Jean-Nicolas Topsent (12 June 1755 - 18 August 1816) was a French naval officer and politician.

Life

He was son of Jean-Baptiste Topsent and Anne Le Cerf, both of whose families had previously produced naval officers. Topsent was a surname of Danish origin. He was a lieutenant de vaisseau in

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

during 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 ...

, then a deputy to the

National Convention The National Convention () was the constituent assembly of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for its first three years during the French Revolution, following the two-year National Constituent Assembly and the ...

and 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 ...

. He accompanied admiral amiral Villaret-Joyeuse at the

Battle of Groix The Battle of Groix (, ) took place on 23 June 1795 off the island of Groix in the Bay of Biscay during the War of the First Coalition. It was fought between elements of the British Channel Fleet and the French Ponant Fleet, Atlantic Fleet, whi ...

. He and

Lazare Hoche Louis Lazare Hoche (; 24 June 1768 – 19 September 1797) was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars. He won a victory over Royalist forces in Brittany. His surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on ...

both took part in the efforts to counter the 1795 émigré landing in Quiberon. As a capitaine de vaisseau he took part in the

Saint-Domingue expedition The Saint-Domingue expedition was a large French military invasion sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, then French Consulate, First Consul, under his brother-in-law Charles Leclerc (general, born 1772), Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc in an attempt to ...

before Napoleon (then First Consul) put him in command of the squadron carrying Claude-Victor Perrin's force to

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

. During his time as a deputy, illness kept him away from the votes on the death of Louis XVI but he took a major part in reorganising the navy. He supported the methods applied by

Jeanbon Saint-André Jean Bon Saint-André (; 25 February 174910 December 1813) was a French politician of the Revolutionary era. Early career and role in the National Convention He was born in Montauban (Tarn-et-Garonne), the son of a fuller. Although his parents ...

and continued his career during the

French Directory The Directory (also called Directorate; ) was the system of government established by the Constitution of the Year III, French Constitution of 1795. It takes its name from the committee of 5 men vested with executive power. The Directory gov ...

. He died at Quillebeuf-sur-Seine. He was mentioned in the chapter on the Convention in

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

's ''

Quatrevingt-treize ''Ninety-Three'' (''Quatrevingt-treize'') is the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo. Published in 1874, three years after the bloody upheaval of the Paris Commune that resulted out of popular reaction to Napoleon III's failure to win ...

''. The relevant passage on wikisource.

References

Bibliography

* « Jean-Nicolas Topsent », in

Adolphe Robert Adolphe Robert (17 January 1833, Melun – 23 December 1899, 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 reside ...

and Gaston Cougny, ''Dictionnaire des parlementaires français'', Edgar Bourloton, 1889–1891 * Claude Duchemin, ''Un Viking à la Convention - Chroniques du capitaine de vaisseau JN TOPSENT'', éditions SPM, {{DEFAULTSORT:Topsent, Jean-Nicolas 1755 births 1816 deaths People from Normandy French military personnel of the American Revolutionary War French Navy officers French colonels Members of Parliament for Eure Deputies to the French National Convention Représentants en mission Members of the Council of Ancients French people of Danish descent