Charles Henri d\' Estaing

Charles Henri, count d' Estaing , born with the Castle of Ravel (Puy-de-Dôme) the November 24th 1729 and dead guillotine with Paris the April 28th 1794, is a Vice-amiral French.

Before the French revolution

Initially officer of infantry, it obtains Choiseul to be transferred to the navy at the same time as Bougainville.

He takes part in the battles of Rocourt and Lauffeld in 1746 and 1747. He is sent in India with Thomas Arthur de Lally-Tollendal in 1757 - 1758. He asks to serve on sea in 1759. Wounded with Madras in 1758, it is made prisoner first once by the English, then released on word. In spite of the word given, it takes again the weapons and is made take again. This time, its account is sealed. In accordance with the laws of the war, it is intended for the cord. However, in an unusual way, it is again released. From return to Paris in 1762, it obtains from Choiseul to be promoted general lieutenant of the naval armies.

Appointed vice-admiral of the seas of Asia and America in 1777, it takes an active share with the Guerre of American independence with the marquis of Fayette.

In 1778, the French squadron ordered by the Count d' Estaing installs to intervene with the the Antilles and to bring a help to the American insurrectionists. Put in difficulty, the admiral d' Estaing asks for reinforcements. Three divisions join it, placed respectively under the orders of the count de Grasse, the Mound-Picquet and Vaudreuil. The division entrusted to the Fatty one comprises four vessels, Robust the on which its mark floated, Splendid the , the Dolphin and the Avenger . D' Estaing has a powerful fleet and can engage of new combat.

It receives in July 1778 the order to return to France to make there repair its vessels, but it learns that the American insurrectionists, who had just lost the Georgia, are in a desperate plight and ask for the help of the French fleet. D' Estaing decides to go to their help, but it is put in serious difficulty by the bad weather. Suffering large damage, it decides to set sail towards France, leaving the command of the naval forces of the Antilles to the chief of squadron of Fatty.

Its action during the first period of the war of American independence is vigorously disputed by its subordinates, who had for their part a glorious role with the combat. All are appropriate in their letters of the inexperience of their admiral. At the same time, the new ships bright burning coal launched by the minister Sartine since 1775 make it possible to the French systematically to beat the English each time the admiral d' Estaing is not implied in the combat.

Returned with the reputation of a loser, Charles Henri d' Estaing is named governor of Touraine. He takes part in the assembly of notable of 1787, where he supports the policy of Charles Alexandre de Calonne, then to that of 1788. The commercial treaty of Calonne with England being perceived like a fools' deal, England of William Pitt having had of cease only to be avenged for king de France to have made him lose its colonies of America, the treaty being only one cover for better preparing this revenge, justified from the point of view of England. The revolution of 1789, by destroying the French royalty and its navy, makes it possible to the English definitively to sit their influence on the world.

Others

In spite of the recent homonymy and character traits that some put in parallel, the president of Ve République, Valery Giscard d'Estaing - of which the name of Estaing was raised by his/her grandfather in 1922 - is only one distance relative, in female and natural line, of the admiral d' Estaing, died in 1794 without descent and the last of this name.

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