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Charles de Courbon de Blénac

Charles de Courbon, comte de Blénac (1622 – 10 June 1696) was a French colonial administration who served as governor general of the French Antilles during the 17th century. He was an experienced soldier and fought for the king during the Fronde before becoming a naval officer in the French Navy. Towards the end of the Franco-Dutch War he led the land forces that captured Tobago from the Dutch before taking command of the French Antilles. During the Nine Years' War he was active in the struggle with the English and Dutch in the Windward Islands. He captured Sint Eustatius and Saint Kitts, and defended Martinique against a large English expedition in 1693.

Charles de Courbon, marquis de la Roche-Courbon, comte de Blénac
Lieutenant general of the French Antilles
In office
1677 – February 1683
Preceded byJean-Charles de Baas
Gabriel de Jolinet (interim)
Succeeded byClaude de Roux (interim)
Lieutenant general of the French Antilles
In office
20 April 1684 – February 1691
Preceded byClaude de Roux (interim)
Succeeded byFrançois d'Alesso, Marquis d'Éragny
Governor general of the French Antilles
In office
24 November 1691 – June 1696
Preceded byCharles de Pechpeyrou-Comminges de Guitaut
Succeeded byThomas-Claude Renart de Fuchsamberg
Personal details
Born1622
Romegoux, Saintonge, France
Died9–10 June 1696
Fort Royal, Martinique
OccupationSoldier, naval officer

Early years (1622–77) edit

Charles de Blénac, Marquis de la Roche-Courbon, was born to a noble family in 1622 in Romegoux, Saintonge.[1][2] His parents were Jacques de Courbon Blénac and Marie Thison, dame de La Sauzaie. His sister Marie married André de Talleyrand-Périgord. Charles de Blénac married Angélique de La Rochefoucauld, daughter of Louis de la Rochefoucauld, seigneur de Bayères.[2] She was the widow of his cousin. They would have eleven children.[1]

During the Fronde rebellion (1648–53) Blénac supported the infant King Louis XIV of France, and in recognition of his services was made count of Blénac in 1659.[3] For a long time he served in the land armies, reaching the rank of maréchal de camp.[4] In 1669 he transferred to the navy, which was then in the process of being formed.[1] He advanced quickly through the ranks and became capitaine de vaisseau.[4] He commanded the Infante in the expedition of Jean II d'Estrées against the Barbary pirates. He commanded the Fort in the Battle of Solebay in 1672. Blénac was quick to take offense, and early in 1673 was briefly imprisoned for insulting a superior officer. After his release, in August 1673 he was captain of Fortuné in the Battle of Texel.[1]

First Battle of Tobago (March 1677) edit

The Franco-Dutch War began in 1672 and lasted until the Treaties of Nijmegen in 1678.[5]

 
First Battle of Tobago. The Glorieux fires at burning Dutch ships.

In the action of March 1677 a French force under Admiral Jean II d'Estrées attempted to take the Dutch fortress of Sterrshans on Tobago but was repulsed.[6] D'Estrees entered Klip Bay at dawn on 3 March 1677 in his flagship, the 72-gun Glorieux, accompanied by the 58-gun Précieux, 46-gun Émerillon and 38-gun Laurier. His second in command Louis Gabaret in the 56-gun Intrépide led a squadron nearer to the shore that included the 62-gun Fendant commanded by Blénac and four smaller ships. The French engaged an arc of anchored Dutch warships, under-manned since the Dutch had transferred many men to the land defenses. French land forces attempted to storm fort Sterreschans but were repulsed on three separate attempts. The struggling ships in the harbour began to burn, with fire spreading from one ship to another.[7] Eventually the French had to break off after three ships had been burned to the waterline, two run ashore and other badly damaged, with over 1,000 casualties.[8] D'Estree withdrew toward Grenada and was back in France by early July.[8]

During the retreat to Grenada the French heard of the death of Jean-Charles de Baas, and Blénac was appointed to replace him as lieutenant general of the Antilles (lieutenant-général des isles d’Amérique). He returned to France with D'Estrées to have his appointment confirmed.[1] Louis XIV decided to mount another expedition against Tobago later in 1677.[9] Blénac and returned with d'Estrees in the autumn of 1677, taking office in November.[1]

Second Battle of Tobago (December 1677) edit

 
 
Antigua
 
Barb-
ados
 
Dominica
 
Grenada
 
Grenadines
 
Guadeloupe
 
Martinique
 
Sint
Eustatius
 
St. Barthélemy
 
St. Christophe
 
St. Croix
 
St. Lucia
 
St. Martin
 
St. Vincent
 
Tobago
class=notpageimage|
Islands in the Lesser Antilles

On 3 October 1677 d'Estrées left Brest for the West Indies with a squadron of seven ships of the line, four smaller ships, five en flûte ships and four fireships. It was the strongest naval force that France had ever sent to the Americas. D'Estrées had the 68-gun Terrible as his flagship. His second in command was François-Bénédict de Rouxel(fr), marquis de Grancey in the 64-gun Tonnant, and Blénac commanded the 60-gun Belliqueux. Blénac had instructions to coordinate his action as governor general with d'Estrées, and to recruit soldiers and colonists as reinforcements. The squadron sailed to the Cape Verde Islands, took the slaving island of Gorée (off Senegal) from the Dutch, then sailed fast to the Antilles. D'Estrées stopped briefly at Barbados to find out what he could about the strength of the Dutch, then reached Tobago on 6 December 1677.[10]

Blénac led the land force of 950 men, with an artillery train to besiege the Dutch fort.[10] The mortars and cannon had to be dragged about 4 miles (6.4 km) to the top of a hill that overlooked the fort, which took three days. The third shell fired by the French hit the powder magazine, and the explosion destroyed the fort. 250 men died, including Admiral Jacob Binckes and 16 officers. The French attacked at once and within an hour had seized what remained of the fort as well as four sinking ships. They took 600 prisoners.[11] The French destroyed all the houses and plantation buildings on the island, deported the people and abandoned the island.[9] This victory destroyed Dutch military power in the Antilles. D'Estrées next sailed to Martinique to prepare an attack on Curaçao.[11][a] Blénac raised a large contingent of buccaneers to support this expedition.[1]

Governor general of the Antilles (1677–90) edit

Peacetime (1677–88) edit

 
A lithograph of the unsuccessful Dutch attack on Martinique in 1674. One of Blénac's key priorities was to strengthen the island's defences.

During Blénac's time in office as governor general of the Antilles he devoted much of his energy to developing the city of Fort-Royal, Martinique, which de Baas had established as the seat of the lieutenant general of the Antilles.[12] He chose to live at Fort-Royal instead of Saint-Pierre to encourage growth of the town and the fortress. Before this, the town had been an unplanned cluster of buildings along the Carénage River. Blénac ordered the bogs around the site to be drained or filled in, making room for a grid of streets centered on a main square known as the Savane (Swamp). He began construction of a church and strengthened the defenses of the citadel.[13] He reported to the king in 1686,

I do not believe that you have in the islands of America a colonist better established than I am in Cul-de-Sac at Fort-Royal. There were not more than three sugar-refineries when I arrived; there are presently 57. There was not a single hen; now it is filled with cattle, pigs, horses, and poultry. I have made you a town and a church constructed of stone.... I have made you a fort which provides security for all these islands.[13]

In 1680, Blénac accused the colonial governor of Saint Croix of illegally allowing foreign merchants to conduct business, in particular slave traders.[14] Two years later, Jean-Baptiste Colbert appointed his first cousin Michel Bégon as intendant of the French colonies in the Caribbean, head of the civil and legal administration. He was charged with preparing an ordinance to regulate slavery in French American colonies.[15] Bégon sailed for Martinique that fall, where Blénac showed him what had been done so far on codifying the slave laws. Bégon spent the next three months studying all the slave ordinances of the French islands, then talked with leading officials and slave owners of Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint Christophe. He condensed his findings into a 16-page memorandum that was sent to Versailles in February 1683 and became the basis, with a few small adjustments, of the March 1685 edict known as the Code Noir (Black Code).[16] The king had asked Blénac to participate in drafting the slave code, but he claimed to have done little, and said only that Begin constructed the law "in his presence".[17] He did help make some provisions concerning slaves milder and more flexible.[12]

Blénac left the Martinique for France in March 1683, and returned in April 1684.[12] Claude de Roux de Saint-Laurent, chevalier de Saint-Laurent, acted as governor in his absence.[18] Just before the start of the Nine Years' War, in October 1688 the navy secretary, the marquis de Seignelay informed Blénac and the island governors to prepare to defend themselves against Spain, since war with Spain was likely once Louis XIV declared war on the Dutch Republic. The governors were to inspect their fortifications, prepare artillery batteries, and make their militias and local defense forces ready to fight. France would give no support other than send two privateers from Saint-Malo to attack Dutch ships.[12]

War with Holland and England (1688–90) edit

 
Plan du fort de la Basse terre de l'isle de St. Christophle signed by Blénac

At the start of the Nine Years' War (1688–97), in November 1688 Seignelay told Blénac to attack Sint Eustatius, to the northwest of Saint Christophe, destroy the island's fort and deport all the inhabitants. He was to use local forces only, and to cover the costs by selling slaves.[12] The minister changed his mind when he heard that several large Dutch privateers were leaving for the Antilles, and before year end he heard that privateers were pillaging some of the small and indefensible French islands. In March 1689 Seignelay sent the 52-gun Perle to Martinique, and after Louis XIV declared war on Spain in April 1689 he sent the frigates Mignon and Friponne to the Antilles to defend the colonies and the French traders, and to attack the Dutch privateers. When England declared war on France in May 1689 Seignelay placed four warships at the disposal of Blénac.[12] Blénac also used buccaneers as auxiliaries, particularly during the start of the war in 1689 during attacks on Saint Kitts and Sint Eustatius.[1]

In the West Indies the English would not cooperate with the Dutch, their allies. Blénac took advantage of this, and sent a secret expedition that captured Sint Eustatius.[12] On 28 March 1689 a small fleet of three ships, a brigantine, a bark and three smaller vessels under Blénac and the Intendant Gabriel Dumaitz de Goimpy was joined by another ship at Guadeloupe. At Saint Christopher (Saint Kitts) they were joined by three brigantines and three barks. With 17 vessels and 1,200 men Blénac set course for the Dutch island of Sint Eustatius, where he arrived on 3 April 1689. The Dutch under Governor Lucas Schorer were totally unprepared for the attack, and just two ships managed to escape carrying valuables.[19] The French landed at two places on the island, and after slight resistance the Dutch retreated into Fort Orange in the evening. The next morning, after the French threatened the fort with siege guns the Dutch surrendered and agreed to leave the island. The French destroyed all shore defenses, collected booty and departed, leaving a small 40-man garrison.[20]

 
Saint Christopher. Fort Charles is on the south coast of the west part. Basseterre, also on the south coast, is further east.

In July 1689 Blénac heard that there were violent disagreements on Saint Kitts between supporters of King William III of England and Irish Jacobites.[12] On 27 July 1689, after the dispatch vessel Perle had brought news that England and France were at war, Blénac sailed from Martinique with the warships Hasardeux, Émerillon, Loire, Dauphine and Cheval Marin, 14 merchantmen and 23 sloops. He arrived at Basseterre on the French part of Saint Christopher and landed his army, which quickly occupied all the south of the island. The English governor, Colonel Thomas Hill, took refuge with 400 to 500 defenders in Fort Charles.[20] Blénac settled down for a siege, and for two weeks bombarded the main gate with over 1,000 rounds, achieving little, while a trench was being dug towards the fort. The naval officer Jean-Baptiste du Casse then obtained permission to install a battery on nearby hill from which the interior of the fort could be seen; this was done on the night of 14–15 August. When the fort's defenders found their gunfire could not reach the new, higher battery they surrendered. The English colonists were all ordered to evacuate to Nevis, while the indentured Irish stayed and became French subjects. Blénac sailed for Martinique ten days later leaving Charles de Pechpeyrou-Comminges de Guitaut as governor.[20]

In response, an English force invaded and occupied Saint Barthélemy, making off with slaves, cattle and other goods, and burned all the houses. They made an attempt on Saint Martin that was driven off, then made a highly destructive raid on Marie-Galante. The French learned that the English governor Sir Christopher Codrington was planning to lead a force of about 2,300 to attack Martinique, and was waiting for warships to be fitted out in England to carry his force. Early in 1690 Blénac received over 30 merchantmen escorted by four warships, but chose to take no action against the English, and did not even have the resources to defend his recent conquests.[21]

Return to France (1690–96) edit

Subordinates such as Ducasse were so critical of Blénac's lack of action that he offered to resign.[1] Blénac left Martinique on 29 January 1690 and returned to France "on leave" on the Pont d'Or to defend himself at court.[13][1] By July the British had reconquered Saint Kitts and Sint Eustatius. Blénac's successor François d'Alesso, Marquis d'Éragny arrived on 5 February 1691 with 14 warships, strengthened the defenses and in May relieved the French defenders of Fort Saint-Charles in Guadeloupe, who had been besieged by the English. On his return to Martinique d'Eragny was among the victims of an outbreak of yellow fever in August 1691.[13]

Governor general of the Antilles (1692–96) edit

 
Louis Phélypeaux, comte de Pontchartrain, chancelier de France

Louis XIV sent Jean-Baptiste du Casse to help defend the Antilles late in 1691.[22] The king reappointed Blénac as governor general of the Windward Islands.[3] The comte de Pontchartrain gave Blénac a fleet of ten warships, one frigate and two fire ships. He was ordered to attack Barbados and go on to destroy the property of the English colonists in the Leeward Islands. Blénac arrived back in Martinique on 4 February 1692.[23]

On 2 March 1692 a convoy of merchant ships escorted by Commodore Ralph Wrenn was passing between Guadeloupe and Désirade.[24] The English found Blénac ahead of them in his flagship, the 62-gun Vermandois, supported by the Vaillant, Léger, François, Droite, Basque, Chasseur, Solide, Bouffone, Jersey, Neptune and five smaller vessels. The English were completely outnumbered, and set a course to the leeward in the hope of protecting the convoy. Blénac engaged the next day, but Wrenn outmanoeuvred him and managed to escape to the south. Wrenn reached Barbados three days later without any losses.[25]

After this the English and French found themselves in a stalemate, where neither could risk invading an enemy island while the other's fleet was intact.[23] The crews of both squadrons suffered from yellow fever, and Wrenn died of the disease. Blénac only had enough sailors to man three warships by the start of July. News came that the English were organizing a major expedition under Sir Francis Wheler to attach the French Antilles. Blénac was told he could not expect help from France. Blénac had been accompanied to Martinique by an engineer, Sieur de Caylus, and during 1692 he directed improvements to the island's defenses while Blénac organized the militia of almost 1,400 men. Pontchartrain ordered that the five vessels of the French navy in the Antilles leave by 1 March 1693.[26]

In 1693 Blénac and the governor of Martinique, Nicolas de Gabaret, repulsed the English when they attempted invasion with a force of 4,000 men.[4][b] The English expedition under Admiral Wheler had 15 warships 3 fire ships, 28 transports and almost 2,000 soldiers, to which Barbados added another 1,000 men. This force invaded in March 1693, and took control of a large area with little opposition. English reinforcements under Captain General Christopher Codrington arrived within two weeks, but the combined force did not engage in serious fighting.[27] The English captured 3,000 black slaves, valued at £60,000. An ineffective attack was made on Saint Pierre, then the force departed. Various explanations have been given for the failure to make a serious effort to capture the island. The reason seems to be a combination of the climate, raw troops including unenthusiastic Irish and superior French forces. The French under Ducasse retaliated, but limited their activity to plundering.[28]

Blénac died near Fort Royal, Martinique on the night of 8-9 June 1696 from lingering dysentery.[2][29] He was succeeded by the Thomas-Claude Renart de Fuchsamberg, marquis d'Amblimont.[30]

Notes edit

  1. ^ D'Estrées delayed the attack on Curaçao for four months while he tried to recruit more forces, and finally left on 7 May. His fleet ran onto coral reefs off the Las Aves archipelago, lost all but one of the ships of the line, and was forced to return to France.[11]
  2. ^ A 1780 French history says the English force was led by "Admiral Houkille".[4]

Citations edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Marley 2010, p. 48.
  2. ^ a b c Eclavea 2018.
  3. ^ a b Lampin.
  4. ^ a b c d d'Aspect 1780, p. 205.
  5. ^ Sommerville.
  6. ^ Woodcock 1867, p. 29.
  7. ^ Marley 1998, p. 184.
  8. ^ a b Marley 1998, p. 185.
  9. ^ a b Woodcock 1867, p. 30.
  10. ^ a b Pritchard 2004, p. 293.
  11. ^ a b c Pritchard 2004, p. 294.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h Pritchard 2004, p. 304.
  13. ^ a b c d Marley 2005, p. 171.
  14. ^ O'Malley 2014, p. 155.
  15. ^ Rushforth 2013, p. 122.
  16. ^ Rushforth 2013, p. 123.
  17. ^ Rushforth 2013, p. 123 fn78.
  18. ^ Cahoon.
  19. ^ Marley 1998, p. 200.
  20. ^ a b c Marley 1998, p. 201.
  21. ^ Pritchard 2004, p. 305.
  22. ^ Morgan 1930, p. 391.
  23. ^ a b Pritchard 2004, p. 308.
  24. ^ Marley 1998, p. 207.
  25. ^ Marley 1998, p. 208.
  26. ^ Pritchard 2004, p. 309.
  27. ^ Morgan 1930, p. 395.
  28. ^ Morgan 1930, p. 396.
  29. ^ Marley 2010, pp. 48–49.
  30. ^ Marley 2010, p. 498.

Sources edit

  • d'Aspect, M. (1780), Histoire de l'Ordre royal et militaire de St-Louis (in French), Duchesne, retrieved 2018-08-31
  • Cahoon, Ben, Martinique, retrieved 2018-09-01
  • Eclavea, Christine (25 May 2018), "Charles de Courbon, comte de Blénac", Geni (in French), retrieved 2018-08-31
  • Lampin, Didier, "Charles de Blénac, marquis de la Roche-Courbon, comte de Blénac (1622-1696)", La Martinique à la carte... (in French), retrieved 2018-08-31
  • Marley, David (1998), Wars of the Americas: A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World, 1492 to the Present, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-0-87436-837-6, retrieved 2018-09-01
  • Marley, David (2005), Historic Cities of the Americas: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-57607-027-7, retrieved 2018-09-01
  • Marley, David (2010), Pirates of the Americas, ABC-CLIO, ISBN 978-1-59884-201-2, retrieved 2018-09-03
  • Morgan, William Thomas (September 1930), "The British West Indies during King William's War (1689-97)", The Journal of Modern History, 2 (3): 378–409, doi:10.1086/235621, JSTOR 1898817, S2CID 144978109
  • O'Malley, Gregory E. (2014-09-02), Final Passages: The Intercolonial Slave Trade of British America, 1619-1807, UNC Press Books, ISBN 978-1-4696-1535-6, retrieved 2018-09-01
  • Pritchard, James S. (2004-01-22), In Search of Empire: The French in the Americas, 1670-1730, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-82742-3, retrieved 2018-08-31
  • Rushforth, Brett (2013-06-01), Bonds of Alliance: Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France, UNC Press Books, ISBN 978-0-8078-3817-4, retrieved 2018-09-01
  • Sommerville, J.P., , University of Wisconsin–Madison, archived from the original on 2018-09-01, retrieved 2018-09-01
  • Woodcock, Henry Iles (1867), A History of Tobago, author, retrieved 2018-09-01

Further reading edit

  • Baudrit, André (1967), Charles de Courbon, comte de Blénac, 1622-1696, gouverneur général des Antilles françaises, 1677-1696 ..., Société d'histoire de la Martinique, p. 208

charles, courbon, blénac, charles, courbon, comte, blénac, 1622, june, 1696, french, colonial, administration, served, governor, general, french, antilles, during, 17th, century, experienced, soldier, fought, king, during, fronde, before, becoming, naval, offi. Charles de Courbon comte de Blenac 1622 10 June 1696 was a French colonial administration who served as governor general of the French Antilles during the 17th century He was an experienced soldier and fought for the king during the Fronde before becoming a naval officer in the French Navy Towards the end of the Franco Dutch War he led the land forces that captured Tobago from the Dutch before taking command of the French Antilles During the Nine Years War he was active in the struggle with the English and Dutch in the Windward Islands He captured Sint Eustatius and Saint Kitts and defended Martinique against a large English expedition in 1693 Charles de Courbon marquis de la Roche Courbon comte de BlenacLieutenant general of the French AntillesIn office 1677 February 1683Preceded byJean Charles de BaasGabriel de Jolinet interim Succeeded byClaude de Roux interim Lieutenant general of the French AntillesIn office 20 April 1684 February 1691Preceded byClaude de Roux interim Succeeded byFrancois d Alesso Marquis d EragnyGovernor general of the French AntillesIn office 24 November 1691 June 1696Preceded byCharles de Pechpeyrou Comminges de GuitautSucceeded byThomas Claude Renart de FuchsambergPersonal detailsBorn1622Romegoux Saintonge FranceDied9 10 June 1696Fort Royal MartiniqueOccupationSoldier naval officer Contents 1 Early years 1622 77 2 First Battle of Tobago March 1677 3 Second Battle of Tobago December 1677 4 Governor general of the Antilles 1677 90 4 1 Peacetime 1677 88 4 2 War with Holland and England 1688 90 5 Return to France 1690 96 6 Governor general of the Antilles 1692 96 7 Notes 8 Citations 9 Sources 10 Further readingEarly years 1622 77 editCharles de Blenac Marquis de la Roche Courbon was born to a noble family in 1622 in Romegoux Saintonge 1 2 His parents were Jacques de Courbon Blenac and Marie Thison dame de La Sauzaie His sister Marie married Andre de Talleyrand Perigord Charles de Blenac married Angelique de La Rochefoucauld daughter of Louis de la Rochefoucauld seigneur de Bayeres 2 She was the widow of his cousin They would have eleven children 1 During the Fronde rebellion 1648 53 Blenac supported the infant King Louis XIV of France and in recognition of his services was made count of Blenac in 1659 3 For a long time he served in the land armies reaching the rank of marechal de camp 4 In 1669 he transferred to the navy which was then in the process of being formed 1 He advanced quickly through the ranks and became capitaine de vaisseau 4 He commanded the Infante in the expedition of Jean II d Estrees against the Barbary pirates He commanded the Fort in the Battle of Solebay in 1672 Blenac was quick to take offense and early in 1673 was briefly imprisoned for insulting a superior officer After his release in August 1673 he was captain of Fortune in the Battle of Texel 1 First Battle of Tobago March 1677 editThe Franco Dutch War began in 1672 and lasted until the Treaties of Nijmegen in 1678 5 nbsp First Battle of Tobago The Glorieux fires at burning Dutch ships In the action of March 1677 a French force under Admiral Jean II d Estrees attempted to take the Dutch fortress of Sterrshans on Tobago but was repulsed 6 D Estrees entered Klip Bay at dawn on 3 March 1677 in his flagship the 72 gun Glorieux accompanied by the 58 gun Precieux 46 gun Emerillon and 38 gun Laurier His second in command Louis Gabaret in the 56 gun Intrepide led a squadron nearer to the shore that included the 62 gun Fendant commanded by Blenac and four smaller ships The French engaged an arc of anchored Dutch warships under manned since the Dutch had transferred many men to the land defenses French land forces attempted to storm fort Sterreschans but were repulsed on three separate attempts The struggling ships in the harbour began to burn with fire spreading from one ship to another 7 Eventually the French had to break off after three ships had been burned to the waterline two run ashore and other badly damaged with over 1 000 casualties 8 D Estree withdrew toward Grenada and was back in France by early July 8 During the retreat to Grenada the French heard of the death of Jean Charles de Baas and Blenac was appointed to replace him as lieutenant general of the Antilles lieutenant general des isles d Amerique He returned to France with D Estrees to have his appointment confirmed 1 Louis XIV decided to mount another expedition against Tobago later in 1677 9 Blenac and returned with d Estrees in the autumn of 1677 taking office in November 1 Second Battle of Tobago December 1677 edit nbsp nbsp Antigua nbsp Barb ados nbsp Dominica nbsp Grenada nbsp Grenadines nbsp Guadeloupe nbsp Martinique nbsp SintEustatius nbsp St Barthelemy nbsp St Christophe nbsp St Croix nbsp St Lucia nbsp St Martin nbsp St Vincent nbsp Tobagoclass notpageimage Islands in the Lesser Antilles On 3 October 1677 d Estrees left Brest for the West Indies with a squadron of seven ships of the line four smaller ships five en flute ships and four fireships It was the strongest naval force that France had ever sent to the Americas D Estrees had the 68 gun Terrible as his flagship His second in command was Francois Benedict de Rouxel fr marquis de Grancey in the 64 gun Tonnant and Blenac commanded the 60 gun Belliqueux Blenac had instructions to coordinate his action as governor general with d Estrees and to recruit soldiers and colonists as reinforcements The squadron sailed to the Cape Verde Islands took the slaving island of Goree off Senegal from the Dutch then sailed fast to the Antilles D Estrees stopped briefly at Barbados to find out what he could about the strength of the Dutch then reached Tobago on 6 December 1677 10 Blenac led the land force of 950 men with an artillery train to besiege the Dutch fort 10 The mortars and cannon had to be dragged about 4 miles 6 4 km to the top of a hill that overlooked the fort which took three days The third shell fired by the French hit the powder magazine and the explosion destroyed the fort 250 men died including Admiral Jacob Binckes and 16 officers The French attacked at once and within an hour had seized what remained of the fort as well as four sinking ships They took 600 prisoners 11 The French destroyed all the houses and plantation buildings on the island deported the people and abandoned the island 9 This victory destroyed Dutch military power in the Antilles D Estrees next sailed to Martinique to prepare an attack on Curacao 11 a Blenac raised a large contingent of buccaneers to support this expedition 1 Governor general of the Antilles 1677 90 editPeacetime 1677 88 edit nbsp A lithograph of the unsuccessful Dutch attack on Martinique in 1674 One of Blenac s key priorities was to strengthen the island s defences During Blenac s time in office as governor general of the Antilles he devoted much of his energy to developing the city of Fort Royal Martinique which de Baas had established as the seat of the lieutenant general of the Antilles 12 He chose to live at Fort Royal instead of Saint Pierre to encourage growth of the town and the fortress Before this the town had been an unplanned cluster of buildings along the Carenage River Blenac ordered the bogs around the site to be drained or filled in making room for a grid of streets centered on a main square known as the Savane Swamp He began construction of a church and strengthened the defenses of the citadel 13 He reported to the king in 1686 I do not believe that you have in the islands of America a colonist better established than I am in Cul de Sac at Fort Royal There were not more than three sugar refineries when I arrived there are presently 57 There was not a single hen now it is filled with cattle pigs horses and poultry I have made you a town and a church constructed of stone I have made you a fort which provides security for all these islands 13 In 1680 Blenac accused the colonial governor of Saint Croix of illegally allowing foreign merchants to conduct business in particular slave traders 14 Two years later Jean Baptiste Colbert appointed his first cousin Michel Begon as intendant of the French colonies in the Caribbean head of the civil and legal administration He was charged with preparing an ordinance to regulate slavery in French American colonies 15 Begon sailed for Martinique that fall where Blenac showed him what had been done so far on codifying the slave laws Begon spent the next three months studying all the slave ordinances of the French islands then talked with leading officials and slave owners of Martinique Guadeloupe and Saint Christophe He condensed his findings into a 16 page memorandum that was sent to Versailles in February 1683 and became the basis with a few small adjustments of the March 1685 edict known as the Code Noir Black Code 16 The king had asked Blenac to participate in drafting the slave code but he claimed to have done little and said only that Begin constructed the law in his presence 17 He did help make some provisions concerning slaves milder and more flexible 12 Blenac left the Martinique for France in March 1683 and returned in April 1684 12 Claude de Roux de Saint Laurent chevalier de Saint Laurent acted as governor in his absence 18 Just before the start of the Nine Years War in October 1688 the navy secretary the marquis de Seignelay informed Blenac and the island governors to prepare to defend themselves against Spain since war with Spain was likely once Louis XIV declared war on the Dutch Republic The governors were to inspect their fortifications prepare artillery batteries and make their militias and local defense forces ready to fight France would give no support other than send two privateers from Saint Malo to attack Dutch ships 12 War with Holland and England 1688 90 edit nbsp Plan du fort de la Basse terre de l isle de St Christophle signed by BlenacAt the start of the Nine Years War 1688 97 in November 1688 Seignelay told Blenac to attack Sint Eustatius to the northwest of Saint Christophe destroy the island s fort and deport all the inhabitants He was to use local forces only and to cover the costs by selling slaves 12 The minister changed his mind when he heard that several large Dutch privateers were leaving for the Antilles and before year end he heard that privateers were pillaging some of the small and indefensible French islands In March 1689 Seignelay sent the 52 gun Perle to Martinique and after Louis XIV declared war on Spain in April 1689 he sent the frigates Mignon and Friponne to the Antilles to defend the colonies and the French traders and to attack the Dutch privateers When England declared war on France in May 1689 Seignelay placed four warships at the disposal of Blenac 12 Blenac also used buccaneers as auxiliaries particularly during the start of the war in 1689 during attacks on Saint Kitts and Sint Eustatius 1 In the West Indies the English would not cooperate with the Dutch their allies Blenac took advantage of this and sent a secret expedition that captured Sint Eustatius 12 On 28 March 1689 a small fleet of three ships a brigantine a bark and three smaller vessels under Blenac and the Intendant Gabriel Dumaitz de Goimpy was joined by another ship at Guadeloupe At Saint Christopher Saint Kitts they were joined by three brigantines and three barks With 17 vessels and 1 200 men Blenac set course for the Dutch island of Sint Eustatius where he arrived on 3 April 1689 The Dutch under Governor Lucas Schorer were totally unprepared for the attack and just two ships managed to escape carrying valuables 19 The French landed at two places on the island and after slight resistance the Dutch retreated into Fort Orange in the evening The next morning after the French threatened the fort with siege guns the Dutch surrendered and agreed to leave the island The French destroyed all shore defenses collected booty and departed leaving a small 40 man garrison 20 nbsp Saint Christopher Fort Charles is on the south coast of the west part Basseterre also on the south coast is further east In July 1689 Blenac heard that there were violent disagreements on Saint Kitts between supporters of King William III of England and Irish Jacobites 12 On 27 July 1689 after the dispatch vessel Perle had brought news that England and France were at war Blenac sailed from Martinique with the warships Hasardeux Emerillon Loire Dauphine and Cheval Marin 14 merchantmen and 23 sloops He arrived at Basseterre on the French part of Saint Christopher and landed his army which quickly occupied all the south of the island The English governor Colonel Thomas Hill took refuge with 400 to 500 defenders in Fort Charles 20 Blenac settled down for a siege and for two weeks bombarded the main gate with over 1 000 rounds achieving little while a trench was being dug towards the fort The naval officer Jean Baptiste du Casse then obtained permission to install a battery on nearby hill from which the interior of the fort could be seen this was done on the night of 14 15 August When the fort s defenders found their gunfire could not reach the new higher battery they surrendered The English colonists were all ordered to evacuate to Nevis while the indentured Irish stayed and became French subjects Blenac sailed for Martinique ten days later leaving Charles de Pechpeyrou Comminges de Guitaut as governor 20 In response an English force invaded and occupied Saint Barthelemy making off with slaves cattle and other goods and burned all the houses They made an attempt on Saint Martin that was driven off then made a highly destructive raid on Marie Galante The French learned that the English governor Sir Christopher Codrington was planning to lead a force of about 2 300 to attack Martinique and was waiting for warships to be fitted out in England to carry his force Early in 1690 Blenac received over 30 merchantmen escorted by four warships but chose to take no action against the English and did not even have the resources to defend his recent conquests 21 Return to France 1690 96 editSubordinates such as Ducasse were so critical of Blenac s lack of action that he offered to resign 1 Blenac left Martinique on 29 January 1690 and returned to France on leave on the Pont d Or to defend himself at court 13 1 By July the British had reconquered Saint Kitts and Sint Eustatius Blenac s successor Francois d Alesso Marquis d Eragny arrived on 5 February 1691 with 14 warships strengthened the defenses and in May relieved the French defenders of Fort Saint Charles in Guadeloupe who had been besieged by the English On his return to Martinique d Eragny was among the victims of an outbreak of yellow fever in August 1691 13 Governor general of the Antilles 1692 96 edit nbsp Louis Phelypeaux comte de Pontchartrain chancelier de FranceLouis XIV sent Jean Baptiste du Casse to help defend the Antilles late in 1691 22 The king reappointed Blenac as governor general of the Windward Islands 3 The comte de Pontchartrain gave Blenac a fleet of ten warships one frigate and two fire ships He was ordered to attack Barbados and go on to destroy the property of the English colonists in the Leeward Islands Blenac arrived back in Martinique on 4 February 1692 23 On 2 March 1692 a convoy of merchant ships escorted by Commodore Ralph Wrenn was passing between Guadeloupe and Desirade 24 The English found Blenac ahead of them in his flagship the 62 gun Vermandois supported by the Vaillant Leger Francois Droite Basque Chasseur Solide Bouffone Jersey Neptuneand five smaller vessels The English were completely outnumbered and set a course to the leeward in the hope of protecting the convoy Blenac engaged the next day but Wrenn outmanoeuvred him and managed to escape to the south Wrenn reached Barbados three days later without any losses 25 After this the English and French found themselves in a stalemate where neither could risk invading an enemy island while the other s fleet was intact 23 The crews of both squadrons suffered from yellow fever and Wrenn died of the disease Blenac only had enough sailors to man three warships by the start of July News came that the English were organizing a major expedition under Sir Francis Wheler to attach the French Antilles Blenac was told he could not expect help from France Blenac had been accompanied to Martinique by an engineer Sieur de Caylus and during 1692 he directed improvements to the island s defenses while Blenac organized the militia of almost 1 400 men Pontchartrain ordered that the five vessels of the French navy in the Antilles leave by 1 March 1693 26 In 1693 Blenac and the governor of Martinique Nicolas de Gabaret repulsed the English when they attempted invasion with a force of 4 000 men 4 b The English expedition under Admiral Wheler had 15 warships 3 fire ships 28 transports and almost 2 000 soldiers to which Barbados added another 1 000 men This force invaded in March 1693 and took control of a large area with little opposition English reinforcements under Captain General Christopher Codrington arrived within two weeks but the combined force did not engage in serious fighting 27 The English captured 3 000 black slaves valued at 60 000 An ineffective attack was made on Saint Pierre then the force departed Various explanations have been given for the failure to make a serious effort to capture the island The reason seems to be a combination of the climate raw troops including unenthusiastic Irish and superior French forces The French under Ducasse retaliated but limited their activity to plundering 28 Blenac died near Fort Royal Martinique on the night of 8 9 June 1696 from lingering dysentery 2 29 He was succeeded by the Thomas Claude Renart de Fuchsamberg marquis d Amblimont 30 Notes edit D Estrees delayed the attack on Curacao for four months while he tried to recruit more forces and finally left on 7 May His fleet ran onto coral reefs off the Las Aves archipelago lost all but one of the ships of the line and was forced to return to France 11 A 1780 French history says the English force was led by Admiral Houkille 4 Citations edit a b c d e f g h i j Marley 2010 p 48 a b c Eclavea 2018 a b Lampin a b c d d Aspect 1780 p 205 Sommerville Woodcock 1867 p 29 Marley 1998 p 184 a b Marley 1998 p 185 a b Woodcock 1867 p 30 a b Pritchard 2004 p 293 a b c Pritchard 2004 p 294 a b c d e f g h Pritchard 2004 p 304 a b c d Marley 2005 p 171 O Malley 2014 p 155 Rushforth 2013 p 122 Rushforth 2013 p 123 Rushforth 2013 p 123 fn78 Cahoon Marley 1998 p 200 a b c Marley 1998 p 201 Pritchard 2004 p 305 Morgan 1930 p 391 a b Pritchard 2004 p 308 Marley 1998 p 207 Marley 1998 p 208 Pritchard 2004 p 309 Morgan 1930 p 395 Morgan 1930 p 396 Marley 2010 pp 48 49 Marley 2010 p 498 Sources editd Aspect M 1780 Histoire de l Ordre royal et militaire de St Louis in French Duchesne retrieved 2018 08 31 Cahoon Ben Martinique retrieved 2018 09 01 Eclavea Christine 25 May 2018 Charles de Courbon comte de Blenac Geni in French retrieved 2018 08 31 Lampin Didier Charles de Blenac marquis de la Roche Courbon comte de Blenac 1622 1696 La Martinique a la carte in French retrieved 2018 08 31 Marley David 1998 Wars of the Americas A Chronology of Armed Conflict in the New World 1492 to the Present ABC CLIO ISBN 978 0 87436 837 6 retrieved 2018 09 01 Marley David 2005 Historic Cities of the Americas An Illustrated Encyclopedia ABC CLIO ISBN 978 1 57607 027 7 retrieved 2018 09 01 Marley David 2010 Pirates of the Americas ABC CLIO ISBN 978 1 59884 201 2 retrieved 2018 09 03 Morgan William Thomas September 1930 The British West Indies during King William s War 1689 97 The Journal of Modern History 2 3 378 409 doi 10 1086 235621 JSTOR 1898817 S2CID 144978109 O Malley Gregory E 2014 09 02 Final Passages The Intercolonial Slave Trade of British America 1619 1807 UNC Press Books ISBN 978 1 4696 1535 6 retrieved 2018 09 01 Pritchard James S 2004 01 22 In Search of Empire The French in the Americas 1670 1730 Cambridge University Press ISBN 978 0 521 82742 3 retrieved 2018 08 31 Rushforth Brett 2013 06 01 Bonds of Alliance Indigenous and Atlantic Slaveries in New France UNC Press Books ISBN 978 0 8078 3817 4 retrieved 2018 09 01 Sommerville J P The wars of Louis XIV University of Wisconsin Madison archived from the original on 2018 09 01 retrieved 2018 09 01 Woodcock Henry Iles 1867 A History of Tobago author retrieved 2018 09 01Further reading editBaudrit Andre 1967 Charles de Courbon comte de Blenac 1622 1696 gouverneur general des Antilles francaises 1677 1696 Societe d histoire de la Martinique p 208 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Charles de Courbon de Blenac amp oldid 1157216629, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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