Jean-Joseph de Rafélis de Broves ( Brovès, 8 July 1715 — Brovès, 12 November 1782) was a French Navy officer. He served in the

War of American Independence The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. He was a member of the

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

, and Grand Cross in 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 ...

Biography

Broves was born to a family of Provence. He was brother to Jean-François de Rafélis de Broves, and uncle to Charles François Auguste de Rafélis de Broves and to Joseph Barthélémy de Rafélis de Broves. Broves joined the Navy as a

Garde-Marine In France, under the Ancien Régime, the Gardes de la Marine (Guards of the Navy), or Gardes-Marine were young gentlemen undergoing training to be naval officers. The training program was established by Cardinal Richelieu in 1670 and lasted until Ad ...

in 1730, and was promoted to Lieutenant in 1746. He served in the Navy during 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� ...

. In 1765, he was promoted to

Brigadier des Armées navales 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. In ...

. He commanded the squadron of the

French conquest of Corsica The French conquest of Corsica was a successful expedition by French forces of the Kingdom of France under Comte de Vaux, against Corsican forces under Pasquale Paoli of the Corsican Republic. The expedition was launched in May 1768, in the a ...

in 1768, and directed the

French bombardment of Tunisia in 1770 French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

, with his flag on ''Provence''. On 14 November 1770, he signed a peace treaty with Ali II ibn Hussein, in an effort to settle the question of the

Barbary pirates The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...

. In 1771, he was promoted to Chef d'escadre and made a Commander in the

. From 1772 to 1777, he continued to direct expeditions in the Mediterranean against privateers. In 1778, he was appointed second in command under Estaing in the French expeditionary force for War of American Independence, with his flag on the 74-gun ''César''. He took part in the

Battle of Rhode Island The Battle of Rhode Island (also known as the Battle of Quaker Hill) took place on August 29, 1778. Continental Army and Militia forces under the command of Major General John Sullivan had been besieging the British forces in Newport, Rhode Isl ...

, in the

Battle of Grenada The Battle of Grenada took place on 6 July 1779 during the American Revolutionary War in the West Indies between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, just off the coast of Grenada. The British fleet of Admiral John Byron (the grandfather ...

on 6 July 1779, and in the

Siege of Savannah The siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was an encounter of the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783) in 1779. The year before, the city of Savannah, Georgia, had been captured by a British expeditionary corps under Lieutenan ...

. After Estaing was wounded at Savannah, Broves took effective command until the fleet returned to France in late 1779. Returned to France, Broves was promoted to

Lieutenant général des Armées navales Lieutenant général des Armées navales was a naval rank in the French Navy during the ancien Régime and until the French Revolution. History Cardinal Mazarin created the rank of Lieutenant général des Armées navales in 1652, as an immediate ...

Sources and references

Notes References Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rafélis de Broves, Jean-Joseph French Navy officers 1715 births 1782 deaths