Noël Jourda de Vaux
Encyclopedia
Noël Jourda de Vaux comte de Vaux, seigneur d'Artiac was a French
nobleman and General
. He oversaw the conquest
of the Corsican Republic
in 1769. He was given command of land forces in the planned Franco-Spanish Invasion of Britain
in 1779, but this was abandoned. He became a Marshal of France
in 1783. He was the son of Jean Baptiste Jourda de Vaux, seigneur de Retournac (born 1687) and Marie Anne de Saint-Germain.
on 29 June 1734 and at the battle of Guastalla
on 19 September, where he was wounded twice. From January 1738 to April 1741 he served on Corsica
as a captain under the orders of general Maillebois
, distinguishing himself at the defence of Ghisoni
. He was made a knight of the order of saint Louis
and was made commander of Corte
.
He then fought in Germany under Belle-Isle, winning renown at the Siege of Prague
in 1742 and fighting in two other sieges and one battle. On 6 March 1743, at the request of marshal Broglie
, he was made colonel of the régiment d'Angoumois. He assisted at the sieges of Menin
and Ypres in 1744. Marshal Saxe saw him fight with distinction at the Battle of Fontenoy
on 10 May 1745 and at the sieges of Tournai, Oudenarde, Dendermonde and Ath
.
His participation in the siege of Brussels
won him promotion to brigadier on 23 February 1746. He served at the siege of Namur
on 11 October and the battle of Rocoux
. He served at the siege of l'Écluse, the Fort of Issendick and Philippine. Manoeuvring at Malines, Tirlemont, he assisted at the Battle of Lauffeld
on 2 July 1747 and was wounded a fifth time at the Siege of Bergen op Zoom
. Captured in 1748, he was promoted to maréchal de camp on 10 May, lieutenant du Roi at Besançon on 4 July 1752, then lieutenant général
des armées du roi on 17 December 1759.
In January 1760, he left Corsica for Germany, joining marshal Broglie
's army on 1 April. On 13 April, he assisted in the battle of Bergen
and the attack on general Wargenheim's camp on 19 September. He defended the plain of Göttingen until 19 May 1761, when the king rewarded him with the governorship of Thionville.
on 22 June. General de Vaux wrote to the duc de Choiseul "The whole of Corsica is submitted to the King" and on 1 August was made governor general.
On 10 April 1770 he ceded his command to the comte de Marbeuf
to be made commander in chief of the army meant for a landing in England with Spanish naval support. This army also included Rochambeau
and Lafayette. However, the project was abandoned and in 1780 de Vaux was instead made commander in chief of the province of the county of Burgundy. On 13 June 1783 he was made marshal of France, with the motto "Terror belli, Decus pacis" inscribed on his marshal's baton.
At the end of June 1788, just after the Day of the Tiles
, de Vaux replaced the duc de Clermont-Tonnerre
as lieutenant général
commanding the province of the Dauphiné
, with orders to suppress the popular uprising. However, he had only just arrived in Grenoble when he fell ill, dying aged 83 on 14 September 1788. He had fought in thirty sieges and five major battles and been wounded five times. In his will he asked that his heart be buried at Paray
, of which he was seigneur, and his body in the chapelle de Vaux in the church at Retournac
, the land of his birth.
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
nobleman and General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
. He oversaw the conquest
French conquest of Corsica
The French Conquest of Corsica took place during 1768 and 1769 when the Corsican Republic was occupied by French forces under the command of the Comte de Vaux....
of the Corsican Republic
Corsican Republic
In November 1755, Pasquale Paoli proclaimed Corsica a sovereign nation, the Corsican Republic, independent from the Republic of Genoa. He created the Corsican Constitution, which was the first constitution written under Enlightenment principles, including the first implementation of female...
in 1769. He was given command of land forces in the planned Franco-Spanish Invasion of Britain
Armada of 1779
The Armada of 1779 was an exceptionally large joint French and Spanish fleet intended, with the aid of a feint by the American Continental Navy, to facilitate an invasion of Britain, as part of the wider American War of Independence, and in application of the Franco-American alliance...
in 1779, but this was abandoned. He became a Marshal of France
Marshal of France
The Marshal of France is a military distinction in contemporary France, not a military rank. It is granted to generals for exceptional achievements...
in 1783. He was the son of Jean Baptiste Jourda de Vaux, seigneur de Retournac (born 1687) and Marie Anne de Saint-Germain.
Military career
He entered the army on 16 October 1723 as ensign in the Régiment d'Infanterie d'Auvergne. His first campaign was in Italy in 1733, as a lieutenant in the same regiment. He fought at ParmaParma
Parma is a city in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna famous for its ham, its cheese, its architecture and the fine countryside around it. This is the home of the University of Parma, one of the oldest universities in the world....
on 29 June 1734 and at the battle of Guastalla
Battle of Guastalla
The Battle of Guastalla or Battle of Luzzara was a battle fought on September 19, 1734, between Franco-Sardinian and Austrian troops as part of the War of Polish Succession.-Background:...
on 19 September, where he was wounded twice. From January 1738 to April 1741 he served on Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
as a captain under the orders of general Maillebois
Jean-Baptiste Francois des Marets, marquis de Maillebois
Jean-Baptiste François Desmarets , marquis of Maillebois, was a Marshal of France.He was the son of Nicolas Desmarets, Marquis De Maillebois Controller-General of Finances during the reign of Louis XIV of France and nephew of Jean-Baptiste Colbert.He learned the art of war from Claude Louis Hector...
, distinguishing himself at the defence of Ghisoni
Ghisoni
Ghisoni is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.-Population:-References:*...
. He was made a knight of the order of saint Louis
Order of Saint Louis
The Royal and Military Order of Saint Louis was a military Order of Chivalry founded on 5 April 1693 by Louis XIV and named after Saint Louis . It was intended as a reward for exceptional officers, and is notable as the first decoration that could be granted to non-nobles...
and was made commander of Corte
Corte
Corte is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It is the fourth-largest commune in Corsica .-Administration:Corte is a subprefecture of the Haute-Corse department.-History:...
.
He then fought in Germany under Belle-Isle, winning renown at the Siege of Prague
Siege of Prague (1742)
The 1742 Siege of Prague was an extended blockade of the Bohemian capital Prague during the War of the Austrian Succession. French forces first under the command of de Broglie were surrounded by a large Austrian army in June 1742...
in 1742 and fighting in two other sieges and one battle. On 6 March 1743, at the request of marshal Broglie
Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie
Victor François de Broglie, 2nd duc de Broglie was a French aristocrat and soldier and a marshal of France...
, he was made colonel of the régiment d'Angoumois. He assisted at the sieges of Menin
Menin
Menin may refer to:*Menin , office in Ancien Régime France*Umberto Menin, Italian artist*The French name for the Belgian town of Menen *Menin, a tumor suppressor associated with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1....
and Ypres in 1744. Marshal Saxe saw him fight with distinction at the Battle of Fontenoy
Battle of Fontenoy
The Battle of Fontenoy, 11 May 1745, was a major engagement of the War of the Austrian Succession, fought between the forces of the Pragmatic Allies – comprising mainly Dutch, British, and Hanoverian troops under the nominal command of the Duke of Cumberland – and a French army under Maurice de...
on 10 May 1745 and at the sieges of Tournai, Oudenarde, Dendermonde and Ath
Ath
Ath is a Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Hainaut. The Ath municipality includes the old communes of Lanquesaint, Irchonwelz, Ormeignies, Bouvignies, Ostiches, Rebaix, Maffle, Arbre, Houtaing, Ligne, Mainvault, Moulbaix, Villers-Notre-Dame, Villers-Saint-Amand, Ghislenghien...
.
His participation in the siege of Brussels
Siege of Brussels
The Siege of Brussels took place between January and February 1746 during the War of the Austrian Succession. A French army under the overall command of Maurice de Saxe besieged and captured the city of Brussels, which was then the capital of the Austrian Netherlands, from its Austrian garrison.The...
won him promotion to brigadier on 23 February 1746. He served at the siege of Namur
Siege of Namur
The siege of Namur refers to a number of sieges throughout history of the Belgian city of Namur.The city of Namur and the citadel of Namur held a strategic position in the heart of Europe...
on 11 October and the battle of Rocoux
Battle of Rocoux
The Battle of Rocoux was a French victory over an allied Austrian, British, Hanoveran and Dutch army outside Liège during War of the Austrian Succession.-Preliminary maneuvers:...
. He served at the siege of l'Écluse, the Fort of Issendick and Philippine. Manoeuvring at Malines, Tirlemont, he assisted at the Battle of Lauffeld
Battle of Lauffeld
The Battle of Lauffeld, also known as the Battle of Lafelt or Battle of Maastricht, also Battle of Val, took place on 2 July 1747, during the French invasion of the Netherlands. It was part of the War of the Austrian Succession...
on 2 July 1747 and was wounded a fifth time at the Siege of Bergen op Zoom
Siege of Bergen op Zoom (1747)
The Siege of Bergen op Zoom took place during the Austrian War of Succession, when a French army, under the command of Lowendal and the overall direction of Marshal Maurice de Saxe, laid siege and captured the strategic Dutch border fortress of Bergen op Zoom on the border of Brabant and Zealand...
. Captured in 1748, he was promoted to maréchal de camp on 10 May, lieutenant du Roi at Besançon on 4 July 1752, then lieutenant général
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
des armées du roi on 17 December 1759.
In January 1760, he left Corsica for Germany, joining marshal Broglie
Victor-François, 2nd duc de Broglie
Victor François de Broglie, 2nd duc de Broglie was a French aristocrat and soldier and a marshal of France...
's army on 1 April. On 13 April, he assisted in the battle of Bergen
Battle of Bergen (1759)
The Battle of Bergen on 13 April 1759 saw the French army under de Broglie withstand an allied British, Hanoverian, Hessian, Brunswick army under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick near Frankfurt-am-Main during the Seven Years' War.-Background:...
and the attack on general Wargenheim's camp on 19 September. He defended the plain of Göttingen until 19 May 1761, when the king rewarded him with the governorship of Thionville.
1770 to his death
In February 1769 the comte de Vaux was put in command of the French forces on Corsica. He landed on the island on 7 April and reached Saint-FlorentSaint-Florent
Saint-Florent is the name or part of the name of several communes in France:* Saint-Florent, Haute-Corse, in the Haute-Corse département* Saint-Florent, Loiret, in the Loiret département* Saint-Florent-des-Bois, in the Vendée département...
on 22 June. General de Vaux wrote to the duc de Choiseul "The whole of Corsica is submitted to the King" and on 1 August was made governor general.
On 10 April 1770 he ceded his command to the comte de Marbeuf
Charles Louis de Marbeuf
Louis Charles René, comte de Marbeuf , grand-cross of the order of Saint Louis, was a French general.-Life:...
to be made commander in chief of the army meant for a landing in England with Spanish naval support. This army also included Rochambeau
Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau
Marshal of France Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau was a French nobleman and general who participated in the American Revolutionary War as the commander-in-chief of the French Expeditionary Force which came to help the American Continental Army...
and Lafayette. However, the project was abandoned and in 1780 de Vaux was instead made commander in chief of the province of the county of Burgundy. On 13 June 1783 he was made marshal of France, with the motto "Terror belli, Decus pacis" inscribed on his marshal's baton.
At the end of June 1788, just after the Day of the Tiles
Day of the Tiles
The Day of the Tiles is an event that took place in the French town of Grenoble on 7 June 1788. It was among the first of the revolts which preceded the French Revolution, and is credited by some historians as being the start of it.-Background:...
, de Vaux replaced the duc de Clermont-Tonnerre
Clermont-Tonnerre
Clermont-Tonnerre is the name of a French family, members of which played some part in the history of France, especially in Dauphiné, from about 1100 to the French Revolution. Sibaud, lord of Clermont in Viennois, who first appears in 1080, was the founder of the family...
as lieutenant général
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages where the title of Lieutenant General was held by the second in command on the battlefield, who was normally subordinate to a Captain General....
commanding the province of the Dauphiné
Dauphiné
The Dauphiné or Dauphiné Viennois is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of :Isère, :Drôme, and :Hautes-Alpes....
, with orders to suppress the popular uprising. However, he had only just arrived in Grenoble when he fell ill, dying aged 83 on 14 September 1788. He had fought in thirty sieges and five major battles and been wounded five times. In his will he asked that his heart be buried at Paray
Paray-Vieille-Poste
Paray-Vieille-Poste is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. Paris-Orly Airport is partially located in the commune.Inhabitants of Paray-Vieille-Poste are known as Paraysiens.-History:...
, of which he was seigneur, and his body in the chapelle de Vaux in the church at Retournac
Retournac
Retournac is a commune in the Haute-Loire department in south-central France....
, the land of his birth.
Marriage and issue
On 21 November 1741 he married Jeanne de La Porte (?-1775) and they had two children- Jeanne-Marie - born 1745, married 3 September 1765: Louis marquis de Vauborel, (?-1832).
- Adélaïde-Jeanne - married on 29 September 1770: François comte de Fougières, (?-1787); married a second time on 1 August 1789: Charles Morey comte de Pontgibault.
Sources
- Galeries historiques du Palais de Versailles, de Charles Gavard - Page 491 - 1842
- Dictionnaire universel, historique, critique, et bibliographique, de Louis Mayeul Chaudon- Page 515 - 1812