Florent de Varennes (died in

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

in August 1270) was the first

Admiral of France Admiral of France (french: Amiral de France) is a French title of honour. It is the naval equivalent of Marshal of France and was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. History The title was created in 1270 by Louis IX of France, du ...

, in 1269, and as such, became the head of the fleet during the

Eighth Crusade The Eighth Crusade was the second Crusade launched by Louis IX of France, this one against the Hafsid dynasty in Tunisia in 1270. It is also known as the Crusade of Louis IX against Tunis or the Second Crusade of Louis. The Crusade did not see ...

and the last led by King

Saint Louis IX Louis IX (25 April 1214 – 25 August 1270), commonly known as Saint Louis or Louis the Saint, was King of France from 1226 to 1270, and the most illustrious of the House of Capet, Direct Capetians. He was Coronation of the French monarch, c ...

Family

He was lord of

Varennes Varennes-en-Argonne (, literally ''Varennes in Argonne'') or simply Varennes (German: Wöringen) is a commune in the Meuse department in the Grand Est region in Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 639. Geography Varennes-en-Ar ...

, in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

. He was married to Yolande de Nesle, daughter of John II de Nesle, Count of Soissons and Marie de

Chimay Chimay (, wa, Chimai) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. In 2006, Chimay had a population of 9,774. The area is 197.10 km2 which gives a populatio ...

. They had a son named Mathieu.

Eighth Crusade

Roi de France Louis IX en mer vers Tunis

In July 1270, King Louis IX set sail from Aigues-Mortes with a large, well-organized fleet of 70 vessels, mostly Genoese and Venetian, stating: "Already old, I begin the overseas journey. I sacrifice to God wealth, honor, pleasure ... I wanted to give you this last example and I hope you will follow it if circumstances dictate ..."Net Marine
Florent de Varennes
(''French'') The first part of the journey was hectic. They stopped in Sardinia. The King sent Florent de Varennes as a scout towards the Sards. But, since their boats were Genoan, they were unwelcome. Food was delivered at high cost. On July 17, the army arrived at the Tunisian coast. According to the royal secretary, Jean de Condé, the King sends Florent de Varennes with a few men to reconnoitre the land. He found an empty harbour, with only a few Muslim and Genoan merchant ships present. He sent a messenger to the King. The royal council was divided on which strategy to adopt: some thought it was a trap, while others wanted to take advantage of the situation and disembark. Florent de Varennes, without referring to the King, disembarks his troops on the platform closing Tunis harbour. Although he was furious, the King joined with the rest of the crew. The operation is a capharnaum, but hopefully, no enemy showed up. On July 21, the tower of

La Goulette La Goulette (, it, La Goletta), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi ( '), is a municipality and the port of Tunis, Tunisia. La Goulette is located at around on a sandbar between Lake Tūnis and the Gulf of Tunis. The port, located 12km east of Tunis, is th ...

was seized, and the army settled in the plain of Carthage. The Castle of

Carthage Carthage was the capital city of Ancient Carthage, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classi ...

was captured by Genoan sailors. Waiting for the reinforcements of

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou, was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the second House of Anjou. He was Count of Provence (1246–85) and Forcalquier (1246–48, 1256–85) i ...

, King of Sicily, to attack

Tunis ''Tounsi'' french: Tunisois , population_note = , population_urban = , population_metro = 2658816 , population_density_km2 = , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 ...

, a

dysentery Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...

epidemic decimated the troops, the polluted water and excessive heat not helping. Florent de Varennes and

John Tristan, Count of Valois John Tristan (8 April 1250 – 3 August 1270) was a French prince of the Capetian dynasty. He was ''jure uxoris'' count of Nevers from 1265 and of Auxerre and Tonnerre from 1268. He was also in his own right Count of Valois and Crépy, as an ap ...

, son of Louis IX, were among the victims. Louis IX himself expired on August 25, by the time of the arrival of Charles of Anjou. The latter defeated the Saracens and signed a treaty with the Sultan on 30 October 1270. Philip,

Count of Orléans Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, Louis' elder son, who became King

Philip III of France Philip III (1 May 1245 – 5 October 1285), called the Bold (french: le Hardi), was King of France from 1270 until his death in 1285. His father, Louis IX, died in Tunis during the Eighth Crusade. Philip, who was accompanying him, returned ...

, sailed home on November 11.

Heraldry

Florent's coat of arms was "''

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). In engraving, it is sometimes depict ...

a Cross Or''" (Red with a golden cross) and is still the coat of arms of the village of

, Departement of the Somme, Region

Père Anselme de Sainte-Marie (1625-1694)
"Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de France, des pairs, grands officiers de la couronne & de la maison du Roy, & des anciens barons du royaume ...", Third Edition, Ed. Compagnies des libraires associés,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, 1733, Seventh Tome, Amirals de France, p 732

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varennes, Florent de 1270 deaths Admirals of France Christians of the Eighth Crusade 13th-century births