Sébastian Le Prestre de Vauban

Robert Clark (The Literary Encyclopedia)

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.03: French Writing and Culture of the Seventeenth Century: Classical and Baroque, 1600-1700.
Vol. editors: Heather Kirk (University of Western Ontario), Kathrina LaPorta (New York University), Polly Mangerson (DePaul University), Julia Prest (University of St Andrews), Allison Stedman (University of North Carolina, Charlotte), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

Born 15 May 1633
Died 30 Mar 1707
Activity 1653-1707

Places

Born in France
Active in France; Russia

Activities

Primary

Courtier
Soldier

Resources

Vauban was the greatest military architect of the seventeenth century, and possibly the greatest of all time. The forts he constructed or inspired are still found throughout continental Europe, their massive and complex bastions, ravines and glacis being precisely calculated to expose any attacking forces to withering concentrations of canon and rifle fire.

Son of a minor nobleman of the same name, Vauban showed a precocious interest in mathematics. He enrolled in the army of the Prince du Condé during his revolt against Mazarin in 1651, was captured by the royal army and changed sides, earning his laurels at the sieges of cities and fortresses in the Spanish Netherlands (1653-8), notably those of Sainte-Menehoulde, Stenay, …

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468 words

Citation: Clark, Robert. "Sébastian Le Prestre de Vauban". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 22 October 2005 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=6021, accessed 23 November 2024.]

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