French

Marquis de Lafayette, 1757 - 1834

Born into a prominent aristocratic family in Auvergne, France, Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, the Marquis de Lafayette, was a courtier in the court of Louis XVI but travelled to America at age 19 at his own expense.   Appointed a major general of the Continental Army, he became a close associate of George Washington.  Returning to France, Lafayette helped persuade the French court to supply money, ships, and men to the American cause.  When he returned to America, he commanded troops from Virginia

Rigaud de Vaudreuil, Philippe, 1643 - 1725

Philippe de Rigaud, Marquis de Vaudreuil was the son of Jean-Louis Rigaud and Marie de Chateauverdun of Dreuihe, France.  He entered military service in 1672 as a musketeer in Flanders.  Imperial authorities sent Vaudreuil to command a force of marines in New France in 1687.  That same year, he was appointed acting governor of Montreal.  As a military officer, he led several expeditions against the Iroquois, especially during the campaign of 1696, and successfully defended Quebec against the English.  Vaudreuil became governor general of New France in 1703.  His policies towards the Five Na

Bourbon, Louis XIV, 1638 - 1715

Louis Bourbon, son of the French monarch, Louis XIII of the House of Bourbon and Anne of Austria, succeeded to the crown on May 14, 1643 as Louis XIV.  A proponent of the divine right of kings and absolute government, he became one of the most powerful rulers in Eighteenth Century Europe.   His expansionist policies were often in conflict with those of other monarchs and lead to dynastic wars in Europe and in North America, namely King William’s War (1688-1697) and Queen Anne’s War (1702-1713).

LeMoyne, Bernard

Bernard LeMoyne was the captain of the privateer frigate the La Toison d’Or [Golden Fleece] operating in the Caribbean as early as 1674.  Around 1678, he brought into Boston harbor several Dutch prizes worth well over one hundred thousand pounds.  Colonial administrator Edward Randolph later called LeMoyne “a great undertaker for pirates and promoter of irregular trade.  ”Mrs. Schuyler Van Rensselaer, History of the City of New York in the Seventeenth Century, Vol.