Louis-antoine, French Explorer
by Photo Researchers, Inc.
Title
Louis-antoine, French Explorer
Artist
Photo Researchers, Inc.
Medium
Photograph - Photograph
Description
Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville (November 12, 1729 - August 31, 1811) was a French admiral and explorer. A contemporary of James Cook, he took part in the French and Indian War against Britain and participated in the defense of the capital of New France, the fortified Quebec City. He helped negotiate the Treaty of Paris that eventually conceded most of New France to the British Empire. Bougainville dreamt of founding a new colony for the Acadians who had been expelled from Canada to Saint Malo. He chose the Falkland Islands because he believed their remote location would protect the colonists from harassment. He undertook the task at his own expense. The Spanish government claimed that the islands were rightfully Spanish and in 1767 forced the handover of the French establishment to Spain. In 1766 Bougainville received from Louis XV permission to circumnavigate the globe. He would become the 14th navigator in western history, and the first Frenchman, to sail around the world, and the completion of his mission would bolster the prestige of France following its defeats during the Seven Years' War. In 1787, he became a member of the French Academy of Sciences. He died in 1811 at the age of 81.
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March 6th, 2013
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