Auguste Léopold Protet (; 1808 – 1862) was a

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...

. He fought in the

Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Chinese War or ''Arrow'' War, was fought between the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the United States against the Qing dynasty of China between 1856 and 1860. It was the second major ...

, and was killed in the

Taiping Rebellion The Taiping Rebellion, also known as the Taiping Civil War or the Taiping Revolution, was a civil war in China between the Qing dynasty and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The conflict lasted 14 years, from its outbreak in 1850 until the fall of ...

at the Fengxian District of Shanghai on the afternoon of 17 May 1862. He was born at

Saint-Servan Saint-Servan (; often abbreviated as St. Servan; ) is a town of western France, in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany, situated 2 miles from the ferry port of Saint-Malo. It is renowned for its shops and restaurants. History In June 1758, ...

, France, and at sixteen he was admitted into the naval school of Angoulême. When he was 38, he received the commission of captain in the royal navy. At this time the English and French governments combined their efforts to put an end to the slave trade on the African coast, and Protet was employed in that service. After cruising three years on the coast of Africa he was appointed governor of

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, where he remained from 1850 to 1855. He served during the war with China, and was promoted to the rank of rear-admiral. He subsequently joined the expedition against the Taiping, who threatened an attack upon Shanghai, and he was killed during the engagement at Nanjao (). The French troops massacred 3,000 men, women and children in a nearby Chinese village in revenge for his death.Autumn in the Heavenly Kingdom: China, the West, and the Epic Story of the Taiping Civil War. Stephen R. Platt, 2012 The French aviso (corvette) ''Protet'' (F742) was named after him and saw active service until the 1980s.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Protet, Auguste Leopold 1808 births 1862 deaths French military personnel of the Second Opium War French military personnel killed in action People of the Taiping Rebellion French Navy admirals People of colonial Senegal French city founders

See also

References