Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil (; c. 1643 – 10 October 1725) was a French military officer who served as

Governor General of New France Governor General of New France was the vice-regal post in New France from 1663 until 1760, and it was the last French vice-regal post. It was replaced by the British post of Governor of the Province of Quebec following the fall of New France ...

(now Canada and U.S. states of the Mississippi Valley) from 1703 to 1725, throughout Queen Anne's War and

Father Rale's War Dummer's War (1722–1725) is also known as Father Rale's War, Lovewell's War, Greylock's War, the Three Years War, the Wabanaki-New England War, or the Fourth Anglo-Abenaki War. It was a series of battles between the New England Colonies and the ...

Life and career

He was born at the Castle of Vaudreuil near

Castelnaudary Castelnaudary (; oc, Castèlnòu d'Arri) is a commune in the Aude department in the Occitanie region of southern France. It is located in the former province of the Lauragais and famous for cassoulet of which it claims to be the world capit ...

in France. He was the second son of Jean-Louis de Rigaud (d. 1659), Baron de Vaudreuil, Seigneur d' Auriac and de Cabanial, by his wife Marie de Château-Verdun. She was the daughter of François, Seigneur de la Razairie. As Chevalier de Vaudreuil, he was sent to command French forces in New France before being appointed Governor of Montreal in 1699, and then

in 1703. He died at Quebec City. He married

Louise Élisabeth de Joybert Louise Élisabeth de Joybert (August 18, 1673 – January 1740) was a French marchioness, married to marquis Philippe de Rigaud Vaudreuil, governor of New France 1703–1725. She is reported to have had great influence during the tenure of her spo ...

, a daughter of Pierre de Joybert de Soulanges et de Marson, by his wife Marie-Françoise, daughter of Louis-Théandre Chartier de Lotbinière. They lived at

Château Vaudreuil Château Vaudreuil was a stately residence and college in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was constructed between 1723 and 1726 for Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil, as his private residence by Gaspard-Joseph Chaussegros de Léry. Though t ...

, which was built in 1723 by Chaussegros de Léry, but was eventually destroyed by a fire in 1803. In 1723, he was recorded as owning an enslaved Meskwaki woman, Marguerite-Genevieve. Their son, Pierre François de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil-Cavagnal, served as the last

before the

British Conquest of New France British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

from 1755 to 1760 during the French and Indian War. Several of his other sons went on to distinguished careers in the French army and navy. His grandson

Louis-Philippe de Vaudreuil Louis-Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil (18 April 1724 – 14 December 1802) was second in command of the French squadron off America during the American Revolutionary War. Biography Early life Louis-Philippe Rigaud de Vaudreuil was ...

defeated a British naval force at the

Battle of the Chesapeake The Battle of the Chesapeake, also known as the Battle of the Virginia Capes or simply the Battle of the Capes, was a crucial naval battle in the American Revolutionary War that took place near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on 5 September 17 ...

1781 on the ''Sceptre'', and was protecting

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

's army in 1782 in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- most p ...

aboard the ''Triomphant''. His grandson also brought back the victorious French army of Rochambeau, back to France after the Siege of Yorktown. Rigaud de Vaudreuil was one of three governors-general of Canada known to have owned

enslaved people Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

. During his tenure, he owed 11 people, seven of whom were from First Nations and four from Africa.

Legacy

was constructed in 1723 as his private residence in Montreal. A Squadron of cadets at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean was named in his honour. Vaudreuil is mentioned in a Fort Saint-Jean plaque erected in 1926 by Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada at the Royal Military College Saint-Jean. "Constructed in 1743 by M. de Léry under orders from Governor la Galissonnière. This post was for all the military expeditions towards

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

. In 31 August 1760, Commandant de Roquemaure had it blown up in accordance with orders from the Governor de Vaudreuil in order to prevent its falling into the hands of the English. Rebuilt by Governor Carleton, in 1773. During the same year, under the command of Major Charles Preston of the 26th Regiment, it withstood a 45-day siege by the American troops commanded by

General Montgomery Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, (; 17 November 1887 – 24 March 1976), nicknamed "Monty", was a senior British Army officer who served in the First World War, the Irish War of Independence and th ...

Children

* Louis-Philippe (1691-1763), rear admiral, knight of the order of Saint-Louis. * Jean (1695-1740), Mousquetaire *

Pierre Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translatio ...

(1698-1778), governor of Trois-Rivières (1733-1742), governor of French Louisiana (1743–1753), Governor-General of New France (1755-1760). * François-Pierre (1703-1779), conquered Fort Massachusetts (1746), governor of Trois-Rivières (1749-1754), governor of Montréal (1757-1760). * Joseph Hyacinthe (1706-1764), governor general of Saint-Domingue

References

External links

* * * The will of Philippe Rigaud, marquis de Vaudreui
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rigaud Vaudreuil, Philippe de People of Queen Anne's War 1640s births 1725 deaths People from Aude French marquesses French slave owners Governors of New France Burials at the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre-Dame de Québec Governors of Montreal 17th-century Canadian politicians 18th-century Canadian politicians Canadian slave owners

Life and career

Legacy

Children

See also

References

External links