanded by

Luc Urbain de Bouëxic, Comte de Guichen Luc or LUC may refer to: Places * Luc, Hautes-Pyrénées, France, a commune * Luc, Lozère, France, a commune * Le Luc, France, a commune * Luč, Baranja, Croatia, a settlement People and fictional characters * Luc (given name) * Luc (surn ...

serving around for

Saint-Domingue Saint-Domingue () was a French colony in the western portion of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, in the area of modern-day Haiti, from 1659 to 1804. The name derives from the Spanish main city in the island, Santo Domingo, which came to refer ...

, French Antilles in 1747 and 1748 * Émeraude, sailing off the Kingdom of Spain and later the

Kingdom of Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

in 1749 * Junon, sailing to

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

Kingdom of Portugal The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kno ...

and later cruising off Tunis,

Beylik of Tunis The Beylik of Tunis (), also known as Kingdom of Tunis ( ar, المملكة التونسية) was a largely autonomous beylik of the Ottoman Empire located in present-day Tunisia. It was ruled by the Husainid dynasty from 1705 until the abolit ...

in 1750 In 1751, he was promoted to the rank of Ensign and then sailed on further voyages: * Emerald, sailing to Saint-Domingue, French Antilles in 1751 and 1752 * Marie Magdeleine, training ship based the naval base in Lorient * Anémone, sailing as far as

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; gcr, Kayenn) is the capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Cayenne River on the Atlantic Oc ...

, French Guiana and Martinique, French Antilles in 1755 and 1756 After returning to France, Charles took command of the coastal batteries in Morlaix and

Tréguier Tréguier (; br, Landreger) is a port town in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. It is the capital of the province of Trégor. Geography Tréguier is located 36 m. N.W. of Saint-Brieuc by road. The port is situat ...

, both in Brittany. In late 1756 he was moved back to sea, serving on the

Alcyon The Alcyon was a French bicycle, automobile and motorcycle manufacturer between 1903 and 1954. Origins Alcyon originated from about 1890 when Edmond Gentil started the manufacture of bicycles in Neuilly, Seine. In 1902, this was complemented b ...

till early 1757. In mid 1757, he was promoted to the rank of Frigate Captain ''(Captaine de Frégate)'', equivalent to that of Brigadier General/

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

in the

Anglophone world Speakers of English are also known as Anglophones, and the countries where English is natively spoken by the majority of the population are termed the '' Anglosphere''. Over two billion people speak English , making English the largest languag ...

. That year, he sailed on the Formidable, which was flagship of Ship of the Line Lieutenant, Louis Charles du Chaffault de Besné's squadron earmarked for

Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour, ...

, New France. In 1759, Charles took command of the 32-gun Blonde-class frigate

Brune Guillaume Marie-Anne Brune, 1st Count Brune (, 13 March 1764 – 2 August 1815) was a French military commander, Marshal of the Empire, and political figure who served during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. Early life Bru ...

, which sailed from her base in Lorient towards the naval base in Brest and witnessed the Battle of Quiberon Bay. In 1762 the ship was once again at sea grouped with the Defence and Diadème which led a long campaign in 1762 with the Marquis de Montreil bound for Saint Pierre and

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. In 1764, Charles was promoted to Frigate Captain ''(Capitaine de Frégate)'' but retired from the navy in 1765. With the rank of Frigate Captain removed shortly after, his rank was altered to that of

Naval Captain Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

Later life

In 1764, Charles brother Réne Gabriel, Comte de Boisgelin, Viscomte de Pléhédel, Brigadier Colonel of the Régiment de Bearn, Régiment de Béarn died, and Charles subsequently took his titles and lineage over. From this point on, he would be known as the Count ''(Comte)'' of Boisgelin and Viscomte ''(Vicount)'' of

. On 26 August 1767 Charles and his wife bear their first son, Bruno-Gabriel de Boisgelin who will take over his fathers titles on his death in 1791. On 14 April 1770 Charles and his wife bear their second son, Alexandre-Joseph de Boisgelin who will later take the title of ''Marquis de Boisgelin''. The title is raised under the Second Restoration, though Alexandre-Joseph remains 2nd in succession to his older brother, until 1827. By 1789, the Comte is appointed as Governor of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany and presides over the Order of the Nobility in Brittany from 1779, during the short absence of his brother. On 27 October 1791, the Comte dies and his eldest son, Bruno takes over his titles and lands, though the title is raised to that of ''Marquis''.

Footnotes

References

* {{Cite book, last=Batel, first=Jean, title=Le capitaine de vaisseau Charles Eugène de Boisgelin, publisher=Société d'études historiques et archéologique du Goëlo, year=1993, series=Les Carnets du Goëlo No. 9, location=France 1726 births 1791 deaths French Navy officers People from Côtes-d'Armor French nobility