Jean d'Estrées, Count of Estrées
Jean d'Estrées | |
---|---|
Count of Estrées | |
Father | François Annibal d'Estrées, Duke of Estrées |
Mother | Marie de Béthune |
Jean d'Estrées, Count of Estrées (3 November 1624 – 19 May 1707), was a Marshal of France, and an important naval commander of Louis XIV. He was born into a noble family from Picardy. His aunt was Gabrielle d'Estrées, a mistress of King Henry IV of France.
In the Army
Like his father François Annibal d'Estrées, also Marshal of France, Jean pursued a military career from a very young age. He became a colonel at 23, a maréchal de camp at 25 and a lieutenant general at 33.
He fought in the
He was loyal to the Royal family during the
In 1668 he joined the new French Navy at the request of his friend Colbert. There his patron was the Duke of Beaufort. He rose through the ranks very fast, thanks to the influence of his family name, becoming a Vice-Admiral, and then Marshal of France in 1681.
His first campaign was in the Caribbean. He returned four times, becoming the French naval specialist in the region.
During the Franco-Dutch War, he was put in command of the French fleet which would fight alongside the English fleet against the Dutch. He participated on board the Saint Philippe in the Battle of Solebay in 1672 and the next year on the la Reine, in the Battle of Schooneveld and the Battle of Texel.
In 1676 and 1677, he conquered Gorée, Cayenne and Tobago, destroying the Dutch fleet based there.
Las Aves Disaster
Following his successes at Cayenne and Tobago, d'Estrées planned to attack the Dutch at
According to the captain of d'Estrées flagship
With the loss of half his fleet, d'Estrées had to return to France. He was exonerated of personal responsibility for the disaster.
Family
He married Marie Marguerite Morin and had the following children:
- Anne Jules de Noailles, Duke of Noailles)
- Jean d'Estrées (1666 - 3 March 1718), Archbishop of Cambrai.
- Jean César d'Estrées (1671) died young.
- Marie Anne d'Estrées (?-1723), nun in Paris.
- Marie Anne Catherine d'Estrées (1663-1741) married Marquis of Louvois.
References
- Dessert, Daniel (1996). La Royale. Vaisseaux et marins du Roi-Soleil. Paris: Fayard. pp. 187–191, 249–252. ISBN 2-213-02348-4.