Turenne, Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne

Born in the Sedan Fortress in the principality of the same name in the Ardennes . The younger son of the French Huguenot leader under Henry IV and after his death, Marshal of France (since 1592 ), Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne , Duke of Bouillon ; on the mother’s side - the grandson of William I , Prince of Orange .

Until the age of 12, he was a physically weak boy and did not show any special abilities. But his father managed to arouse pride in his son, which forced the boy to strain all his will in order to achieve success in physical and mental development ^[1] .

At an early age it appeared a craving for military affairs. He was not yet 15 years old when his mother sent him to Holland to study military art under the guidance of his uncle Moritz of Orange .

Thirty Years' War

Starting service in 1625 during the Thirty Years War without a rank, Turenn, thanks to his outstanding ability and courage, quickly began to rise in service: in 1634 he was already the commander of the regiment, literally the next year - a brigadier general.

In 1640, he captures Turin from the Spaniards.

In 1643 , when Turenna was only 33 years old, Cardinal Mazarin gives him the rod of Marshal of France. Thus, Mazarin hopes to tie the brilliant commander to the person of the young king. However, experiencing a certain distrust towards Turenna, Mazarin sends him to Germany to reorganize the army, and places Prince de Condé at the head of the new troops.

In 1645, Turenne skillfully commanded the Upper Rhine Army; in 1646 in Hesse he joined the Swedish forces of Wrangel , and their joint successes led the Bavarian Elector to make peace with France.

In 1647 Turenn operated in the Netherlands, in 1648 , together with Wrangel - again in Bavaria. After a series of victories in 1648, Turenn entered Munich , which leads to the conclusion of the Peace of Westphalia .

Fronda

See also Fronda

In 1649 - 1651 , during the Fronde , Turenne performs with Prince de Conde against Mazarin . This decision was made by Turen under the influence of his brother, the duke of Bouillon, and especially the duchess de Longville , with whom he had long been in love. Turenn commanded the troops of the Fronde, reinforced by Spanish troops.

In May 1651, Turen was reconciled with the royal court and granted him amnesty. Early next year, he was assigned to take action against Conde. Leading the royal troops, Turenne wins victories in Zharzho and in the area of ​​Zhieni, forcing Conde to retreat from Paris. Turenn continues to win victories, and Conde is defeated for defeat, especially painful defeat in the Saint-Antoine suburb . The Queen Mother writes Turenna:

"The second time you save the crown to my son."

Although Turenn never entered the Council, Louis XIV always consulted him on particularly important matters and left him a blank check when leading military campaigns and battles.

Turenn ends the war against Condé and the Spaniards: in 1653, he captures Retel and Monsoon , in 1654 forces him to lift the siege of Arras , in 1656 he is defeated by Condé and Juan of Austria near Valenciennes , but in 1658, he won a brilliant victory in the battle near Dunkirk . His victories forced the Spaniards to conclude the Pyrenean Peace of 1659 .

For these successes, in 1660 , Turenne was appointed Chief Marshal of France (the highest military rank in France).

In the service of Louis XIV

Until 1666, he was under Louis XIV, and with him made a campaign in 1667 to Flanders .

During the first Dutch War, Turenn acted on the Rhine and defended Alsace , and showed great skill in maneuvering and gained several successes over the imperial forces. On July 27, 1675 , having left for reconnaissance of the enemy position near Sasbach ( Ortenau , Germany), Turenn was killed by the first nucleus outright.

Personal life

In 1651, Turenne married a Protestant, Charlotte de Comon (1623–1666), the daughter of Armand-Nompare de Comon , duke de la Fors . Marriage remained childless. Two years after the death of his wife, Turenn converted to Catholicism. More Turenn did not tie the knot and left no offspring.

Evaluation

Turenn, who was one of the best generals of his time, was distinguished by extraordinary modesty and simplicity both in dress and in circulation. He carefully weighed all the circumstances that could make a difference in this military situation. He deserved special love in the army with his care for the needs of a soldier, whose fate was then often neglected. The art of war owes much to Turenna, especially in the area of ​​tactics and strategy.

At the heart of military art Turenna lay wide maneuvering in the theater of operations, combined with a decisive battle. Turen considered the main method of strategic actions to reach the enemy’s communications and cut him off from the supply bases. He developed campaign plans on the basis of a thorough analysis of the situation, while showing great foresight. The crucial importance attached to the organization of the supply of troops, reliable support of their communications. He was one of the creators of the store supply chain of troops. In the field of tactics, instead of the template principle of uniform distribution of forces along the front (linear tactics), he preferred to concentrate the main efforts on one of the flanks for delivering the main attack ^[2] .

Memory

King Louis XIV awarded Turenne the highest posthumous honor - ordered to bury his ashes in the Basilica of Saint-Denis , the tomb of the French kings. In 1793, during the French Revolution, his grave was desecrated, but then his remains were transferred to the Museum of Monuments. In 1800, by order of Napoleon Bonaparte, Turenn was reburied in the House of Invalides .

During the battle of Austerlitz, Napoleon I acted and fought Turennes, inspired by the tactics of surprise.

• Jean Davie - Iron Mask / Le masque de fer ( Italy , France ; 1962 ), directed by Henri Decuin .

• "Tashkent" - cell rifle / [under total. ed. A. A. Grechko ]. - M .: Military Publishing House of the USSR Defense Ministry , 1976. - 690 p. - ( Soviet military encyclopedia : [in 8 tons.]; 1976-1980, vol. 8).
• Ivonina L. I. Henri de Turenne // Questions of history. 2012. № 3. S. 56-82.
• Rutchenko A., Tubyansky M. Turenn. M., 1939.
• Turenne, Heinrich de la Tour d'Overn. // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron : in 86 tons (82 tons and 4 extra). - SPb. , 1890-1907.
• Lossau, "Ideale der Kriegführung";
• Turenne, Mémoires;
• Neuber, “Turenne als Kriegstheoretiker und Feldherr”;
• Montholon, Mémoires de Napoleon I;
• Quincy, "Histoire militaire du règne de Louis le Grand".