Claude-René Pâris de Soulanges facts for kids
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Claude-René Pâris de Soulanges (born August 18, 1736 – died July 31, 1795) was a French nobleman and a brave naval officer. He was known as the lord of Preuille and was the last count of Soulanges.
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His Family Background
Claude-René came from a family of lords who owned a fiefdom (a piece of land given in exchange for loyalty and service) called Soulanges. This land was near Ancenis in the diocese of Nantes in Brittany, France. His family, the Pâris, might have come from England or the Flanders area. They even gave their name to a castle in Basse-Bretagne.
Claude-René was born at the château de la Preuille in Saint-Hilaire-de-Loulay, Vendée. He was the oldest son of Claude-Louis Pâris, who was a knight and lord of Soulanges. His mother was Françoise de Gatinaire. His parents got married on May 28, 1728, at the same château. Claude-René's brother-in-law was Count Charles Jean d'Hector, who was an important commander of the French navy at Brest before the French Revolution.
Serving in the Seven Years' War
Claude-René began his naval career in 1751. He joined a company of young naval officers called the Gardes de la Marine in Rochefort. He quickly moved up the ranks. In 1755, he became an enseigne de vaisseau (a type of naval officer). By 1761, he was promoted to lieutenant de vaisseau. In 1762, he was honored with the title of knight in the ordre royal et militaire de Saint-Louis, a special award for military service. On August 13, 1755, he married Hyacinthe-Gabrielle de Cornouailles de Saint-George.
Fighting in the American War of Independence
In 1772, he became a captain and a lieutenant for the Gardes de la Marine in Rochefort. He was officially made a capitaine de vaisseau (a ship captain) on April 4, 1777. This was just a year before France joined the American War of Independence.
In 1778, he joined the French fleet gathering at Brest. This fleet was led by the comte d'Orvilliers. Claude-René commanded a 64-gun ship called the Sphinx. He fought in the Battle of Ushant on July 27. After his first wife passed away, he married Émilie-Françoise de Kerouartz on May 3, 1778. They had one child named Claudine.
In the spring of 1780, he took part in a naval campaign in the Antilles (islands in the Caribbean Sea). He served under the comte de Guichen. On April 17, during the Battle of Martinique, he was still in command of the Sphinx. His ship was part of the French rearguard, which faced the British fleet led by George Brydges Rodney. In 1781, he was granted a pension (a regular payment) from the order of Saint-Louis.
On January 14, 1785, he was put in charge of the naval squadron at Toulon. He also became the director of the ports and naval shipyards there around the same time.
In 1786, Pâris became a Chef d'escadre (a senior naval officer) in a group of 12 ships called the Escadre d'évolution. He was on the frigate Félicité. He was at Cherbourg when King Louis XVI visited the harbor. During the visit, there was a naval review and a practice naval battle.
He was promoted to contre-amiral (a rear admiral) on January 28, 1792. However, on December 16 of the same year, he left France and moved to Britain. This happened during the French Revolution.
Serving with the Armée des Princes
Claude-René joined the régiment d'Hector as a lieutenant colonel during the Quiberon Expedition. He was wounded in battle on July 16, 1795. Sadly, he was later shot by a firing squad along with 55 of his men at Auray, near Vannes, on July 31 of that year.
