Sébastien Le Prestre, Marquis of Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre | |
---|---|
Born | 15 May 1633 Saint-Léger-de-Fourcheret, Burgundy, Kingdom of France |
Died | 30 March 1707 Paris, Kingdom of France | (aged 73)
Buried | Bazoches, later reburied in Les Invalides |
Allegiance | France |
Service/ | |
Years of service | 1651–1703 |
Rank | Maréchal de France , 1703 |
Commands held | Commissaire général des fortifications (Commissioner General of Fortifications) (1678–1703) |
Battles/wars | |
Awards |
|
Signature |
Sébastien Le Prestre,
His principles for fortifications were widely used for nearly 100 years, while aspects of his offensive tactics remained in use until the mid-twentieth century. He viewed civilian infrastructure as closely connected to military effectiveness and worked on many of France's major ports, as well as projects like the Canal de la Bruche, which remains in use today. He founded the Corps royal des ingénieurs militaires, whose curriculum was based on his publications on engineering design, strategy and training.
His economic tract, La Dîme royale, used statistics in support of his arguments, making it a precursor of modern economics. Later destroyed by
Perhaps the most enduring aspect of Vauban's legacy was his view of France as a geographical entity. His advocacy of giving up territory for a more coherent and defensible border was unusual for the period; the boundaries of the French state he proposed in the north and east have changed very little in the four centuries since.[2]
Early life and education
Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban was born in May 1633, in Saint-Léger-de-Foucheret, renamed Saint-Léger-Vauban by Napoleon III in 1867, in the Yonne, now part of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. His parents, Urbain Le Prestre (c. 1602–1652) and Edmée de Cormignolle (died c. 1651), were members of the minor nobility, from Vauban in Bazoches.[1]
In 1570, his grandfather Jacques Le Prestre acquired
His only sister, Charlotte (1638–1645?), died young, but he had many relatives; his cousin, Paul le Prestre (c. 1630 – 1703), was an army officer who supervised construction of Les Invalides.[4] Three of Paul's sons served in the army, two of whom were killed in action in 1676 and 1677. The third, Antoine (1654–1731), became Vauban's assistant and later a lieutenant-general; in 1710, he was appointed Governor of Béthune for life, while he inherited Vauban's titles and the bulk of his lands.[5]
Vauban's family was impacted by the domestic conflict and foreign wars, including the
Career
In 1643, at the age of ten, Vauban was sent to the
In 1650, Vauban joined the household of his local magnate, the Prince de Condé, where he met de Montal; a close neighbour from Nièvre, the two were colleagues for many years, and often worked together.[9] During the 1650–1653 Fronde des nobles, Condé was arrested by the Regency Council, led by Louis XIV's mother Anne of Austria and Cardinal Mazarin. After being released in 1652, he and his supporters, among them Vauban and de Montal, went into exile in the Spanish Netherlands and allied with the Spanish.[10]
In early 1653, when Vauban worked on the defences of Sainte-Menehould, one of Condé's principal possessions,[11] he was captured by a Royalist patrol and switched sides, serving in the force led by Louis Nicolas de Clerville that took Sainte-Menehould in November 1653. Clerville, later appointed Commissaire général des fortifications, employed him on siege operations and building fortifications. In 1655, Vauban was appointed Ingénieur du Roi or Royal Engineer, and by the time the war with Spain ended in 1659, he was known as a talented engineer of energy and courage.[12]
Under the terms of the Treaty of the Pyrenees, Spain ceded much of French Flanders, and Vauban was put in charge of fortifying newly acquired towns such as Dunkirk. This pattern of French territorial gains, followed by fortification of new strongpoints, was followed in the 1667–1668 War of Devolution, 1672–1678 Franco-Dutch War and 1683-1684 War of the Reunions.
The first fortification Vauban designed was the 1673 siege of Maastricht, although he was subordinate to Louis, who ranked as the senior officer present, and thus took credit for its capture.[13] Vauban was rewarded with a large sum of money, which he used to purchase the Château de Bazouches from his cousin in 1675.[14]
Post-1673, French strategy in Flanders was based on a memorandum from Vauban to Louvois, Minister of War, setting out a proposed line of fortresses known as the Ceinture de fer, or iron belt (see Map). He was made Maréchal de camp in 1676, and succeeded Clerville as Commissaire general des fortifications in 1677.[15]
During the Nine Years' War, he supervised the capture of Namur in 1692, the major French achievement of the war, while the 1697 siege of Ath is often considered his offensive masterpiece.[16] He was rewarded with money, and made Comte de Vauban, a member of the Order of the Holy Spirit and Order of Saint Louis, and an Honorary Member of the French Academy of Sciences.[17]
The numbers needed to conduct a siege, and prevent interference from opponents meant armies of the Nine Years' War often exceeded 100,000 men, sizes unsustainable for pre-industrial societies.[18] It prompted a change in tactics, Marlborough arguing winning one battle was more beneficial than taking 12 fortresses.[19] The armies of the War of the Spanish Succession averaged around 35,000, and siege warfare superseded by a greater emphasis on mobility.[20]
In 1703, Vauban was promoted
With more leisure time, Vauban developed a broader view of his role. His fortifications were designed for mutual support, so they required connecting roads, bridges and canals; garrisons needed to be fed, so he prepared maps showing the location of forges, forests and farms. Since these had to be paid for, he developed an interest in tax policy, and in 1707 published La Dîme royale, documenting the economic misery of the lower classes. His solution was a flat 10% tax on all agricultural and industrial output, and eliminating the exemptions which meant most of the nobility and clergy paid nothing. Although confiscated and destroyed by royal decree, the use of statistics to support his arguments "... establishes him as a founder of modern economics, and precursor of the Enlightenment's socially concerned intellectuals."[22][citation needed]
In the course of his career, Vauban supervised or designed the building of more than 300 separate fortifications, [a] and by his own estimate, supervised more than 40 sieges from 1653 to 1697.[23]
Personal life and death
In 1660, Vauban married Jeanne d'Aunay d'Epiry (ca 1640–1705); they had two daughters, Charlotte (1661–1709) and Jeanne Françoise (1678–1713), as well as a short-lived infant son.
Vauban died in Paris on 30 March 1707; buried near his home in
Doctrines and legacy
Offensive doctrines; siege warfare
While his modern fame rests on the fortifications he built, Vauban's greatest innovations were in offensive operations, an approach he summarised as 'More powder, less blood.' Initially reliant on existing concepts, he later adapted these on lines set out in his memorandum of March 1672, Mémoire pour servir à l'instruction dans la conduite des sièges.[27]
In this period, sieges became the dominant form of warfare; during the 1672–1678 Franco-Dutch War, three battles were fought in the Spanish Netherlands, of which only Seneffe was unrelated to a siege. Their importance was heightened by Louis XIV, who viewed them as low-risk opportunities for demonstrating his military skill and increasing his prestige; he was present at 20 of those conducted by Vauban.[28]
The 'siege parallel' had been in development since the mid-16th century but Vauban brought the idea to practical fulfilment at Maastricht in 1673.[29] Three parallel trenches were dug in front of the walls, the earth thus excavated being used to create embankments screening the attackers from defensive fire, while bringing them as close to the assault point as possible (see diagram). Artillery was moved into the trenches, allowing them to target the base of the walls at close range, with the defenders unable to depress their own guns enough to counter this; once a breach had been made, it was then stormed. This approach was used in offensive operations well into the 20th century.[30]
However, Vauban adapted his approach to the situation, and did not use the siege parallel again until
Vauban made several innovations in the use of siege artillery, including ricochet firing, and concentrating on specific parts of the fortifications, rather than targeting multiple targets. His Dutch rival Menno van Coehoorn employed a similar approach. While the 'Van Coehoorn method' sought to overwhelm defences with massive firepower, such as the Grand Battery of 200 guns at Namur in 1695, Vauban preferred a more gradual approach.[32] Both had their supporters; Vauban argued his was less costly in terms of casualties, but it took more time, an important consideration in an age when far more soldiers died from disease than in combat.[33]
Defensive doctrines; fortifications
It was accepted even the strongest fortifications would fall, given time; the process was so well understood by the 1690s, betting on the length of a siege became a popular craze.[34] As few states could afford large standing armies, defenders needed time to mobilise; to provide this, fortresses were designed to absorb the attackers' energies, similar to the use of crumple zones in modern cars.[35] The French defence of Namur in 1695 showed "how one could effectively win a campaign, by losing a fortress, but exhausting the besiegers."[36]
As with the siege parallel, the strength of Vauban's defensive designs was his ability to synthesise and adapt the work of others to create a more powerful whole. His first works used the 'star-shape' or bastion fort design, also known as the trace Italienne, based on the designs of Antoine de Ville (1596–1656) and Blaise Pagan (1603–1665).[37] His subsequent 'systems' strengthened their internal works with the addition of casemated shoulders and flanks.[28]
The principles of Vauban's 'second system' were set out in the 1683 work Le Directeur-Général des fortifications, and used at
The French retreat from the Rhine after 1697 required new fortresses; Neuf-Brisach was the most significant, designed on Vauban's 'third system', and completed after his death by Louis de Cormontaigne. Using ideas from Fort-Louis, this incorporated a regular square grid street pattern inside an octagonal fortification; tenement blocks were built inside each curtain wall, strengthening the defensive walls and shielding more expensive houses from cannon fire.[41]
To create a more coherent border, Vauban advocated destroying poor fortifications, and relinquishing territory that was hard to defend. In December 1672, he wrote to Louvois: "I am not for the greater number of places, we already have too many, and please God we had half of that, but all in good condition!" [42]
Many of the fortifications designed by Vauban are still standing; in 2008,
Infrastructure and engineering
While often overlooked, Vauban worked on many civilian infrastructure projects, including rebuilding the ports of
His holistic approach to urban planning, which integrated city defences with layout and infrastructure, is most obvious at Neuf-Brisach. His legacy is recognised in the Vauban district in Freiburg, developed as a model for sustainable neighbourhoods post-1998.[45]
Vauban's 'scientific approach' and focus on large infrastructure projects strongly influenced American military and civil engineering and inspired the creation of the
To ensure a steady supply of skilled engineers, in 1690 Vauban established the Corps royal des ingénieurs militaires; until his death, candidates had to pass an examination administered by Vauban himself. Young French Huguenots made up a disproportionately high number of successful engineers due to the social and educational characteristics of French Protestantism. After the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, a significant number of these engineers joined the English and Dutch armies to fight in Ireland, Flanders and Spain.[48] Many of his publications, including Traité de l'attaque des places and Traité des mines, were written at the end of his career to provide a training curriculum for his successors.[49]
Assessment
Vauban's offensive tactics remained relevant for centuries; his principles were clearly identifiable in those used by the
Vauban's reputation meant his designs remained in use long after developments in artillery made them obsolete, for example the Dutch fort of Bourtange, built in 1742. The Corps des ingénieurs militaires was based on his teachings; between 1699 and 1743, only 631 new candidates were accepted, the vast majority relatives of existing or former members.[52] As a result, French military engineering became ultra-conservative, while many 'new' works used his designs, or professed to do so, such as those built by Louis de Cortmontaigne at Metz in 1728–1733. This persisted into the late 19th century; Fort de Queuleu, built in 1867 near Metz, is recognisably a Vauban-style design.[53]
Some French engineers continued to be innovators, notably the Marquis de Montalembert, who published La Fortification perpendiculaire in 1776. A rejection of the principles advocated by Vauban and his successors; his ideas became the prevailing orthodoxy in much of Europe but were dismissed in France.[54]
See also
- Vauban fortifications
- Fortifications of Vauban UNESCO World Heritage Sites: UNESCO World Heritage Sites preserving many of Vauban's fortifications.
Notes
- Freiburg im Breisgau, Lille (Citadel of Lille), Rochefort, Saint-Jean-de-Luz (Fort Socoa), Saint-Martin-de-Ré, Toulon, Wimereux, Le Portel, and Cézembre[23]
References
- ^ a b Vauban 1633-1707.
- ^ Langins 2004, p. 11.
- ^ Pujo 1991, p. 112.
- ^ Lepage 2009, p. 17.
- ^ Desvoyes 1872, p. 13.
- ^ Pujo 1991, p. 152.
- ^ a b Wolfe 2009, p. 151.
- ^ Latcham 2004.
- ^ Moreri 1749, p. 690.
- ^ Tucker 2009, p. 654.
- ^ Duffy 1995, p. 136.
- ^ Lepage 2009, p. 9.
- ^ Lepage 2009, p. 57.
- ^ "Château de Bazoches". Chemins de Mémoires. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
- ^ Wolfe 2009, p. 149.
- ^ Ostwald 2006, p. 47.
- ^ Leridon 2004, p. 85.
- ^ Childs 1991, p. 2.
- ^ Van Hoof 2004, p. 83.
- ^ Lynn 1999, p. 309.
- ^ Kamen 2001, pp. 70–72.
- ^ France, Dejean 2005.
- ^ a b Lepage 2009, pp. 57–58.
- ^ Desvoyes 1872, pp. 11–12.
- ^ "F Marie-Antoinette du PUY-MONTBRUN la Belle Mademoiselle de Villefranche". Geneanet. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Dome des Invalides". Musée de l'Armée Invalides. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
- ^ Lepage 2009, p. 43.
- ^ a b Holmes 2011.
- ^ Duffy 1995, p. 10.
- ^ Vesilind 2010, p. 23.
- ^ De Périni 1896, p. 186.
- ^ Ostwald 2006, pp. 285–286.
- ^ Afflerbach & Strachan 2012, pp. 159–160.
- ^ Manning 2006, pp. 413–414.
- ^ Afflerbach & Strachan 2012, p. 159.
- ^ Lynn 1999, pp. 248–249.
- ^ Lepage 2009, pp. 69–72.
- ^ Duffy 1995, p. 20.
- ^ "Fortress Mont Royal". Traben-Tarbach Tourist Information. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
- ^ "Fort Louis". The Fortifications of Vauban. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ Dobroslav 1992, p. 221.
- ^ Lepage 2009, p. 142.
- ^ "Fortifications of Vauban". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
- ^ Allende 1805, pp. 688–691.
- ^ Schiller 2010, Box 10.7.
- ^ Klosky & Klosky 2013, pp. 69–87.
- ^ Baldwin.
- ^ Mousnier 1979, pp. 577–578].
- ^ Ostwald 2006, pp. 123–124.
- ^ Lepage 2009, p. 56.
- ^ Lynn 1997, p. 62.
- ^ Mousnier 1979, pp. 577–578.
- ^ Lepage 2009, pp. 283–284.
- ^ Delon & Picon 2001, pp. 540–451.
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