Anne Hilarion de Costentin de Tourville

Anne Hilarion de Costentin (or Cotentin), Count of Tourville , is a Vice-amiral and Marshal of France, born the November 24th 1642 with the castle of Tourville-on-His and dead the May 23rd 1701 in Paris.

With the service of Louis XIV

Tourville is resulting from the Noblesse Norman: his/her mother was born Rochefoucauld and his/her father serves the prince de Condé. As its family took part in the Fronde and her father having died whereas it is five years old, Anne Hilarion de Costentin integrates into 14 years the Ordre of Malta, where it quickly shows his bravery vis-a-vis the Pirate S Barbaresque S. Fin 1666, her notoriety is worth to him to join the French navy like Captain and commander of a Ship of the line. It crosses then in the Mediterranean, takes part in the forwarding of Candie (1669), protects the French trade and is opposed to the Turks. When the Guerre of Holland bursts, it joined the Flotte of the West and the Escadre of Estrées. It shines with the Bataille of Solebay before taking share with the engagements against the Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter in 1673. It turns over to the Raising in 1675 to deliver to it a Guerre of race. Following its successes, it is named Chef of squadron in October 1675, at 33 years.

In 1676 after two new master keys of weapons with Ruyter, it shows with Palermo its capacities of war leader. Its plan of attack allows the victory of the squadron ordered by Abraham Duquesne over the squadron hispano-Dutchwoman which took refuge in the sicilian port. Three Dutch vessels are destroyed. Haloed this victory and near friend to Colbert, the career of Tourville accelerates starting from 1680. It is named general Lieutenant in 1682, then Vice-amiral in 1689, but is in fact Admiral and ordering French navy, of Estrées not taking the sea more.

Tourville is not only one war leader, it is interested and takes part of close with the management of the navy. It intervenes in the construction industry and the naval architecture, on the logistics and the training of the sailors and the naval officers. He is secretly consulted by Seignelay on all the aspects of the marine, including on promotions of the officers. He did not have of cease to advise with the minister to promote sailors. He also takes part in the negotiations in the Mediterranean and gains many successes there (taken Genoa in 1685, Bombardement of Tripoli in 1686). But, it is with the Guerre of the league of Augsburg that he wrote the most beautiful pages of his career.

In 1688 in the Handle, it seizes five Dutch vessels. The following July 10th 1690 and days, Tourville orders the French naval army which disperses the fleet anglo-Dutchwoman with the Cape Béveziers (called Beachy Head by the English). This battle is the brightest victory of all the history of the French navy over the English, and even only in the English Channel. Having made undergo heavy losses with united, Tourville can then occupy the sea and protect the French coasts. However, Louis XIV was disappointed because Tourville did not exploit its success at all (it was supposed to support an unloading of the applicant Jacques II in Ireland, which was beaten) and according to certain historians this victory without continuation was what diverted Louis XIV to continue to invest much in its navy.

With an aim of covering the unloading of the troops of Jacques II of England, Louis XIV again charges it in 1691 with the command with the navy. the countryside of Broad the was not the occasion of any large naval action, but Tourville manages to seize eleven commercial buildings and their escort. With this news, the admiral Russel ordering a fleet of 84 vessels, gives him hunting. Playing the cat and mouse, benefitting from the wind, Tourville escapes to him and takes refuge close to the coasts whereas Russel loses four vessels and 1.500 men of crew in a violent storm.

The May 29th 1692 with Battle of Barfleur, with against two, the squadron of Raising ordered by of Estrées which has not been able to join in time the squadron of the West, it makes good match with the united fleet and arrives at the price of fierce combats and skilful operations not to lose any building. However, in their retirement, the damaged vessels are slowed down, victims of an inversion of the current and must take refuge with Cherbourg and Saint-Vaast-the-Hougue. During the Battle of Hougue, Tourville cannot prevent the destruction of 15 vessel X, of which the flagship the the Royal Sun , most beautiful and most famous of all the vessels of the fleet of Louis XIV.

In 1693, it can avenge the demolished for Hougue while seizing the convoy of Smyrna (Bataille of Lagos). It raid or destroyed 80 trading vessels and inflicts with united loss of 30 million books. Tourville is found with the head of a naval army of 93 vessels and is made Marshal of France. It takes part this same year in its last maritime countryside, in the Mediterranean, with the seats of Palamos and Leghorn. It will have spent 35 years at sea. It spends its last years between Provence, Saintonge and Aunis from where it organizes the defense of the French coasts. He dies in Paris in May 1701. He remains the only French admiral able to support the comparison with his Dutch and English counterparts. Nevertheless, after the defeat of Hougue, the French navy will never make again good match against English…

Marriage and descent

In 1690, Anne Hilarion de Costentin de Tourville marries Louise-Francoise d' Hymbercourt, girl of a rich person farmer general and widow of a first cousin of Colbert, marriage which will be however unhappy.

They had a girl Luce-Francoise, lady of the palate of the duchess of Berry, which married in 1714 Guillaume-Alexandre de Galard of Béarn, count de Brassac, colonel of the regiment of Brittany (death in 1768). From this union was born Anne-Hilarion de Galard de Brassac says count de Béarn, who will uniera with Olympe de Caumont the Force and will have four children of which Alexandre de Galard, marquis de Cugnac, who will marry in 1768 Anne-Gabrielle Potier of Novion.

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