Abraham Duquesne
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Other topics that could fall under Duquesne can be found at Marquis Duquesne (disambiguation)
Marquis Abraham Duquesne (1610 - February 2, 1688) was a French naval officer, who also saw service as an admiral in the Swedish navy. He was born in Dieppe, France, a seaport, in 1610. He was the son of a naval officer and therefore became a sailor himself, spending his early years in merchant service.
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Service in the French navy
In 1636, he was appointed to the "Neptune" squadron. In May of 1637, he gained some fame for capturing the island of Lerins from the Spanish. Around this time, his father died in a conflict with the Spanish, which permanently increased his animosity towards them and he sought revenge. He fought them viciously at Guetaria in 1638, during the expedition to Corunna in 1639, and in the battles at Tarragona in 1641, Barcelona and the Cabo de Gata.
Service in the Swedish navy
Duquesne then left to become vice-admiral in the Swedish navy in 1643. On the side of the Swedish, he defeated the Danish fleet near Gothenburg, helping to siege that city. And even though the Danes came back with stronger forces, with King Christian IV himself in command, they were defeated, their admiral killed and his ship taken. After a peace had been reached between the Danes and the Swedes in 1645, he returned to France.
Return to French service
He suppressed a revolt at Bordeaux (which was materially supported by his most hated foe, the Spanish) in 1650, during the Fronde outbreaks. During that same year, he created at his own expense a squadron with which he blockaded the Gironde, forcing that city to surrender. This earned him a promotion in rank to commander of the new French fleet, a castle, and a gift of the entire isle of Indre. The French and the Spanish made peace in 1659, which left him to fight pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. He distinguished himself in the Third Dutch War, supporting the insurgents in the revolt of Messina from Spain, fighting Admiral Michel Adrianzoon de Ruyter, who had the united fleets of Spain and Holland under his command, in the Lipari Islands. He defeated the Dutch fleet on April 20, 1676 and De Ruyter was mortally wounded. The rest of the fleet was destroyed by him at Palermo very soon after, which secured French control of the Mediterranean. For this accomplishment he received a personal letter from Louis XIV and given, in 1681, the title of marquis along with the estate of Bouchet, even though he was a Protestant.
Duquesne also fought the Barbary pirates in 1681 and bombarded Algiers between 1682 and 1683, to help Christian captives, and bombarded Genoa in 1684.
Last years
In that same year, 1684, he retired from poor health. He may have foreseen the Edict of Nantes getting revoked in 1685, though he was exempted from the proscription. He died in Paris on February 2, 1688.
The Marquis Duquesne de Menneville, another famous mariner, was his grand-nephew.