Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
, 19 April 1761 —
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 ...
French
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 Franc ...
Navy during the Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars.
Biography
Senez was born to a family of bakers. He started sailing in the French Royal Navy in 1774 as a boy, serving on the corvette ''Flèche'', the frigates ''Flore'' and ''Sultane'', and the ship of the line in 1778.Quintin, p. 340 He took part 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 ...
.Quintin, p. 341
Senez was then employed in the merchant navy and on various
privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...
s. On 3 February 1794, he joined the Navy of the Republic as an
Enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu ''Enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu'' (literally: "Ensign without a salary") was a junior naval rank in the French Navy during the Revolutionary Wars.
The duties of an ''Enseigne de vaisseau non entretenu'' were the same as those of an ''enseign ...
on the fluyt ''Dordogne'' in a squadron under Captain Leissègues, tasked with retaking
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe (; ; gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Gwadloup, ) is an archipelago and overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the ...
from the British. On 11 July 1794, he was given command of Fort de l'Union at Guadeloupe.
Promoted to Lieutenant on 8 October 1794, he was appointed to the command of corvette ''Décius''. In November 1796, ''Décius'', , and three schooners sailed for a raid on British-held
Anguilla
Anguilla ( ) is a British Overseas Territory in the Caribbean. It is one of the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, lying east of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and directly north of Saint Martin. The territo ...
. On 27 November, intercepted the flotilla, destroying ''Vaillante'' and capturing ''Décius'', only to scuttle her the next day to escape two French frigates.
Freed by 2 January 1798, Senez was promoted to Commander (''Capitaine de frégate'') and given command of . On 9 October 1799, Senez transferred to the corvette . On 13 July 1800, ''Berceau'' engaged two Portuguese corvettes and five Letters or Marque, sinking one corvette and capturing four of the privateers. He fought a notable action against USS ''Boston'' on 13 October 1800, where he was taken prisoner.
Returned from America, Senez was promoted to Captain 2nd class on 24 September 1803 and given command of the frigate . On 29 August, he was given command of the 74-gun and fought in several campaigns, notably Ganteaume's expedition to Corfu and the Battle of Maguelone in October 1809.Quintin, p. 342 On 5 February 1804, he was made a Knight of the
Legion of Honour
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...
, and on 14 June, promoted to Officer.
In January 1813, Senez was given command of . At the
Bourbon Restoration Bourbon Restoration may refer to:
France under the House of Bourbon:
* Bourbon Restoration in France (1814, after the French revolution and Napoleonic era, until 1830; interrupted by the Hundred Days in 1815)
Spain under the Spanish Bourbons:
* ...
Palermo
Palermo ( , ; scn, Palermu , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan ...
to France. On 5 July 1815, he was made a Knight 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 ...
.
Siding with Napoléon during the
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration ...
, Senez was given command of the frigate ''Dryade'', and tasked with ferrying Letizia Ramolino,
Joseph Fesch
Joseph Fesch, Prince of France (3 January 1763 – 13 May 1839) was a French priest and diplomat, who was the maternal half-uncle of Napoleon Bonaparte (half-brother of Napoleon's mother Laetitia). In the wake of his nephew, he became Archbishop ...
and
Napoleon II
, house = Bonaparte
, father = Napoleon I, Emperor of the French
, mother = Marie Louise, Duchess of Parma
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Tuileries Palace, Paris, French Empire
...
to France. At the Second Bourbon Restauration, the Navy retired Senez, then reinstated him, but did not give him a command. He retired on 1 November 1817 with a pension, and died on 8 November 1836.