Pierre d'Espagnac, sometimes Pierre d'Espagnal (1650–1689) was a French

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

missionary in

Siam Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 mi ...

(modern

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...

) during the 17th century. Pierre d'Espagnac was a member of a mission of 14 Jesuit scientists sent to Siam by

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

, under the guidance of Father

Guy Tachard Guy Tachard (; 1651 – 1712), also known as Père Tachard, was a French Jesuit missionary and mathematician of the 17th century, who was sent on two occasions to the Kingdom of Siam by Louis XIV. He was born in Marthon, near Angoulême. In 1 ...

. As the others, he was given the title of "royal mathematician" and was sponsored by the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

.''Searching the Heavens and the Earth: The History of Jesuit Observatories''
by Agustín Udías Vallina, Agustin Udias D'Espagnac left

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in March 1687 together with the Loubère– Céberet mission to Siam. D'Espagnac spoke Portuguese, and served for some time as an interpreter for

Constantine Phaulkon Constantine Phaulkon (Greek: Κωνσταντῖνος Γεράκης, ''Konstantinos Gerakis''; γεράκι is the Greek word for "falcon"; 1647 – 5 June 1688, also known as Costantin Gerachi, ''Capitão Falcão'' in Portuguese and simply as ' ...

. The Jesuits were warmly received by the Siamese king

Narai King Narai the Great ( th, สมเด็จพระนารายณ์มหาราช, , ) or Ramathibodi III ( th, รามาธิบดีที่ ๓ ) was the 27th monarch of Ayutthaya Kingdom, the 4th and last monarch of the Pr ...

, who had great interest in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

. They observed an eclipse with him in April 1688. Soon however, the Siamese revolted in the Siamese revolution. Pierre d'Espagnac was next seen in

Mergui Myeik (, or ; mnw, ဗိက်, ; th, มะริด, , ; formerly Mergui, ) is a rural city in Tanintharyi Region in Myanmar (Burma), located in the extreme south of the country on the coast off an island on the Andaman Sea. , the estimate ...

, one with the French troops fleeing Mergui following the advent of the 1688 Siamese revolution. He was captured in

Tavoy Dawei (, ; mnw, ဓဝဲါ, ; th, ทวาย, RTGS: ''Thawai'', ; formerly known as Tavoy) is a city in south-eastern Myanmar and is the capital of the Tanintharyi Region, formerly known as the Tenasserim Division, on the northern bank of ...

by the Siamese, together with the

Chevalier de Beauregard The Chevalier de Beauregard (c.1665–c.1692) was a 17th-century French officer who was active in Siam (modern Thailand). He became Governor of Bangkok and Mergui, but was eventually captured by the Siamese during the 1688 Siamese revolution. ...

and four French soldiers, as they were trying to obtain supplies for their ships. Pierre d'Espagnac seems to have been enslaved, and soon died (a year later) in slavery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espagnac, Pierre d 1650 births 1689 deaths Christian missionaries in the Ayutthaya Kingdom 17th-century French Jesuits French Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic missionaries in Thailand French expatriates in Thailand French slaves 17th-century slaves Slavery in Thailand

See also

References