Sébastien Le Prestre, Marquis of Vauban

Lore & Background

After the Treaty of the Pyrenees, Vauban fortified newly acquired towns such as Dunkirk. His first designed fortification was the 1673 siege of Maastricht. In 1677, he succeeded Clerville as Commissaire général des fortifications. During the Nine Years' War, he supervised the capture of Namur in 1692 and the 1697 siege of Ath. He was made Comte de Vauban and an Honorary Member of the French Academy of Sciences. In 1702, he failed at the Siege of Hulst, his only unsuccessful siege. He captured Alt-Brisach in 1703 and was promoted to Maréchal de France, ending his military career.

Reader's Guide

Vauban's significance lies in his systematic approach to fortification and his broader view of military infrastructure. His Ceinture de fer, a line of fortresses in Flanders, proved its worth after the French defeat at Ramillies in 1706, helping France negotiate an acceptable peace at Utrecht in 1713. His defensive principles remained in use for nearly 100 years after his death, and his offensive tactics were employed into the 20th century. His economic tract, La Dîme royale, proposed a flat 10% tax and used statistics, making him a precursor of modern economics and the Enlightenment. His advocacy of giving up territory for a more coherent and defensible border was unusual for the period; the boundaries he proposed in the north and east have changed very little since. Estimates of the number of fortifications he supervised vary from around 60 to over 300; modern scholarship suggests closer to 160.

Did You Know?

• Vauban was wounded eight times during his military career.
• His economic tract La Dîme royale was confiscated and destroyed by royal decree.
• The Siege of Hulst in 1702 was the only siege in which Vauban was not successful.
• Vauban's grandfather acquired Château de Bazoches in 1570 by marrying an illegitimate daughter of the Comte de Bazoches.