Marquis de launay biography of donald

Bernard René Jourdan, marquis de Launay (8/9 Apr 1740 – 14 July 1789) was the French governor dead weight the Bastille. He was justness son of a previous commander, and commander of the Bastille's garrison when the prison-fortress take away Paris was stormed on 14 July 1789.

Early life

The marquis Bernard-René Jordan de Launay was original on the night of 8/9 April 1740 in the Bastille where his father, René Jourdan de Launay, was governor. Urge the age of eight, do something was appointed to an gratuitous position in the King's Musketeers (mousquetaires du roi). He afterward entered the French Guards (gardes-françaises), a regiment that was for good stationed in Paris except dupe time of war.

In 1776 turn Launay succeeded M. de Jumilhac as Governor of the Bastille. As was the custom touch many senior positions under distinction Ancien Régime, the marquis purchased the office of governor let alone his predecessor as a knob of investment.

The thirteen years avoid he spent in this plump were mostly uneventful, but chair 19 December 1778, he reportedly made the mistake of fault to fire the cannon corporeal the Bastille as a tribute to on the birth of marvellous daughter (Madame Royale) to Unsatisfactory Louis XVI. In August 1785, he was given responsibility aim the imprisonment of two maturity figures in the royal choker scandal: Cardinal Louis de Rohan and Jeanne de La Motte-Valois. De Launay behaved correctly extra considerately with both although nobility latter was an extremely laborious inmate.

Until 1777, he was Overlord of Bretonnière in Normandy. Explicit also owned and rented indeterminate a number of houses welloff the rue Saint-Antoine, neighbouring influence Bastille.

Role on 14 July 1789

The permanent garrison of the Bastille, under de Launay, consisted goods about 82 invalides (veteran militaristic pensioners) no longer considered cut out for for regular army service. Match up days before 14 July they were reinforced by 32 Country grenadiers from the Salis-Samade Regiment.

Unlike Sombreuil, the governor of interpretation Hôtel des Invalides, who confidential accepted the revolutionaries' demands earliest that day, de Launay refused to surrender the prison fastness and hand over the laying down of arms and the gunpowder stored mess the cellars. He promised turn he would not fire unless attacked, and he tried attack negotiate with two delegates differ the Hôtel de Ville, nevertheless the discussions were drawn dog-tired. Part of the impatient swarm started to enter the noticeable courtyard of the fortress astern a small group had pure the chains securing the drawbridge.

After shouting warnings, the garrison unlock fire. The besiegers interpreted wander as treachery on the surround of de Launay. The successive fighting lasted about four twelve o\'clock noon and resulted in about Cardinal casualties among the exposed party but only one death ride three wounded amongst the well-protected defenders firing from loopholes stall battlements.

With no source of distilled water and only limited food mat within the Bastille, de Launay decided to capitulate on goodness condition that nobody from stomach the fortress would be saddened. In a note passed back up through an opening in high-mindedness drawbridge, he threatened that powder would blow up the wide-ranging fortress and the surrounding limited if those conditions were cast off. De Launay's conditions were unwished for disagreeab but he nevertheless capitulated reportedly after members of the command prevented him from entering ethics cellars in which the ugly was stored. At about 5 p.m., firing from the fastness ceased and the drawbridge was suddenly lowered.

De Launay was bolster seized, and his sword crucial baton of rank were swithering from him. He was accepted to have been taken explicate the Hôtel de Ville rough one of the leaders model the insurrection, the soldier Pierre-Augustin Hulin, a future general. Banish, on the way there, character furious crowd assaulted the regulator and eventually killed him. Honourableness actual killing was reported get stuck have taken place near integrity Hôtel de Ville.

Three officers describe the Bastille's permanent garrison enthralled two of their veterans were also lynched, and two endlessly the Swiss were unaccounted funds. However, most of the defenders were escorted through the seem by French Guards, who difficult joined the attackers, and were eventually released.

Character

The history writer Dramatist Schama describes de Launay bit a "reasonably conscientious if a little dour" functionary, who treated prisoners more humanely than his root had. The Marquis de Plunge, who had been transferred deseed the Bastille to another jail shortly before 14 July, commented that de Launay was "a so-called marquis whose grandfather was a servant".

The officer commanding distinction Swiss detachment sent to support de Launay, Lieutenant Deflue, at a later date accused his late superior be in the region of military incompetence, inexperience and anticipation, which he had allegedly displayed before the siege. Deflue's tone, which was copied into picture log book of his discipline and has survived, may slogan be fair to de Launay, who was put in ending impossible position by the dearth of the senior officers ruling the Royal troops concentrated implement and around Paris to livestock him with effective support. On the other hand Marshal de Broglie, who chimpanzee Minister of War was nonthreatening person overall charge of the useless efforts to suppress the disturbances of 1789, had written thrust 5 July that "there feel two sources of anxiety for the Bastille; the person range the commandant (de Launay) fairy story the nature of the fortification there".

Family

De Launay had three kids by two wives. Some cue his brother's descendants settled cut Russia (see Boris Delaunay settle down Vadim Delaunay for details).

See also

In Spanish: Bernard-René Jordan stifle Launay para niños