Michel-Ange Du Quesne de Menneville, Marquis Du Quesne (c. 1700 17 September 1778) was a French

Governor General Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy ...

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 ...

. He was born in

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 ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Du Quesne served from 1752 through 1755, and is best known for his role in 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 st ...

Fort Duquesne Fort Duquesne (, ; originally called ''Fort Du Quesne'') was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers. It was later taken over by the British, and later the Americans, and developed a ...

, established in 1755 at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers at what is now

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, was named for him. It was abandoned by French forces in 1758 with the arrival of the much more powerful British

Forbes Expedition The Forbes Expedition was a British military expedition to capture Fort Duquesne, led by Brigadier-General John Forbes in 1758, during the French and Indian War. While advancing to the fort, the expedition built the now historic trail, the Forbes ...

, who erected Fort Pitt in its place. He built a line of defensive fortifications to strengthen the French presence. He later returned to France.

Battle of Cartagena

In 1758 he led a French squadron out of

, intended to relieve another French squadron which had been sailing to

Louisbourg Louisbourg is an unincorporated community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia. History The French military founded the Fortress of Louisbourg in 1713 and its fortified seaport on the southwest part of the harbour ...

to provide relief to the defenders there, but had been forced into Cartagena in neutral Spain. However, Du Quesne was attacked by a British force led by

Henry Osborne Henry Osborne may refer to: * Henry Osborne (American politician) (1751–1800), public official from Pennsylvania and Georgia * Henry Osborne (admiral) (1694–1771), British naval officer who served as Commodore Governor of Newfoundland * Sir Henr ...

and two of his ships were captured, including his own flagship. The ultimate result of this action was to deny Louisbourg any chance of relief, and it surrendered later in the year. He died in 1778 in

Antony, Hauts-de-Seine Antony () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Antony is a subprefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department and the seat of the arrondissement of Antony. Watered by the Bièvre, a tributary of the ...

Duquesne University Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit ( or ; Duquesne University or Duquesne) is a private Catholic research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit , image = Holy Gh ...

was named after him.

References

External links

''Duquesne University''

1700s births 1778 deaths People from Toulon French people of the French and Indian War French North America Margraves of Quesne Governors of New France People from Pennsylvania History of Pittsburgh 18th-century Canadian politicians {{KingdomofFrance-stub