Jean de Vienne facts for kids
_01.jpg)
Quick facts for kids The coat of arms of Jean de Vienne |
|
|---|---|
| Crest | La tête de l'aigle dans un vol banneret de gueules, sur une couronne d'or. |
| Blazon | De gueules à l'aigle d'or chargée en coeur d'un croissant de sable, borne upon an anchor. |
| Order(s) | Order of the Knights of the Holy Spirit |
| Other elements | The mantling, gules doubled or. |
Jean de Vienne (born in 1341, died in 1396) was a brave French knight and a top naval commander, known as an Admiral. He played an important role during the Hundred Years' War, a long conflict between France and England.
Contents
Early Life and Military Beginnings
Jean de Vienne was born in a place called Dole. This area, known as Franche-Comté, was part of the Holy Roman Empire at the time. Because he was born into a noble family, he started his military career quite young. He joined the army when he was 19 years old. By the age of 21, he had already earned the title of knight. In 1366 and 1367, he took part in a special military journey called the Savoyard crusade. This crusade was led by Amadeus VI of Savoy and fought against Bulgaria.
Becoming Admiral of France
By the time he was 24, Jean de Vienne became the Captain-General for the Franche-Comté region. This was a very important military position. In 1373, King Charles V made him the Amiral de France, which means Admiral of France. This was a huge responsibility.
As Admiral, Jean de Vienne worked very hard to improve the French navy. He did many important things:
- He completely reorganized the navy, making it much more efficient.
- He started a big project to build many new ships.
- He created an effective coast guard to protect the shores.
- He set up rules for navigation and organized patrols along the coasts.
- He also made sure that people needed special permission to build and sell ships.
Jean de Vienne was one of the first leaders to truly understand something important: the best way to hurt England was by attacking them at sea. He believed that naval operations were key. Because of this, he asked the French king for strong support for the navy. He then led several expeditions to Wight and other southern ports in England.
Later Campaigns and Final Battle
Between 1381 and 1385, Jean de Vienne fought against the people of Flanders. He was especially involved in a major battle called the Battle of Roosebeke.
Still dreaming of attacking England on their own land, he tried a bold plan in 1385. He gathered a huge fleet of 180 ships and landed an army in Scotland. His goal was to invade England from the north. However, this plan did not work out, and his forces had to leave Scotland.
After King Charles V died, his son Charles VI became king. Sadly, Charles VI did not care as much about the navy as his father did. Because of this, the French navy started to decline. Jean de Vienne was very disappointed by this.
Feeling let down, he decided to join other military campaigns. He took part in the Barbary Crusade, which was a fight against pirates in North Africa. Later, he joined a crusade led by King Sigismund of Hungary against the Turks. This final crusade led him to the battle of Nicopolis in Bulgaria. Jean de Vienne was killed during this battle on September 25, 1396.
Legacy
Jean de Vienne is remembered as a great naval leader. Several ships of the French Navy have been named after him to honor his contributions. These include:
- The cruiser Jean de Vienne, which was finished in 1937. It was later sunk on purpose in Toulon in November 1942 to prevent it from being captured.
- The F70 type frigate Jean de Vienne, which was completed in 1984. This ship was taken out of service in 2019.
See also
In Spanish: Jean de Vienne para niños
