André, marquis de Nesmond ( Bordeaux, 17 November 1641 – Havana, 11 June 1702) was a French naval commander from the seventeenth century. He was the second son of Henri de Nesmond (1600–1651).

Henri de Nesmond Henri de Nesmond (27 January 1655, Bordeaux – 27 May 1727, Toulouse) was a French churchman, bishop of Montauban, archbishop of Albi and archbishop of Toulouse. Biography Nesmond was a son of Henri de Nesmond (1600–1651). André, marquis de ...

(1655–1672) was his younger brother. In 1658 he became a member of the Order of Malta. In 1662 he entered in the service of the French Navy and was wounded in 1663 in a battle with 3 Algerian corsairs. in 1667 he was promoted to captain and fought under François, Duke of Beaufort in the Siege of Candia in 1669. In the

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Nor ...

he commanded the ''Vaillant'' in the

Battle of Solebay The naval Battle of Solebay took place on 28 May Old Style, 7 June New Style 1672 and was the first naval battle of the Third Anglo-Dutch War. The battle began as an attempted raid on Solebay port where an English fleet was anchored and large ...

in 1672, the ''Conquérant'' in the

Battle of Schooneveld The Battles of Schooneveld were two naval battles of the Franco-Dutch War, fought off the coast of the Netherlands on 7 June and 14 June 1673 (New Style; 28 May and 4 June in the Julian calendar then in use in England) between an allied Angl ...

in 1673 and again the ''Vaillant'' in the Battle of Texel. In 1674–1675 he commanded the ''Actif'' and defeated

Engel de Ruyter Engel Michielszoon de Ruyter (2 May 1649 – 27 February 1683) was a Dutch vice-admiral. Biography

De Ruyter was born in Vlissingen, the son of lieutenant admiral Michiel de Ruyter and his second wife Cornelia Engels. He began his naval servi ...

near The Lizard. In 1677–1678 he commanded the ''Belliqueux'' in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, where he was implicated in the foundering of the fleet of Jean II d'Estrées, in the disaster of the

Las Aves Archipelago The Las Aves Archipelago is a pristine archipelago in the Caribbean Sea, and is part of the Federal Dependencies of Venezuela. It is located north of the Venezuelan states of Aragua and Carabobo, between the Dutch island Bonaire in the west, an ...

. During the War of the Grand Alliance, on the ''Content'' he escorted French troop ships to Ireland in 1690. He fought in the

Battle of Beachy Head (1690) The Battle of Beachy Head (''Fr''. Battle of Bévéziers) was a naval battle fought on 10 July 1690 during the Nine Years' War. The battle was the greatest French tactical naval victory over their English and Dutch opponents during the war. Th ...

as captain of the ''Souverain''.
During the Battle of Barfleur on board the ''Monarque'', he commanded a division, and held off the Dutch vanguard until the end of the battle. In the lost Battle of La Hogue, he saved part of his division and passed with the remaining 2 ships ''Monarque'' and ''Aimable'', through the Straits of Dover and led them north-about round Britain. The Marquis of Nesmond then gained a reputation as a formidable raider, capturing many ships and their valuable cargos. In the

Battle of Lagos (1693) The Battle of Lagos was a sea battle during the Nine Years' War on 27 June 1693 (17 June 1693 O.S.), when a French fleet under Anne Hilarion de Tourville defeated an Anglo-Dutch fleet under George Rooke near Lagos Bay in Portugal. Rooke's squa ...

he captured two Dutch warships and several merchant ships from the Smyrna Convoy. In 1695 he captured the English warship Espérance (72) and later that year, two merchant ships from the East India Company. In 1696 he captured his greatest prize : 2 English merchant ships coming from India, which a cargo that was sold for 3,150,000 pounds. Later that year he also captured a merchant fleet of 9 ships from Ostende. In 1697 he operated in North America. At the beginning of the War of Spanish Succession he was sent to the Caribbean to protect the Spanish treasure fleet but in June 1702 he got sick and died on board the ''Ferme'' in the harbor of Havana, Cuba.

Sources

Bordeaux et la marine de guerre: XVIIe-XXe siècles, by Silvia Marzagalli
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nesmond, Andre, Marquis De 1641 births 1702 deaths French marquesses French military personnel of the Nine Years' War