VILLENEUVE, Pierre-Charles de (Valensole, December 31, 1763 - Rennes, April 22, 1806).
Enlisted in the navy at 16, he participated in the war of 'America.
Despite his noble origins, he took up the cause of the revolution and chose to stay in France.
Captain in 1793, rear-admiral in 1796, he took part in the expedition to Egypt, under the command of Admiral Brueys, and commanded the right wing of the French fleet at the naval battle of Aboukir ( August 1, 1798). He is one of the rare survivors of this disaster from which he can save two ships of the line and two frigates. He was Commander-in-Chief of the naval forces stationed in the Windward Islands in 1802.
In 1804, he was appointed by Napoleon Bonaparte, commander of the Toulon squadron and, the following year, charged with executing the great campaign plan which, across the Atlantic, was to lead to the invasion of the British Isles. But, if he easily passes the Strait of Gibraltar, he dares not attack Admiral Horatio Nelson's fleet in Martinique.
He was beaten off Trafalgar on October 21, 1805.
Pierre Charles Sylvestre de Villeneuve captured by the British, then released, but overwhelmed by Napoleon's reproaches, committed suicide in Rennes in 1806 .
Battle of Trafalgar
Preparing for the invasion of the United Kingdom, Napoleon I instructed Villeneuve to lure Nelson's fleet to the West Indies and then to return immediately and in force, accompanied by Spanish ships, to the Channel. Followed by Nelson after setting sail from Martinique in June 1805, Villeneuve took refuge in Cadiz to protect his fleet when Napoleon I had ordered him to join Brest. Admiral de Villeneuve, leaving Cadiz, clashed with the British off Cape Trafalgar, and lost the battle. The loss of this naval battle was a real disaster for France. Taken prisoner, released on parole in April 1806, Villeneuve committed suicide on his arrival in Rennes. Napoleon had misplaced his confidence, entrusting a maneuver requiring audacity, even genius, to a scrupulous but mediocre and indecisive officer. Villeneuve's name was engraved on the Arc de Triomphe.