Jean Bart

:This is about the historical sailor. For others, see Jean Bart (disambiguation).

Name	Jean Bart
Lived	21 October 1651 - 27 April 1702
Caption	Portrait by Mathieu Elias
Type	Dunkirk privateer
Placeofbirth	Dunkirk
Placeofdeath	Dunkirk
Allegiance	France/Dutch Republic/Mercenary
Serviceyears	1672-1697
Rank	Admiral
Battles	Nine Years' War*Action of 29 June 1694*Battle of Dogger Bank

Jean Bart (21 October 1651 – 27 April 1702) was a French naval commander and privateer.

Career

Born in Dunkirk as the son of a fisherman, he almost certainly spoke Flemish, at that time the native language in the region of his birth and his birth name was most probably Jan Baert.

Bart served when young in the Dutch navy under De Ruyter. When war broke out between Louis XIV and the United Provinces in 1672 he entered the French service, as one of the Dunkirk Privateers. He gained great distinction in the Mediterranean, where he held an irregular sort of commission, unable due to his low birth to receive a command in the navy.

He had such success, however, that he became a lieutenant in 1679. He rose rapidly to the rank of captain and then to that of admiral.

He achieved his greatest successes during the Nine Years' War (1688–1697).

In 1689, in the beginning of this war he was captured by the English, together with Claude de Forbin, and taken to Plymouth. But 3 days later, they succeeded in escaping to Brittany in a rowboat, together with 20 other sailors.

In 1691 he slipped through the blockade of Dunkirk, terrorizing the allied merchant fleet and burning a Scottish castle and four villages.

In 1694 he achieved his greatest success in the Action of 29 June 1694, when he captured a huge convoy of Dutch grain ships, saving Paris from starvation.

In 1696 he struck another blow against the Dutch in the Battle of Dogger Bank (1696).

The Peace of Ryswick (1697) put a close to his active service.

Marriage and children

He married the 16-year-old Nicole Gontier on 3 February 1676. They had four children before Nicole died in 1682. Their oldest son, François-Cornil (17 June 1676- ?), became vice-admiral.

Then he married Jacoba Tugghe on 13 October 1689. They had ten children. He signed his marriage contract, which is still on file in Dunkirk, with the name "Jan Baert".

Jean Bart died of pleurisy and is buried in the Eglise Saint-Eloi in Dunkirk.

Legacy

Many anecdotes tell of the courage and bluntness of the 2.04 m tall, uncultivated sailor, who became a popular hero of the French Navy. He captured a total of 386 ships and also sank or burned a great number more. The town of Dunkirk has honoured his memory by erecting a statue and by naming a public square after him.

In World War II, 70% of Dunkirk was destroyed, but the statue survived.

Ships bearing the name Jean Bart

More than 27 ships of the French Navy, over a period of 200 years, have borne the name Jean Bart. These include:

Jean Bart (1788) - 74-gun ship of the line

Jean Bart (1811) - 74-gun ship of the line

Jean Bart (1886) - First class cruiser of 4800 tonnes

Jean Bart (1910) - 23,600 tonne battleship; the first French Dreadnought

Jean Bart (1940) - 50,000 tonne battleship armed with 380mm guns. Although launched in 1940, the ship was not fitted out and completed until 1955, having spent much of World War II in dock at Casablanca; the last French battleship completed

Jean Bart (1988) - Anti-aircraft frigate, still in service with the French Navy

Commercial products branded Jean Bart

Jean Bart shoe polish

Jean Bart in popular culture

Jean Bart appears as a character in the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson.

In the manga and anime One Piece a pirate turned slave is named after Jean Bart.

The name Jean Bart is also a frequently used name for sea scouting groups.

References

External links

Site consacré uniquement à Jean Bart Jean Bart Jean Bart

Category:1651 births Category:1702 deaths Category:People from Dunkirk Category:French Navy admirals Category:Dunkirkers Category:French pirates Category:French sailors Category:French military personnel of the Nine Years' War