Vice-Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of vic ...

Victor Marie d'Estrées, 5th Duke of Estrées (30 November 1660 – 27 December 1737) was a French military officer, politician and nobleman. Born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, he was made a

Marshal of France Marshal of France (, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to General officer, generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished (1793–1804) ...

and was subsequently known as the ''"Maréchal d'Estrées''".

Biography

The son of Jean II d'Estrées, Victor-Marie d'Estrées began his military career in the French Royal Army in 1676, but joined the

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 ...

in the next year. During the

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, 1672 to 1678, was primarily fought by Kingdom of France, France and the Dutch Republic, with both sides backed at different times by a variety of allies. Related conflicts include the 1672 to 1674 Third Anglo-Dutch War and ...

, he commanded a warship in the action of March 1677 and fought afterwards in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

. At the beginning of the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

, he volunteered to again serve in the army and was wounded in the siege of Philippsburg in 1688. In 1690, he commanded 20 ships in the Battle of Beachy Head and led the controversial raid on Teignmouth a few days later. Then, on command of King

Louis XIV LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...

, he took charge of the Mediterranean fleet and supported Louis Joseph, Duke of Vendôme in the capture of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

in 1697. In 1698, he married Lucie Félicité de Noailles, the daughter of Anne Jules de Noailles. They had no children. At the beginning of the War of Spanish Succession, he was ordered to sail

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 ...

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to claim the throne of the Two Sicilies. The success of this mission earned him the title of

Grandee of Spain Grandee (; , ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neither country did they ha ...

. He received the title of

in 1703, and commander in the

Order of the Holy Spirit The Order of the Holy Spirit (; sometimes translated into English as the Order of the Holy Ghost) is a French order of chivalry founded by Henry III of France in 1578. Today, it is a dynastic order under the House of France. It should not be c ...

in 1705. In 1704, Estrées was appointed mentor to the

Count of Toulouse The count of Toulouse (, ) was the ruler of Toulouse during the 8th to 13th centuries. Originating as vassals of the Frankish kings, the hereditary counts ruled the city of Toulouse and its surrounding county from the late 9th century until 12 ...

, illegitimate son of Louis XIV and admiral of France. Together they fought the tactically indecisive Battle of Vélez-Málaga (24 August 1704). During the Regency of

Philippe II, Duke of Orléans Philippe II, Duke of Orléans (Philippe Charles; 2 August 1674 – 2 December 1723), who was known as the Regent, was a French prince, soldier, and statesman who served as Regent of the Kingdom of France from 1715 to 1723. He is referred to i ...

, he was made member of the council, but d'Estrées had no political skills. After the death of his father, he inherited the title of Viceroy of the American Islands and received the French colony of

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...

as his private property. He gathered an enormous fortune, which d'Estrées spent on buying art and books, accumulating it in his Paris house and castles, never unpacking a large proportion of the collection. He was elected member of the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in 1715. He became Duke of Estrées and Peer of France in 1723, after the death of his uncle. He died in 1737. The French cruiser'' D'Estrées'' and D'Estrees Bay in

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

was named in his honour.

Marriage

In 1698, he married Lucie Félicité de Noailles (a daughter of The Duke of Noailles) but had no children.

References

External links

Notice sur le site de l'École nationale des chartes

Notice biographique de l'Académie française
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estrees, Victor Marie Duc D' 1660 births 1737 deaths Military personnel from Paris 5 Marshals of France Grandees of Spain Members of the Académie Française Members of the French Academy of Sciences Members of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres French military personnel of the Nine Years' War French naval commanders in the War of the Spanish Succession Secretaries of State of the Navy (France) Knights of the Golden Fleece of Spain 18th-century French nobility 17th-century French military personnel People of the Regency of Philippe d'Orléans 18th-century peers of France 17th-century French politicians