Florent de Varennes (died in

Tunis Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...

in August 1270) was the first

Admiral of France Admiral of France () is a French title of honour. It is the naval equivalent of Marshal of France and was one of the Great Officers of the Crown of France. History The title was created in 1270 by Louis IX of France, during the Eighth Crusad ...

, in 1269, and as such, became the head of the fleet during the

Eighth Crusade The Eighth Crusade was the second Crusade launched by Louis IX of France, this one against the Hafsid dynasty in Tunisia in 1270. It is also known as the Crusade of Louis IX Against Tunis or the Second Crusade of Louis. The Crusade did not see an ...

and the last led by King Saint Louis IX.

Family

He was lord of Varennes, in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

. He was married to Yolande de Nesle, daughter of John II de Nesle, Count of Soissons and Marie de

Chimay Chimay (, ) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. In 2006, Chimay had a population of 9,774. The area is 197.10 km2 which gives a population density ...

. They had a son named Mathieu.

Eighth Crusade

Roi de France Louis IX en mer vers Tunis

In July 1270, King Louis IX set sail from Aigues-Mortes with a large, well-organized fleet of 70 vessels, mostly Genoese and Venetian, stating: "Already old, I begin the overseas journey. I sacrifice to God wealth, honor, pleasure ... I wanted to give you this last example and I hope you will follow it if circumstances dictate ..."Net Marine
Florent de Varennes
(''French'') The first part of the journey was hectic. They stopped in Sardinia. The King sent Florent de Varennes as a scout towards the Sards. But, since their boats were Genoan, they were unwelcome. Food was delivered at high cost. On July 17, the army arrived at the Tunisian coast. According to the royal secretary, Jean de Condé, the King sends Florent de Varennes with a few men to reconnoitre the land. He found an empty harbour, with only a few Muslim and Genoan merchant ships present. He sent a messenger to the King. The royal council was divided on which strategy to adopt: some thought it was a trap, while others wanted to take advantage of the situation and disembark. Florent de Varennes, without referring to the King, disembarks his troops on the platform closing Tunis harbour. Although he was furious, the King joined with the rest of the crew. The operation is a capharnaum, but hopefully, no enemy showed up. On July 21, the tower of

La Goulette La Goulette (, ), in Arabic Halq al-Wadi ( '), is a municipality and the port of Tunis, Tunisia. La Goulette is located at around on a sandbar between Lake of Tunis, Lake Tūnis and the Gulf of Tunis. The port, located 12km east of Tunis, is th ...

was seized, and the army settled in the plain of Carthage. The Castle of

Carthage Carthage was an ancient city in Northern Africa, on the eastern side of the Lake of Tunis in what is now Tunisia. Carthage was one of the most important trading hubs of the Ancient Mediterranean and one of the most affluent cities of the classic ...

was captured by Genoan sailors. Waiting for the reinforcements of

Charles of Anjou Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 a ...

, King of Sicily, to attack

, a

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

epidemic decimated the troops, the polluted water and excessive heat not helping. Florent de Varennes and John Tristan, Count of Valois, son of Louis IX, were among the victims. Louis IX himself died on August 25, by the time of the arrival of Charles of Anjou. The latter defeated the Saracens and signed a treaty with the Sultan on 30 October 1270. Philip,

Count of Orléans Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

, Louis' elder son, who became King

Philip III of France Philip III (1 May 1245 – 5 October 1285), called the Bold (), was King of France from 1270 until his death in 1285. His father, Louis IX, died in Tunis during the Eighth Crusade. Philip, who was accompanying him, returned to France and wa ...

, sailed home on November 11.

Heraldry

Florent's coat of arms was "''

Gules In heraldry, gules () is the tincture with the colour red. It is one of the class of five dark tinctures called "colours", the others being azure (blue), sable (black), vert (green) and purpure (purple). Gules is portrayed in heraldic hatch ...

a Cross Or''" (Red with a golden cross) and is still the coat of arms of the village of Varennes, Departement of the

Somme __NOTOC__ Somme or The Somme may refer to: Places *Somme (department), a department of France * Somme, Queensland, Australia * Canal de la Somme, a canal in France *Somme (river), a river in France Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Somme'' (book), ...

, Region

Père Anselme de Sainte-Marie (1625-1694)
"Histoire généalogique et chronologique de la maison royale de France, des pairs, grands officiers de la couronne & de la maison du Roy, & des anciens barons du royaume ...", Third Edition, Ed. Compagnies des libraires associés,

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 ...

, 1733, Seventh Tome, Amirals de France, p 732

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Varennes, Florent de 1270 deaths Admirals of France Christians of the Eighth Crusade 13th-century births