Louis XIV and Colbert
Under the tutelage of the "Sun King," the French Navy was well financed and equipped, managing to score several early victories in the Nine Years War against the Royal Navy and the Dutch Navy. Financial troubles, however, forced the navy back to port and allowed the English and the Dutch to regain the initiative.
Under the impulsion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert's ambitious policy of ship building, the French navy began to gain a magnificence matching the symbolism of the Louis XIV era, as well as an actual military significance. The Soleil-Royal is illustrative of the trend of the time. Colbert is credited with forging a good part of the naval tradition of France.
The French navy of this period was also in the forefront of the development of naval tactics. Paul Hoste (1652-1700) produced the first major work on naval tactics.
Before the Nine Years War, in the Franco-Dutch War, the French navy managed to score a decisive victory over a combined Spanish-Dutch fleet at the Battle of Palermo (1676).
During the War of the Grand Alliance, Admiral Tourville won a decisive victory in the Battle of Beachy Head (1690, Bataille de Bévezier). France gained control of the English Channel. The event is regarded as one of the most glorious deeds of the French Navy, and Tourville earned a fame which lasts to present times (a number of ships were named Bévezier or Tourville to commemorate the battle).
The Battle of Barfleur in 1692 saw a French fleet attack and defeat the combined English and Dutch fleets, despite being heavily outnumbered. The French fought a magnificent fight against odds of more than two to one for twelve hours. They sunk one British ship and one Dutchman and hasd not lost a ship of their own, although all vessels on both sides were very battered. However, once wind and tide changed, the French suffered heavily as they tried to get back to port for repairs. Some of the damaged French ships were forced to beach themselves at Cherbourg, where they were annihilated by English long boats and with fire ships. The crews were saved, but the lost fifteen ships-of-the-line were not replaced and France did not seriously challenge the combined English and Dutch fleet for decades.
France turned to commerce-raiding rather than large fleet actions with great success under such captains as Jean Bart, Claude de Forbin and René Duguay-Trouin.
Read more about this topic: History Of The French Navy
Famous quotes containing the words louis xiv, louis, xiv and/or colbert:
“The only thing that one really knows about human nature is that it changes. Change is the one quality we can predicate of it. The systems that fail are those that rely on the permanency of human nature, and not on its growth and development. The error of Louis XIV was that he thought human nature would always be the same. The result of his error was the French Revolution. It was an admirable result.”
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900)
“Pieces of eight! pieces of eight! pieces of eight!”
—Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894)
“Every time I bestow a vacant office I make a hundred discontented persons and one ingrate.”
—Louis XIV (1638–1715)
“Why do grandparents and grandchildren get along so well? The mother.”
—Claudette Colbert (20th century)