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Concept
Jean Bart
Summary
Jean Bart (ʒɑ̃ baʁ; Jan Baert; 21 October 1650 – 27 April 1702) was a French naval commander and privateer.
Jean Bart was born in Dunkirk in 1650 to a seafaring family, the son of Jean-Cornil Bart (c. 1619–1668) who has been described variously as a fisherman or corsair commander serving for the Dutch Republic. His grandfather, Cornil Weus(fr), was a vice-admiral and fought the Dutch on behalf of Spain at the beginning of the Eighty Years' War. His great-grandfather, Michel Jacobsen(fr) (1560-1632) distinguished himself in the service of the Spanish crown, bringing back the Invincible Armada after its failed attempt to invade England in 1588, and was appointed vice-admiral by Philip IV of Spain. His great-uncle, Jan Jacobsen, also in the service of Spain, blew himself up with his ship in 1622 rather than surrender. He almost certainly spoke Dutch, at that time the native language in the region, and his birth name was Jan Baert.
When he was young, Bart served in the Dutch navy under Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. When war broke out between France and the United Provinces in 1672, he entered the French service. Since only persons of noble birth could then serve as officers in the navy, he instead became captain of one of the Dunkirk privateers. In that capacity, he displayed such astonishing bravery that Louis XIV sent him on a special mission to the Mediterranean, where he gained great distinction.
Unable to receive a command in the navy because of his low birth, he held an irregular sort of commission, but he had such success that he became a lieutenant in 1679. He became a terror to the Dutch navy and a serious menace to the commerce of Holland. On one occasion, with six vessels, he broke through a blockading fleet, shattered a number of the enemy's ships and convoyed a transport of grain safely into Dunkirk harbor. He rose rapidly to the rank of captain and then to that of admiral.
He achieved his greatest successes during the Nine Years' War (1688–1697).
Official source
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