Alexandre Maître, Marquis de Bay (1650 – 14 November 1715) was a French

military officer An officer is a person who holds a position of authority as a member of an armed force or uniformed service. Broadly speaking, "officer" means a commissioned officer, a non-commissioned officer (NCO), or a warrant officer. However, absent c ...

in the service of

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

during the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict fought between 1701 and 1714. The immediate cause was the death of the childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700, which led to a struggle for control of the Spanish E ...

. Born in Salins in 1650, Maître married Cécile de Winssinkercke, who had been born in

Louvain Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the sub-municipalities of ...

on 7 September 1670. Maître was the ''

seigneur A seigneur () or lord is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. The seigneur owned a seigneurie, seigneury, or lordship—a form of ...

'' of

Laer Laer () is a municipality in the district of Steinfurt, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Since the ae spelling already contradicted the rules in force before 1996, it was not amended in accordance with a recommendation of the Standing Commi ...

, near Tirlemont. Between 1696 and 1701, he volunteered his service as a cavalry colonel with the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

. In 1701, he offered his services to

Philip V of Spain Philip V (; 19 December 1683 – 9 July 1746) was List of Spanish monarchs, King of Spain from 1 November 1700 to 14 January 1724 and again from 6 September 1724 to his death in 1746. His total reign (45 years and 16 days) is the longest in the ...

, and became general of cavalry serving in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

. He distinguished himself in the War of Spanish Succession, especially during the

Battle of Ekeren The Battle of Ekeren, which took place on 30 June 1703, was a battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. A Bourbon army of around 24,000 men, consisting of troops from France, Spain and Cologne, surrounded a smaller Dutch force of 12,000 men, ...

on 30 June 1703, fighting alongside the duc de Villeroy, at the head of the cavalry and the dragoons. On 23 July 1704 Philip V granted Maître the dignity of Marquis de Bay and Captain-General of

Extremadura Extremadura ( ; ; ; ; Fala language, Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is a landlocked autonomous communities in Spain, autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, Spain, Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central- ...

. He was at this time described as lieutenant general of Philip's armies and first lieutenant of his bodyguards. On the night of 14–15 December 1706 he captured

Alcántara Alcántara () is a municipality in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain, on the Tagus, near Portugal. The toponym is from the Arabic word ''al-Qanṭarah'' (القنطرة) meaning "the bridge". History Archaeological findings have atte ...

with 800 infantry and 200 cavalry. In June 1707 he seized a fort defending the bridge at

Olivenza Olivenza () or Olivença () is a town in southwestern Spain, close to the Portugal–Spain border. It is a municipality belonging to the province of Badajoz, and to the wider autonomous community of Extremadura. The town of Olivença was und ...

, then demolished the bridge. On 4 October he stormed Ciudad Rodrigo, capturing the city after three-quarters of an hour. For this victory he was created a

Knight of the Golden Fleece This article contains a list of knights of the Order of the Golden Fleece. Burgundian Golden Fleece 15th century !Year of induction!!Name!!Born!!Died!!Notes , - , rowspan=25, 1430, , Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, , 1396, , 1467, , Founde ...

by the King of Spain, a title gazetted in France on 10 December 1707, and was named Viceroy of Extremadura. Maître led the Spanish armies at the

Battle of La Gudina A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

on 7 May 1709, defeating a combined Anglo-Portuguese force, and commanded at the

Battle of Saragossa The Battle of Saragossa, also known as the Battle of Zaragoza, took place on 20 August 1710 during the War of the Spanish Succession. A Spanish Bourbon army loyal to Philip V of Spain and commanded by the Marquis de Bay was defeated by a Gra ...

on 20 August 1710. He suffered a severe defeat at Saragossa, and in October 1712 was forced to withdraw after an attempt to storm Campo Maior failed in the face of strong Portuguese resistance. Maître died at

Badajoz Badajoz is the capital of the Province of Badajoz in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Extremadura, Spain. It is situated close to the Portugal, Portuguese Portugal–Spain border, border, on the left bank of the river ...

on 14 November 1715.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bay, Alexandre Maitre, Marquis de 1650 births 1715 deaths French generals Spanish generals Spanish army commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain People from Jura (department)