Laurent Truguet

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Laurent Truguet

Laurent Truguet , actually Laurent-Jean-François, baron de Truguet (born January 10, 1752 in Toulon , Département Var ; † December 26, 1839 ibid) was a French admiral and politician.

Live and act

Truguet came from a tradition-conscious family of officers; his father was Jean-François Truguet (1709–1788) and his wife Dorothée David (1724–1810), the daughter of the military doctor Auguste David. Like him, his younger brother and brother-in-law pursued a military career.

Already at the age of 13 Truguet joined the Garde de la Marine as a cadet in 1765 . He was soon able to distinguish himself and soon after came to Captain Joseph Bernard de Chabert (1724-1805) on the Hirondelle . Under the supreme command of Admiral Luc Urbain du Bouëxic de Guichen - later under Admiral François Joseph Paul de Grasse - Truguet took part in the American War of Independence and fought near St. Lucia (December 15, 1778) and Grenada (July 6, 1779). He took part in the Siege of Savannah (September / October 1779) and fought off Chesapeake Bay (September 5, 1781), in the naval battle of St. Kitts (January 25-26, 1782) and Les Saintes (April 12, 1782 ). In these battles he was wounded several times and promoted several times.

In 1784 Truguet returned to France and was placed on half pay for a short time . In the following year King Louis XVI sent him . to Constantinople , where he trained the navy of the Ottoman Empire in collaboration with Ambassador Marie-Gabriel-Florent-Auguste de Choiseul-Gouffier .

In 1789 Truguet was able to return to France. After a short time he was stationed in Brest ( Finistère ). There he supported the revolution and in July 1792 commanded the Mediterranean fleet with the rank of admiral. When he was stationed on the island of Corsica , he made the acquaintance of the Bonaparte family and apparently had an affair with Elisa Bonaparte , Napoleon's older sister .

In March 1793 Truguet was able to return to Toulon, but was then ordered to Paris. Disgraced by the Welfare Committee , he was arrested without charge on May 31 of the same year, but was released on July 27. He was confirmed in his office and in November 1795 the Directory appointed him Minister of the Navy. Truguet held this office until July 1797.

After Napoleon's abdication with the Treaty of Fontainebleau (April 11, 1814) Truguet was unemployed for a short time. During the restoration , Truguet supported the Bourbons . When Napoleon left the island of Elba and his rule of the Hundred Days began, Truguet stayed on the side of King Louis XVIII.

Not interested in domestic politics, Truguet remained neutral during the July Revolution of 1830 and remained neutral when the July Monarchy was established. On the official farewell from active service, King Louis-Philippe I appointed him Grand Admiral.

Truguet settled in his hometown, where he died shortly before his 87th birthday on December 26, 1839. He found his final resting place in the Père Lachaise cemetery (Division 40).

Honors

literature

  • Hubert Granier: Histoire des marins français, Vol. 1: 1789-1815. The premices de la republique . Marines Éditions, Nantes 1998, ISBN 2-909675-41-6 .
  • Joseph Marty: Les principaux monuments funéraires de Père-Lachaise, de Montmartre, du Mont-Parnasse et autres cimetières de Paris . Éditions Amedée Bédelet, Paris 1839, pp. 327–329.
  • Charles Mullié: Biography of the célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850, vol. 2 . Poignavant, Paris 1852.
  • Georges Six: Dictionnaire biographique des généraux et amiraux français de la Révolution et de l'Émpire 1792–1814 . Saffroy, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-901541-06-2 (reprint of the Paris 1934 edition)
  • Auguste Thomazi: Les marins de Napoleon . Tallandier, Paris 1978, ISBN 2-235-00617-5 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Truguet, Laurent
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Truguet, Laurent-Jean-François baron de (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French admiral and politician
DATE OF BIRTH January 10, 1752
PLACE OF BIRTH Toulon , Var department
DATE OF DEATH December 26, 1839
Place of death Toulon , Var department