François-Louis Rousselet, marquis de Châteaurenault (Châteaurenaut, Châteauregnaud) (1637-

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 ...

, 15 November 1716) was a French vice-admiral, '' maréchal'', and nobleman. In his youth, he fought in the

Battle of the Dunes (1658) The Battle of the Dunes (, ), also known as the Battle of Dunkirk, took place on 14 June 1658, near the strategic port of Dunkirk in what was then the Spanish Netherlands. Part of the Franco-Spanish War and concurrent Anglo-Spanish War, a com ...

against the Spanish. In 1661 he joined the French navy and distinguished himself in the conquest of

Jijel Jijel ( ar, جيجل), the classical Igilgili, is the capital of Jijel Province in north-eastern Algeria. It is flanked by the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Corniche Jijelienne and had a population of 131,513 in 2008. Jijel is the administra ...

under

François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort François de Vendôme, duc de Beaufort (16 January 1616 – 25 June 1669) was the son of César, Duke of Vendôme, and Françoise de Lorraine. He was a prominent figure in the Fronde, and later went on to fight in the Mediterranean. He is sometim ...

(23 July 1664). In 1672 he became captain of his own ship and fought in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

against the pirates from

Salé Salé ( ar, سلا, salā, ; ber, ⵙⵍⴰ, sla) is a city in northwestern Morocco, on the right bank of the Bou Regreg river, opposite the national capital Rabat, for which it serves as a commuter town. Founded in about 1030 by the Banu Ifran ...

. In 1673 he led a squadron in the North Sea and fought

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch admiral. Widely celebrated and regarded as one of the most skilled admirals in history, De Ruyter is arguably most famous for his achievements with the Dutch N ...

in 1675. In 1677, along the Spanish coast and with only six ships, he withstood an attack by a fleet of 25 Dutch ships under

Cornelis Evertsen the younger Cornelis Evertsen the Younger (Flushing, 16 April 1628 – Flushing, 20 September 1679) was a Dutch Admiral from the 17th century. Cornelis was the son of Lieutenant-Admiral Johan Evertsen and the nephew of Lieutenant-Admiral Cornelis Evertse ...

. During the

War of the Grand Alliance The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

(War of the League of Augsburg), he landed a French army in Ireland after beating Admiral Herbert in the

Battle of Bantry Bay The Battle of Bantry Bay was a naval engagement fought on 11 May 1689, a week before the declaration of the Nine Years' War. The English fleet was commanded by Admiral Arthur Herbert, created Earl of Torrington after the Battle; the French fl ...

. One year later, after the failure of this expedition, he evacuated the French army as well as 18.000 Irish. He then fought in the naval

Battle of Beachy Head (1690) The Battle of Beachy Head (''Fr''. Battle of Bévéziers) was a naval battle fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. The battle was the greatest French tactical naval victory over their English and Dutch opponents during the war. Th ...

and the

Battle of Lagos (1693) The Battle of Lagos was a sea battle during the Nine Years' War on 27 June 1693 (17 June 1693 O.S.), when a French fleet under Anne Hilarion de Tourville defeated an Anglo-Dutch fleet under George Rooke near Lagos Bay in Portugal. Rooke's squa ...

. He was made vice-admiral in 1701, and commanded the French fleet during the

Battle of Vigo Bay The Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande (; ), was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish ...

(1702). His

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

was ''La Forte'', which was burnt during the battle. He became

governor of Brittany This page is a list of royal governors of Brittany during the Ancien Régime. *Nominoe (9th century) *Enguerrand VII, Lord of Coucy (1380–?) *Jean de Laval, husband of Françoise de Foix (16th century) * Jean IV de Brosse (16th century) * Louis ...

in 1704. He was made a member of the

Order of the Holy Spirit The Order of the Holy Spirit (french: Ordre du Saint-Esprit; sometimes translated into English as the Order of the Holy Ghost), is a French order of chivalry founded by Henry III of France in 1578. Today, it is a dynastic order under the House of ...

on 2 February 1705.Order of the Saint-Esprit, 1705
/ref> htm] On 7 September 1684 he had married Marie Anne de La Porte, vicomtesse d'Artois and dame de Crozon (1661–1696). His only son, Louis Emmanuel, also pursued a career in the French Navy.

Honours and legacy

A number of ships of the

French 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 ...

have been named ''Châteaurenault'' in his honour. Further, a street in Rennes has been named after him.

References

External links

Documents maritimes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rousselet, Francois Louis De, Marquis De Chateaurenault 1637 births 1716 deaths French Navy admirals French marquesses Chateaurenault Marshals of France French military personnel of the Nine Years' War French military personnel of the Franco-Dutch War