Anne Hilarion de Tourville

Anne Hilarion de Costentin (also: Cotentin ), comte de Tourville (* November 24, 1642 château de Tourville, at Coutances, Manche, † May 23, 1701 in Paris) was a French admiral and naval hero and Marshal of France under Louis XIV ..

Anne Hilarion de Costentin comte de Tourville, joined at the age of 15 years in the Order of Malta and fought against the Barbary pirates. In 1660 he took service in the French Navy, in 1667 captain and commander from 1672 to 1674, a ship of the line in the war against the Dutch and Spaniards in the Mediterranean.

1675 he served first under the Chevalier de Valbette, then Duquesne. On the return of Agosta to France he destroyed in 1677 at Palermo twelve ships of the Dutch- Spanish fleet. 1680 appointed Lieutenant-General of the Navy, he fired at 1682, 1683 and 1688 and Algiers in 1684 took part in the bombardment of Genoa.

It was in 1689 as Vice Admiral of the Fleet du Levant ( Mediterranean Fleet ) and appointed commander of Jean II d' Estrées in 1690 with the squadron that supported the company of James II in Ireland. As supreme commander of the French fleet set out in the channel, he won in the Battle of Beachy Head near the Isle of Wight in July 1690 victory over the existing 112 vessels from British- Dutch fleet. In order to enable the intended landing of the Jacobites on the British coast, he had at the Battle of Barfleur on May 29, 1692 at the height of the Cape La Hague attack consisting of 88 ships Anglo- Dutch fleet under Admiral Russell with 44 ships came but in the crossfire and had to withdraw.

Appointed in 1693 to the Marshal of France, he seized on in the Battle of Lagos in June off the southern coast of Portugal to Lagos 27 trade and warships of a British- Dutch squadron destroyed and 45 more in the pursuit of the other. He died on 23 May 1701.

Note

The Mémoires de Tourville (Amsterdam 1758, 3 volumes) are spurious.