Jean-François, comte de Durat (30 October 1736 - 1830) was a French noble and military officer. He was

Governor of Grenada This is a list of Viceroys of Grenada from the establishment of French rule in 1649 until its independence from the United Kingdom in 1974. Following independence, the viceroy of Grenada ceased to represent the British monarch and British governm ...

from 1779 to 1783. Born at Chateau Vauchaussades,

Combrailles Combrailles (; oc, Combralha) is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes in central France. See also *Communes of the Puy-de-Dôme department The following is a list of the 464 communes of the Puy-de-Dôme departme ...

, in the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label=Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auverg ...

, Durat's family had a history of military service. In 1751 he entered the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

, serving in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) was a global conflict that involved most of the European Great Powers, and was fought primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific. Other concurrent conflicts include the French and Indian War (1754� ...

. He distinguished himself in the Siege of Fort St Philip, and was assigned to coastal defences until 1759, when he joined a planned expedition against Ireland that failed due to British blockades of the French ports. He was sent to the

West Indies The West Indies is a subregion of North America, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea that includes 13 independent island countries and 18 dependencies and other territories in three major archipelagos: the Greater A ...

in 1763, serving as artillery chief at

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 th ...

. In 1774 he was awarded the

Order of Saint Louis The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis (french: Ordre Royal et Militaire de Saint-Louis) is a dynastic order of chivalry founded 5 April 1693 by King Louis XIV, named after Saint Louis (King Louis IX of France). It was intended as a rewar ...

for his service. By 1778 he had risen to lieutenant colonel of the Regiment de Cambrésis. The following year he was part of comte d'Estaing's expedition to capture Grenada, leading an advance unit that participated in the storming of Hospital Hill. D'Estaing rewarded Durat by appointing him governor of the island, a post he held until the British retook control under terms of the 1783

Treaty of Paris Treaty of Paris may refer to one of many treaties signed in Paris, France: Treaties 1200s and 1300s * Treaty of Paris (1229), which ended the Albigensian Crusade * Treaty of Paris (1259), between Henry III of England and Louis IX of France * Trea ...

. Durat's governance was reported by the British residents to be harsh, and there was a backlash against the French residents afterward. These divisions contributed to the near-success of the Fédon Rebellion in 1795–96. After his return to France, he was promoted to brigadier general in 1784, and field marshal in 1788. He died at his home, Chateau Vauchaussade, on 20 January 1830. He was twice married. By his second wife he had a son Sébastien Henri de Durat (1788–1806) who followed him into military service, joined the 34th Line Infantry Regiment and died of wounds sustained at

Jena Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a popu ...

References

''Bulletin de la Société Scientifique, Historique, et Archéologique'', Volume 35
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durat, Jean-Francois comte de 1736 births 1830 deaths Order of Saint Louis recipients Governors of Grenada French military personnel of the Seven Years' War French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War Marshals of France