Marquis Duquesne
Encyclopedia
Michel-Ange Du Quesne de Menneville, Marquis Du Quesne (c. 1700 – 17 September 1778) was a French
Governor General of New France
. He was born in Toulon
.
Du Quesne served from 1752 through 1755, and is best known for his role in the French and Indian War
. Fort Duquesne
, established in 1755 at the confluence of the Allegheny
and Monongahela
Rivers at what is now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
, was named for him. It was abandoned by French forces in 1758 with the arrival of the much more powerful British Forbes Expedition
, who erected Fort Pitt
in its place.
He was very aggressive in enforcing French claims in North America, by some accounts even clearing out British
settlers out of disputed areas. He built a line of defensive fortifications to strengthen the French presence. He later returned to France.
, intended to relieve another French squadron which had been sailing to Louisbourg to provide relief to the defenders there, but had been forced into Cartagena
in neutral Spain. However, Du Quesne was attacked by a British force led by Henry Osborne and two of his ships were captured, including his own flagship. The ultimate result of this action was to deny Louisbourg any chance of relief, and it surrendered later in the year.
He died in 1778 in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine
.
Duquesne University
was named after him.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Governor General of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
. He was born in Toulon
Toulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
.
Du Quesne served from 1752 through 1755, and is best known for his role in the French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
. Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne
Fort Duquesne was a fort established by the French in 1754, at the junction of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers in what is now downtown Pittsburgh in the state of Pennsylvania....
, established in 1755 at the confluence of the Allegheny
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and Monongahela
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
Rivers at what is now Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, was named for him. It was abandoned by French forces in 1758 with the arrival of the much more powerful British Forbes Expedition
Forbes Expedition
The Forbes Expedition was a British military expedition led by Brigadier-General John Forbes in 1758, during the French and Indian War. Its objective was the capture of Fort Duquesne, a French fort constructed at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers in 1754.The expedition...
, who erected Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
in its place.
He was very aggressive in enforcing French claims in North America, by some accounts even clearing out British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
settlers out of disputed areas. He built a line of defensive fortifications to strengthen the French presence. He later returned to France.
Battle of Cartagena
In 1758 he led a French squadron out of ToulonToulon
Toulon is a town in southern France and a large military harbor on the Mediterranean coast, with a major French naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region, Toulon is the capital of the Var department in the former province of Provence....
, intended to relieve another French squadron which had been sailing to Louisbourg to provide relief to the defenders there, but had been forced into Cartagena
Cartagena, Spain
Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital...
in neutral Spain. However, Du Quesne was attacked by a British force led by Henry Osborne and two of his ships were captured, including his own flagship. The ultimate result of this action was to deny Louisbourg any chance of relief, and it surrendered later in the year.
He died in 1778 in Antony, Hauts-de-Seine
Antony, Hauts-de-Seine
-Personalities:Antony was the birthplace of:* Nicola Sirkis singer with the French band Indochine* Agnès Jaoui screenwriter, film director and actress* Laurent Lafforgue , mathematician-International relations:...
.
Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
was named after him.