Guillaume Léonard de Bellecombe (20 February 1728 – 28 February 1792) was Governor General of Réunion, Saint-Domingue and Pondichéry, and a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

revolutionary. According to most accounts he was born in 1728 in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. Bellecombe engaged to Royal Roussillon and took part in French military expeditions overseas of the 2nd part of the 18th century. He had his last battles in

New France New France (french: Nouvelle-France) was the area colonized by France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Great Britain and Spa ...

(1755–1760) and a surprise expedition at St. John's, Newfoundland in 1762. He opposed the English everywhere, whether on the seas, or in the American continent, or in the

Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

. He was Governor of Saint-Domingue at the end of his career (1781–1785). The Bellecombe helped start the revolution of the slaves which broke out soon in 1791. This event led to the creation of the Republic of Haiti in 1804. Bellecombe retired to

in 1792 and died in the same year.

Stages of life

Bellecomb was born February 20, 1728, in the hamlet of “Bellecombe”, in the commune of Perville. He spent his youth in

. He entered the regiment of infantry of the Royal Roussillon Regiment in 1747. On March 30, 1755 he reached the rank of adjutant and on September 1, 1755 attained the rank of captain. He served as adjutant during the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

from 1756 to 1760. He became a

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

in 1761, and in 1762 he was second in command during the Newfoundland expedition and was wounded during the

Battle of Signal Hill The Battle of Signal Hill was fought on September 15, 1762, and was the last battle of the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. A British force under Lieutenant Colonel William Amherst recaptured St. John's, which the French had sei ...

. He was promoted to

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

on December 1, 1762. In 1763 he was adjutant in

Martinique Martinique ( , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Matinik or ; Kalinago: or ) is an island and an overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France. An integral part of the French Republic, Martinique is located in ...

. For 1767 to 1774, Ordering in Isle Bourbon (La Réunion), Sergeant in 1770. He married Angelique de Galaup de Marès. In 1776 he was Commander Général in India, and Governor of Pondichéry. In 1778, when the American War of Independence reached India, Bellecombe was compelled to surrender Pondichéry to British forces after ten weeks of siege. He received the rank of

Brigadier Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. I ...

and the decoration of Commander of Saint-Louis. On July 13, 1781 he became Governor of Saint Domingue ( Haiti). On August 25, 1783 he received the Grand Cross of Saint-Louis. He spent 1785 to 1792 in retirement in France.

References

External links

BellecombeNewfoundland-1762

Titles

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellecombe, Guillaume De 1728 births 1792 deaths French colonial governors and administrators Governors of Saint-Domingue Governors of French India Governors of Réunion Grand Crosses of the Order of Saint Louis French generals French military personnel of the Seven Years' War French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War

Stages of life

References

Further reading

External links

Titles