Jean-Baptiste Thomas Médée Cécille (; 16 October 1787,

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine, in northwestern France. It is in the prefecture of Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one ...

– 9 November 1873) was a French

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 ...

and politician who played an important role in the French intervention of Vietnam. He also circumnavigated the globe.

Military career

In 1837–1839, Cécille circumnavigated the world as the commander of the corvette ''Héroïne''. He left Brest on 1 July 1837 with the objective of protecting French whaling ships. He contributed to the survey of

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. In 1843, the French Foreign Minister

François Guizot François Pierre Guillaume Guizot (; 4 October 1787 – 12 September 1874) was a French historian, orator and Politician, statesman. Guizot was a dominant figure in French politics between the July Revolution, Revolution of 1830 and the Revoluti ...

sent a fleet to

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

under Admiral Cécille and Captain Charner,Chapuis, p.
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Quote: ''Two years later, in 1847, Lefebvre was again captured when he returned to Vietnam. This time Cecille sent captain Lapierre to Danang. Whether Lapierre was aware or not that Lefebvre had already been freed and on his way back to Singapore, the French first dismantled masts of some Vietnamese ships. Later on 14 April 1847, in only one hour, the French sank the last five bronze-plated vessels in the bay of Danang.'' which started the French intervention in Vietnam. The move responded to the successes of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in 1842, and France hoped to counterbalance these successes by accessing China from the south. The pretext however was to support British efforts in China, and to fight the persecution of French missionaries in Vietnam. The fleet, accompanied by the diplomat Théodore de Lagrené, tried to seize the island of

Basilan Basilan, officially the Province of Basilan (; ; ; ), is an island province of the Philippines located primarily in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region. Basilan Island is the largest and northernmost of the major islands of the Sulu Archipelago ...

in order to create a base similar to

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

, but projects had to be abandoned following the strong opposition 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 ...

claiming the island was part of the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. In 1845 Guizot sent Cécille to Vietnam to obtain the release of a Catholic missionary, Bishop Dominique Lefèbvre. Two years later, in 1847, when Lefèbvre was recaptured, Cécille sent Captain Lapierre to

Danang Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the list of cities in Vietnam, fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River (Vietnam), Hàn R ...

to obtain the release of the bishop yet again. It is not established if Captain Lapierre knew that Bishop Lefebvre had already been freed and was on his way to

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

before he started his attack by first dismantling the masts of some Vietnamese ships. Subsequently, on 14 April 1847, the French continued their attack by sinking the remaining five bronze-plated ships in the bay of Danang. In June 1846, Cécille sailed to

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

to try to establish relations with

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. He then sailed to

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but was denied landing. In September 1846, Cécille sailed to

Korea Korea is a peninsular region in East Asia consisting of the Korean Peninsula, Jeju Island, and smaller islands. Since the end of World War II in 1945, it has been politically Division of Korea, divided at or near the 38th parallel north, 3 ...

in order to obtain the release of an imprisoned Korean priest named Andrew Kim Taegon, but Kim was soon executed.Buttinger, p.394
/ref> In 1847, Cécille sent two warships (''Gloire'' and ''Victorieuse'') to Tourane in Vietnam to obtain the liberation of two imprisoned French missionaries, Bishop Dominique Lefèbvre (imprisoned for a second time as he had re-entered Vietnam secretly) and Duclos, and freedom of worship for Catholics in Vietnam.Tucker, p.28 As negotiations drew on without results, on 15 April 1847 a fight erupted between the French fleet and Vietnamese ships, three of them being sunk as a result in the Bombardment of Đà Nẵng. The French fleet then sailed away. The French would come back under Admiral Charles Rigault de Genouilly to capture Tourane (

Da Nang Da Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons (, ) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the Western Pacific Ocean of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important p ...

) on 1 September 1858, and

Saigon Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

on 17 February 1859. After these events Cécille again sailed to Korea to try to infiltrate some missionaries, but his ship ran aground and he had to be rescued by a British ship.

Political career

Back in France, Cécille took on a career in politics. He became a representative for the department of Seine-Inférieure in the 1848 Assembly (Assemblée Constituante). He supported Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, and was nominated Ambassador to the British Court in London. In 1852, he became a

Senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

Legacy

The

Ōsumi Islands The is an archipelago in the Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu Archipelago, and are the northernmost group of the Ryukyu Islands, The chain extends from the southern tip of Kyushu to Yakushima. Administratively, the group belongs within Kagoshima Prefecture ...

Group in southern Japan, which was explored by Cécille in 1846, was named "Cécille archipelago" ("Archipel Cécille") on French charts. A peak on the Île de la Possession in the

Crozet Islands The Crozet Islands (; or, officially, ''Archipel Crozet'') are a sub-Antarctic archipelago of small islands in the southern Indian Ocean. They form one of the five administrative districts of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. History ...

, where he once landed, was named "Mont Cécille" (46°23'00" S, 51°41'00" E) after him in the 1960s.MapPlanet: Google Map
/ref> The French cruiser ''Amiral Cécille'' (1888-scrapped 1919) was named in his honour.

Notes

References

* Spencer Tucker (1999), ''Vietnam'' University Press of Kentucky * Beillevaire, Patrick (2000) ''Ryukyu Studies to 1854: Western Encounter'' Taylor & Francis * Buttinger, Joseph (1958) ''The Smaller Dragon: A Political History of Vietnam'' University of Michigan * Chapuis, Oscar (2000), ''The Last Emperors of Vietnam: From Tu Duc to Bao Dai'' Greenwood Publishing Group {{DEFAULTSORT:Cecille, Jean-Baptiste 1787 births 1873 deaths Military personnel from Rouen Politicians from Rouen Party of Order politicians Bonapartists Members of the 1848 Constituent Assembly Members of the National Legislative Assembly of the French Second Republic French senators of the Second Empire French Navy admirals Military history of Vietnam Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour