Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de La Jonquière

Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de La Jonquière

Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de La Jonquière (born April 18, 1685 at Château Lasgraïsses near Albi , † March 17, 1752 in Québec ) was a French admiral and most recently Governor General of New France (Canada).

Career in the fleet

He was born in his family's castle near Albi. He joined the French navy in 1697 and was involved in missions to Constantinople and Cádiz in the following years . In 1702 he had distinguished himself in the Adriatic . La Jonquière was promoted to second lieutenant in 1703 . As deputy commander of the ship Galatée , he was involved in a battle with two Dutch privateers. The captain of his ship was killed and a ship was seized. A year later he took part in the war against Protestant camisards in the Cevennes . He then served on the ship Fendant , which was involved in the siege of Barcelona during the War of the Spanish Succession .

He was given command of a small ship. It was captured off Alicante in 1706 and exchanged in 1707. He then became the commandant of the Galatée . In the following years he was stationed in the Mediterranean. In 1710 he sailed to Spitsbergen . In 1711 he was appointed first lieutenant on the Achille . As such, he was involved in the occupation of Rio de Janeiro . In 1712 he became the commander of a fire . A year later he commanded the Baron de la Fauche . With this he sailed to Louisiana and took part in the defense of Pensacola . Between 1715 and 1719 he made a long journey along the west coast of Spanish America. On his return to France he was appointed lieutenant commander ( corvette captain ).

In the following six years he took on duties in the land service in Brest . La Jonquière was given command of the frigate Thétis in 1727 . Together with another ship he sailed to the West Indies . In the following time he fought pirates and smugglers there. In 1731 La Jonquière was appointed captain. He was given command of the Rubis and was assigned to escort a convoy to Canada. The following year he was deputy commandant of the Éole . This was used as part of a fleet off North Africa.

He took command of the Ferme in 1735 and in 1738 he took over the Éole with which he sailed to Quebec. When the War of Jenkins' Ear broke out in 1739 , a French fleet was dispatched to the West Indies. La Jonquière was the flag captain on the Dauphin Royal . In 1741 he became inspector of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine in Rochefort. In 1744 he was the flag captain on the Terrible . With this he was involved in the Battle of Toulon in the same year. He later escorted ships to Malta in a convoy .

La Jonquière was appointed Rear Admiral and Governor General of New France in 1746 . On the way there he took part in the catastrophic expedition under Jean-Baptiste Louis Frédéric de La Rochefoucauld de Roye to recapture Acadia . Then he led the rest of the fleet back to France. Therefore, he was initially unable to take up his post in Quebec.

In 1747 he commanded a convoy to Quebec. He set sail on May 10 with a squadron of warships and numerous transports from the Île d'Aix and joined another convoy. He came across a superior British fleet under George Anson, 1st Baron Anson , at Cape Finisterre on May 14th . The French fleet was defeated and all warships were taken away by the British. La Jonquière was wounded in the battle and became a prisoner of war.

Governor General of New France

He was released after the Treaty of Aachen in 1748. As governor he arrived in Quebec in 1749. He oriented himself especially in the Indian policy on the approach of his predecessor Rolland-Michel Barrin. Despite the peace, there were repeated conflicts with the British. He mainly tried to prepare Canada militarily for the next major conflict. The troops were reinforced. He had the forts on the Great Lakes , on the border with Arkadia and elsewhere reinforced. Fort Rouillé , now in the Toronto metropolitan area , was founded in 1750 . Fort Beauséjour and Fort Beauharnois were built in the same year. The latter was later named after him. Another Fort La Jonquière named after him was founded in 1751. Quebec was also strengthened. The Detroit branch was strengthened and new settlers were granted privileges. But he did not succeed in using the Indian tribes effectively for the conflict with the British. He was not very successful against the British in the area of ​​the Ohio area. Shipbuilding in Quebec goes back to his time. The establishment of a printing house was unsuccessful. Most recently he got involved in the illegal fur trade , which led to complaints from privileged traders to the court in Versailles . There was no more trial because he died earlier. He is buried in the Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral.

literature

• William Stewart: Admirals of the world. A biographical dictionary, 1500 to the present. McFarland & Co, Jefferson NC et al. 2009, ISBN 978-0-7864-3809-9 , pp. 95-96.

Web links

• Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
• Jacques-Pierre de Taffanel de La Jonquière, Marquis de La Jonquière ( English, French ) In: The Canadian Encyclopedia .