Moïse Vauquelin or Moses Vanclein ( fl. 1650–1670) was a 17th-century French buccaneer. During his four-year career as a pirate, he served as an officer under l'Ollonais and formed a brief partnership with

Pierre Le Picard Pierre le Picard (1624–1690?) was a 17th-century French buccaneer. He was both an officer to l'Olonnais as well as Sir Henry Morgan, most notably taking part in his raids at Maracaibo and Panama, and may have been one of the first buccane ...

. He and Philippe Bequel later co-wrote a book detailing their explorations of the Honduran and Yucatán coastline.

Biography

Vauquelin first arrived in the Caribbean from

Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

around 1650. He was part of a buccaneering fleet being organized by l'Ollonais at the pirate haven of Tortuga and which would loot and plunder Spanish settlements throughout the

Spanish Main During the Spanish colonization of America, the Spanish Main was the collective term for the parts of the Spanish Empire that were on the mainland of the Americas and had coastlines on the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico. The term was used to di ...

during the next two years. Vauquelin was one of several officers serving in this expedition and was present at the raids against

Maracaibo ) , motto = "''Muy noble y leal''"(English: "Very noble and loyal") , anthem = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_alt = ...

and

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

in 1666 and Puerto de Cavallo and San Pedro in 1667. l'Ollonais and his fleet eventually split up, arguing over l'Ollonais desire to sail for

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

, shortly after the capture of a Spanish ship off the coast of the Yucatán. He and Pierre le Picard chose to leave the expedition, some accounts suggesting they were the ringleaders and instigators of the fleet's disbandment,Frothingham, Jessie Peabody. ''Sea Wolves of Seven Shores''. Whitefish, Montana: Kessinger Publishing, 2004. (pg. 196) and began privateering together for a time. Sailing along the coast of

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

, he captured the town of

Veraguas Veraguas () is a province of Panama, located in the centre-west of the country. The capital is the city of Santiago de Veraguas. It is the only Panamanian province to border both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It covers an area of 10,587.6&nb ...

although he was driven from the area when he failed to take the nearby town of

Nata Nata could refer to: __NOTOC__ Places * Nata, Botswana, a village in Central District of Botswana * Nata, Cyprus, a small village near Paphos, Cyprus * Natá, Coclé, a town and corregimiento in Natá District, Coclé Province, Panama * Natá Di ...

and the two split up soon after. This defeat was later recorded in Alexander Esquemeling's ''The Buccaneers Of America'' almost twenty years later. Vauquelin seems to have lost his ship after this, although the circumstances are unrecorded. He did, however, manage to join the French pirate Chevalier du Plessis later that year. After du Plessis' death, Vauquelin was elected as his successor by the crew. He and his crew were able to successfully capture a Spanish prize, carrying a large cargo of cacao, near the port of

Havana, Cuba Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

before returning to Tortuga. In 1670, he and fellow buccaneer Philippe Bequel wrote an account of their careers at the Vice-Admiral

Jean d'Estrées Jean d'Estrées (; 1666 – 3 March 1718) was a French priest and politician. He was the son of Jean II d'Estrées and his wife Marie Marguerite Morin. He was born in Paris, the nephew of Cardinal César d'Estrées and brother of Marshal Victo ...

. The book contained detailed information of the geography of the Caribbean and West Indies, particularly the coasts of Honduras and the Yucatán, which were used by the Royal French Navy as well as later buccaneers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vauquelin, Moise French pirates People from Normandy People of Saint-Domingue 1650 births 1670 deaths