Charles Pierre Claret, comte de Fleurieu ( ; ) (2 July 1738 – 18 August 1810) was a

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

officer, explorer, hydrographer and politician. He served as Minister of the Navy under

Louis XVI Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...

, and was a member of the

Institut de France The ; ) is a French learned society, grouping five , including the . It was established in 1795 at the direction of the National Convention. Located on the Quai de Conti in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, the institute manages approximately ...

. His brother was botanist Marc Antoine Louis Claret de La Tourrette.

Life

Ancien Regime

Fleurieu was born in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. He joined the Navy on 31 October 1755 at

Toulon Toulon (, , ; , , ) is a city in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of southeastern France. Located on the French Riviera and the historical Provence, it is the prefecture of the Var (department), Var department. The Commune of Toulon h ...

as a

Garde-marine Gardes de la Marine is a junior officer rank, usually used in American navies, as well as a former rank used in France. France In France, under the Ancien Régime, the (Guards of the Navy), or were young gentlemen undergoing training to be nav ...

, aged just 13 and a half. He subsequently took part in the campaigns of the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

— which ended in 1763 — participating in the battles of Mahon,

Lagos Lagos ( ; ), or Lagos City, is a large metropolitan city in southwestern Nigeria. With an upper population estimated above 21 million dwellers, it is the largest city in Nigeria, the most populous urban area on the African continent, and on ...

, and Les Sablettes and rising to brigadier in the ''gardes de la marine'' company, and then '' enseigne de vaisseau''. In suggesting de Fleurieu's promotion to ensign, on 23 March 1762, the Minister wrote to the king: On 1 July 1765, he was made Enseigne de port, and on 27 July he went to Paris to study

horology Chronometry or horology () is the science studying the measurement of time and timekeeping. Chronometry enables the establishment of standard measurements of time, which have applications in a broad range of social and scientific areas. ''Hor ...

with Ferdinand Berthoud. He took part in a one-year sea campaign to test Berthoud's first

marine chronometer A marine chronometer is a precision timepiece that is carried on a ship and employed in the determination of the ship's position by celestial navigation. It is used to determine longitude by comparing Greenwich Mean Time (GMT), and the time at t ...

, in an attempt to beat Britain in the race to find a reliable way to calculate

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east- west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek lett ...

. The chronometers he thus refined with Ferdinand Berthoud for their later experiments were the object of major struggles with the king's horologer, Pierre Le Roy. Finally Claret de Fleurieu and Berthoud were entrusted with the task, setting out on the testing expedition from autumn 1768 to 11 October 1769 on the corvette ''Isis'' under Fleurieu's command. The chronometers almost invariably indicated the hour as accurately after the ship had left port, as if they were still on land. Knowing the actual local time at each present location by astronomy, they could easily determine the ship's exact position and longitude on a chart. The results of their observations was published in 1773 under the title ''Voyage fait par ordre du roi, pour éprouver les horloges marines'' ("Voyage made by order of the king, to test marine chronometers"). We can also cite among his major works ''le Neptune du Nord'' or ''l'Atlas du Cattegat et de la Baltique'', an

atlas An atlas is a collection of maps; it is typically a bundle of world map, maps of Earth or of a continent or region of Earth. Advances in astronomy have also resulted in atlases of the celestial sphere or of other planets. Atlases have traditio ...

of the

Kattegat The Kattegat (; ; ) is a sea area bounded by the peninsula of Jutland in the west, the Danish straits islands of Denmark and the Baltic Sea to the south and the Swedish provinces of Bohuslän, Västergötland, Halland and Scania in Swede ...

and the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

that took him 25 years. Made '' lieutenant de vaisseau'' on 1 October 1773, then deputy inspector of naval charts and plans, he also became deputy inspector of the

naval academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...

on 15 May 1776. He was presented to the king and named ''capitaine de vaisseau'' on 5 December 1776 and soon afterwards director of ports and arsenals in January 1777, a post heading the fleet's organization of matériel, works and movements created specially for him by

and one he held for 15 years. In it he directed nearly all planning for naval operations against the British as part of the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, as well as all the French voyages of discovery such as that of La Pérouse.

French Revolution

The king made him '' Ministre de la Marine et des Colonies'' on 26 October 1790. He and the king wanted to separate the naval and colonial ministries, but the Assemblée nationale thought otherwise, and he resigned on 15 April 1791. Later that year he was made guardian of the Dauphin, later

Louis XVII Louis XVII (born Louis Charles, Duke of Normandy; 27 March 1785 – 8 June 1795) was the younger son of King Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette. His older brother, Louis Joseph, Dauphin of France, died in June 1789, a little over ...

. He remained in the

Tuileries The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was b ...

on 10 August 1792, in support of Louis XVI right up until the critical point, but fortunately for him the revolutionaries did not discover this. In the midst of the

Reign of Terror The Reign of Terror (French: ''La Terreur'', literally "The Terror") was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the French First Republic, First Republic, a series of massacres and Capital punishment in France, nu ...

, in September 1793, Charles Pierre was arrested due to a letter of recommendation Louis XVI had sent to the Assemblée nationale, published in the '' Universal Monitor'' on 17 April 1791, in which he first demanded Charles' nomination as the Dauphin's governor. He remained imprisoned with his wife in the Madelonnettes for 14 months; they were finally released to find their homes, furniture, lands and resources dispersed and destroyed. A letter to the ''section des piques'' in the prison. discovered in

Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; ; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman, widely recognised as one of the most influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. Robespierre fer ...

's house. speaks of a first arrest, which may suggest Charles was arrested several times and transferred from prison to prison. After the fall of Robespierre he was made a member of the

Bureau des longitudes __NOTOC__ The ''Bureau des Longitudes'' () is a French scientific institution, founded by decree of 25 June 1795 and charged with the improvement of nautical navigation, standardisation of time-keeping, geodesy and astronomical observation. Durin ...

and of the Institut after M. de Bougainville's resignation in 1795. In 1797 (year V) he was elected deputy for the Seine in the

Council of Ancients The Council of Ancients or Council of Elders () was a house of the French bicameral legislature under the Constitution of the Year III, during the period commonly known as the Directory (French: ''Directoire''), from 22 August 1795 until 9 Nov ...

under the name Claret-Fleurieu. He remained so until the

coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...

of 18 Fructidor when he was excluded from the council. He was elected a member of the

Conseil d'État In France, the (; Council of State) is a governmental body that acts both as legal adviser to the executive branch and as the supreme court for administrative justice, which is one of the two branches of the French judiciary system. Establ ...

on 24 December 1799.

First French Empire

On 30 September 1800, as

Minister Plenipotentiary An envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary, usually known as a minister, was a diplomatic head of mission who was ranked below ambassador. A diplomatic mission headed by an envoy was known as a legation rather than an embassy. Under the ...

, he signed a treaty of friendship and commerce between France and the United States at Morfontaine, alongside

Joseph Bonaparte Joseph Bonaparte (born Giuseppe di Buonaparte, ; ; ; 7 January 176828 July 1844) was a French statesman, lawyer, diplomat and older brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. During the Napoleonic Wars, the latter made him King of Naples (1806–1808), an ...

. A member of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

in 1800, he presided over its naval section and was interim Minister of the Navy several times during 1803 and 1804. He was named Quartermaster General of the emperor

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

's household and of the Imperial

civil list A civil list is a list of individuals to whom money is paid by the government, typically for service to the state or as honorary pensions. It is a term especially associated with the United Kingdom, and its former colonies and dominions. It was ori ...

on 10 July 1804. On 24 July 1805, he was elected a member of the

Sénat conservateur The (, "Conservative Senate") was an advisory body established in France during the French Consulate, Consulate following the French Revolution. It was established in 1799 under the Constitution of the Year VIII following the Napoleon Bonapa ...

and made a Grand Officer of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

. On 1 August 1805, he was made Governor of the

and the

Louvre The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is a national art museum in Paris, France, and one of the most famous museums in the world. It is located on the Rive Droite, Right Bank of the Seine in the city's 1st arrondissement of Paris, 1st arron ...

, taking the oath before the Emperor on 8 September that year. On 2 February 1806, he was elected one of the seven senators who composed the Council of Administration within the Senate for that year. In 1808 he was made Councilor of State for life and an

Imperial Count Imperial Count (, ) was a title in the Holy Roman Empire. During the medieval era, it was used exclusively to designate the holder of an imperial county, that is, a fief held directly ( immediately) from the emperor, rather than from a prince wh ...

. On 7 September of that same year, Napoleon put him in charge of the investigation into the French defeat at the

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

Death

He died in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

from a devastating

cerebral hemorrhage Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), also known as hemorrhagic stroke, is a sudden bleeding into the tissues of the brain (i.e. the parenchyma), into its ventricles, or into both. An ICH is a type of bleeding within the skull and one kind of stro ...

, a few seconds after embracing his two daughters. Napoleon rewarded his services by giving him a state funeral and having his remains transferred to the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...

Marriage and issue

At age 54, he married Aglaé-Françoise Deslacs d'Arcambal; they had one son who died young and two daughters, including Caroline (Madame de Saint-Ouen, from whom his descendants trace their lineage).Geneanet.org
Accessed 19 April 2024.

Works

* ''Mémoires sur la construction des navires'', 1763; * ''Histoire générale des navigations de tous les peuples''; * ''Examen critique d'un mémoire publié par Mr Leroy, horloger du roi, sur l'épreuve des horloges propres à déterminer les longitudes en mer, et sur les principes de leur construction'', London and Paris. * ''Voyage entrepris en 1768 et 1769 pour éprouver les horloges marines'' (2 vols., Paris, 1773); * ''Une carte du grand Océan Atlantique'', 1776; * '' Découvertes des Français en 1768 et 1769 dans le sud-est de la Nouvelle-Guinée, et reconnaissance postérieure des mêmes terres par des navigateurs anglais qui leur ont imposé de nouveaux noms ''; précédées de ''l'abrégé historique des navigations et des découvertes des Espagnols dans les mêmes parages'', Paris, 1790, with 12 maps * ''Longitude exacte des divers points des Antilles, et de l'Amérique du Nord'' (1773); * ''Les Antilles, leur flore et faune'' (1774); * ''Le Neptune Américo-septentrional'', 1780; * ''Découvertes des Français dans le Sud Est de la Nouvelle-Guinée en 1768 et 1769'', Paris, 1790; * ''Précis de l'affaire relative à la dénonciation de Fleurieu, ministre de la marine, par un commis de la marine'', Paris, 1791. * '' Voyage autour du monde par Étienne Marchand, précédé d'une introduction historique; auquel on a joint des recherches sur les terres australes de Drake, et un examen critique de voyage de Roggeween, avec cartes et figures'', Paris, years VI-VIII, 4 vol. *
Vol I
(Archive.org) *
Vol II
(Archive.org) *
Vol III
(Archive.org) *
Vol IV
(Archive.org) * ''Le Neptune des mers du Nord'', 1794. * ''Histoire des aventuriers espagnols, qui conquérirent l'Amérique'' (1800). * '' Sous sa direction, rédaction par Rigobert Bonne du Neptune américo-septentrional, 1778-1780, et par Buache du Neptune du Cattégat et de la Baltique'', 65 f., 1809 * He also revised Jean Nicolas Demeunier's 1775 translation of ''Voyage de Phipps au pôle boréal'', and edited the ''Notes géographiques et historiques'' printed with accounts of La Pérouse's voyage. * He died before finishing his ''Histoire générale des Navigations''. He also edited the ''Voyage autour du monde'' which was written in 1790 and 1792 by

Étienne Marchand The Solide expedition was the second successful circumnavigation by the French, after that by Bougainville. It occurred from 1790 to 1792 but remains little known due to its mainly commercial aims, in the fur trade between the northwest American ...

, year VI (1798).

Namesakes

* the

Fleurieu Peninsula The Fleurieu Peninsula ( ; locally mainly ) is a peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia located south of the state capital of Adelaide city centre, Adelaide. History Before British colonisation of South Australia, the western s ...

to the south of

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

was named after him by the French explorer

Nicolas Baudin Nicolas Thomas Baudin (; 17 February 175416 September 1803) was a French explorer, cartographer, naturalist and hydrographer, most notable for his explorations in Australia and the southern Pacific. He carried a few corms of Gros Michel banana ...

as he mapped the south coast of Australia in 1802. * an island (discovered in 1798 by

Matthew Flinders Captain (Royal Navy), Captain Matthew Flinders (16 March 1774 – 19 July 1814) was a British Royal Navy officer, navigator and cartographer who led the first littoral zone, inshore circumnavigate, circumnavigation of mainland Australia, then ...

, then explored by Louis Claude de Saulces de Freycinet) at the northwest extremity of

Tasmania Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...

was also named after him.

Sources

* "M. le Comte de Fleurieu" by M. Frédéric Chassériau * Archives nationales, 2 JJ 92 à 103. – Fastes de la Légion d'Honneur. * Delambre, Notice sur la vie et les ouvrages de M. le comte de Fleurieu. – * Discours sur Fleurieu par Raillon, 1810. * Notice sur Fleurieu par Salverte, s. d. et par. Chassériau, 1856. * ''Archives biographiques françaises'', I, 403, p. 354-377 * ''Bulletin des voyages, de la géographie et de l'histoire'', N° XXXVI, p. 373, by Eusèbe Salverte -- * ''Annales des voyages, de la géographie et de l'histoire'', vol. 4 of the 3rd subscription, and 12th of the collection. Article from the bulletin signé Eusèbe Salverte. * ''Annales maritimes coloniales'', p. 85-102, by the Chevalier Delambre. Recueilli par M. Bajot. * ''Journal de l'armée navale'', journal "le moniteur", Archives nationale de la marine. * ''Biographie nouvelle des contemporains'' 787-1820de Antoine-Vincent Arnault page 170–171 * ''Dernières années du règne et de la vie de Louis XVI'', de François Hue, René Du Ménil de Maricourt, Henri de L'Epinois (p. 328-329) * ''La vie et les mémoires du général Dumouriez'', de Charles François Du Périer Dumouriez, p. 175-177. * ''Mémoires secrets pour servir à l'histoire de la dernière année du règne de Louis XVI'', d'Antoine François Bertrand de Moleville * ''Nouvelle biographie générale depuis les temps les plus reculés à nos jours'', par P. Levot * ''Mémoires inédits de madame la comtesse de Genlis pour servir à l'histoire des XVIIIème et XIXème siècles''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Claret de Fleurieu, Charles Pierre 1738 births 1810 deaths Military personnel from Lyon 18th-century French explorers French hydrographers Scientists from Lyon Members of the French Academy of Sciences Burials at the Panthéon, Paris Counts of the First French Empire Members of the Sénat conservateur Ministers of marine and the colonies French Navy admirals Members of the Council of Five Hundred French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War French military personnel of the Seven Years' War Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour