TURENNE (Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, known as) - Lot 213

TURENNE (Henri de la Tour d'Auvergne, known as) Born in Sedan. 1611-1675. Marshal of France, prestigious military leader appointed by Louis XIV. L.A.S. "Turenne" to COLBERT. S.l., March 1663.1/2 p. in-4. Inscription. Red wax seals under pink silk. RARE. Diplomatic letter in which Turenne, anticipating future events, advocates the rapid repatriation of an ambassador. It would be preferable, he thinks, ...que vous hastiés si vous plait ce vaisseau de la Rochelle partir afin que cet anbassadeur puisse revenir prontement en cas ou les choses quil proposera succedent comme il espère et je ne doute pas que vous voiés tres bien la conséquence de la diligence du retour avant que les flottes anglaises et hollandaises se mettent en mer...Turenne, who died on the field of honor in 1675, enjoyed a special status among the most prestigious military leaders to have served France. Frederick II, Voltaire, Napoleon and Clausewitz all paid tribute to him. General Weygand, of the French Academy, wrote in his 1926 biography: "Moral courage and exceptional firmness of character. Turenne fought almost all his life alongside the Grand Condé against France's hereditary enemies, Spain, England and Holland. The greatest conflagration of the 17th century was the Dutch War led by Louis XIV from 1672 to 1678-79, during which Turenne perished in battle. The English and Dutch fleets were defeated by Duquesne. The Treaty of Nijmegen put a definitive end to the war. From 1661 to 1665, Franco-British relations were complicated by the restoration of Charles II Stuart to the English throne. France's official diplomacy was then doubled by an unofficial diplomacy entrusted to Turenne, who had the full confidence of Charles Stuart; he thus helped to clear up misunderstandings on both sides of the Channel, was able to bring about the marriage of Monsieur (the King's brother) to his cousin Henriette of England, skilfully negotiated France's repurchase of Dunkirk from the English, and so on.