Jean Bart was one of the most dashing and successful French men ever to take to the seas.
He was born in 1651 in the port of Dunkirk and grew up in a maritime environment. At an early age he joined the Dutch navy, but enlisted in the French navy at the age of 21. Over the next eighteen years, Jean Bart earned a great reputation as a privateer. In the seemingly endless series of wars, Bart attacked and captured many Dutch and British ships, doing enormous damage to their trade.
In 1689 he was captured by the British, but promptly escaped to France. Taking command of a ship, he began raiding the coast of Scotland. By this time he had won such a reputation that King Louis XIV made him an admiral. In 1702, Jean Bart died at his home town of Dunkirk. |
