Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse

Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse, 1836

Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse (born May 29, 1747 in Auch ; † July 24, 1812 in Venice ) was a French admiral and politician.

Life

Villaret came from a family of artisans and civil servants: his grandfather was an ebony worker , his grandfather a simple tax officer. Since the family could not afford the expensive training of a military academy , Villaret volunteered for the Navy in 1768 at the age of 21.

He made his career very quickly and after a few promotions he was given command of the ship "Pulvérisateur" in 1781 and subordinated him to Admiral Pierre André de Suffren . The following year he was appointed his aide-de-camp . Under suffren Villaret fought a. a. at Cuddalore (June 20, 1783).

In the same year Villaret was involved in a sea battle on the way to Madras by the British, which ended with his captivity. After the Peace of Paris (September 3, 1783) he was released again and was able to sail back to France.

Through Suffren's mediation, Villaret was appointed port commander of Lorient . He later took part in the naval battle of the 13th Prairial (June 1, 1794) and fought valiantly at Gloix (June 23, 1795). Under the orders of Admiral Justin Morard de Galles , he took part in the Irish expedition (December 1796) in 1796 to support the Society of United Irishmen in their struggle for independence. Back in France he founded - together with Jeanbon St. André - an artillery school for the Navy.

In 1796 Villaret was appointed as a representative for Morbihan on the Council of Five Hundred . As a staunch royalist, Villaret was also a member of the Club de Vichy and there are some speeches in which he spoke out against abolitionism and in favor of colonial policy.

After the coup d'état (September 4, 1797) the board of directors ordered u. a. the arrest of Villaret and his deportation to Cayenne ( French Guiana ). Villaret was able to hide until the sentence was converted into exile on the Île d'Oléron .

After the peace treaty of Amiens (March 25/27, 1802), Napoleon pardoned Villaret and also confirmed his military rank. When in the same year General Charles Victoire Emmanuel Leclerc assembled an invading army to take action in Saint-Domingue ( Hispaniola ) against the insurgents under Toussaint Louverture . Villaret volunteered.

In 1811, Napoleon appointed Villaret military governor of Venice. Villaret died on July 24, 1812 at the age of 65 in Venice, where he found his final resting place.

Honors

• July 15, 1783 Ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis
• October 11, 1803 Chevalier of the Legion of Honor
• July 14, 1804 Grand Officier of the Legion of Honor
• February 2, 1805 Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor
• His name can be found on the north pillar (4th column) of the triumphal arch on Place Charles-de-Gaulle ( Paris ).
• The Rue Villaret-De-Joyeuse and the associated Square Villaret-De-Villaret-Joyeuse in Paris are named in his honor.

literature

• René Chartrand: Napoleon's overseas army . Osprey Publ, Paris 1996, ISBN 0-85045-900-1 . (EA PAris 1989)
• Joseph F. Hennequin: Biography maritime ou notice historiques sur la vie et les campagnes des marins célèbres français et étrangers . Regnault, Paris 1835. (3 vol.)
• Charles Mullié: Biography célébrités militaires des armées de terre et de mer de 1789 à 1850 . Poignavant, Paris 1851. (2 vol.)
• Henri Ortholan: L'admiral Villaret-Joyeuse. Des Antilles Venice, 1747-1812 . Giovanangeli, Paris 2005, ISBN 2-909034-85-2 .
• Jean Tulard : Dictionnaire Napoléon . Fayard, Paris 1995, ISBN 2-213-02286-0 .