Hubert de Brienne
Hubert de Brienne, Comte de Conflans | |
---|---|
Born | 1690 Paris |
Died | 27 January 1777 (aged 86 or 87) Paris |
Allegiance | Kingdom of France |
Service/ | French Navy |
Years of service | 1706–1777 |
Rank | Chef d'escadre |
Battles/wars | Quiberon Bay |
Awards | Marshal of France |
Hubert de Brienne, Comte de Conflans (1690, in Paris – 27 January 1777, in Paris) was a French naval commander.
Early life
The son of Henri Jacob marquis de Conflans and Marie du Bouchet, at 15 he was made a knight of the Order of Saint Lazarus and the following year entered the Gardes de la Marine school at Brest. He then served in the War of the Spanish Succession under Duquesne-Guitton (from 1708 to 1709) and Duguay-Trouin (1710), in which he received his baptism of fire, taking part in the capture of two merchant ships.
In 1712, he was made ensign and participated in several anti-pirate operations in the Caribbean and on the Moroccan coast. In 1721, he was sent on a mission to Constantinople, and then in 1723 cruised along the coast of Saint-Domingue and took part in the repression of the troubles there.
First commands and governor-general of Saint-Dominique
He was made lieutenant in 1727 and carried out two campaigns in the Mediterranean. Then, in 1731, he served as lieutenant of the gardes de la Marine at Rochefort. The following year he was made knight of the Order of Saint Louis and from 1733 to 1734 commanded a flotilla charged with guarding the transport of men and munitions to Cayenne and Martinique. That same year, he was promoted to captain, and served again under Duguay Trouin then under the marquis d'Antin during the War of the Polish Succession.
In 1741, he commanded the gardes de la Marine school at Brest, where he had begun his career. Eventually, he was put in command of the Content and captured the British ship of the line Northumberland on 8 May 1744. On board the Terrible he escorted Atlantic convoys.
In 1747, he was made governor-general of Saint-Domingue, but on the voyage to take up the post his vessel was engaged by British warships and his ship was captured. He was freed in 1748, thanks to the treaty of Aix la Chapelle, on which he was made "chef d'escadre", a role he held up to 1751. In 1752 he became lieutenant général of the navy.
Seven Years' War and the battle of Quiberon Bay
In 1756 he received the rank of vice-admiral of the
Planned invasion
In 1759, he was put in charge with landing troops in Scotland for an invasion of England organised by Louis XV,
Opposing currents diverted the marshal from his initial route and Conflans did not sight
Disgraced, he passed his last years in Paris where he died in 1777. His post of vice admiral of the Ponant would be given to the Joseph de Bauffremont, his subaltern at Quiberon Bay.