Marquis de Vauban

AKA:

Seigneur de Vauban, Vauban

Birth Name:

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban

Birth Date:

May 1, 1633

Birth Place:

Saint-Léger-Vauban, Bourgogne-Franche-Comté

Death Date:

March 30, 1707

Place of Death:

Paris, France

Age:

Cause of Death:

Natural causes

Cemetery Name:

Saint-Hilaire Church

Claim to Fame:

Historical Figure

Marquis de Vauban was a French military engineer who revolutionized the art of siege craft and defensive fortifications. He fought in all of France's wars of Louis XIV's reign (1643–1715). He is generally considered the greatest engineer of his time, and one of the most important in Western military history. His principles for fortifications were widely used for nearly 100 years, while aspects of his offensive tactics remained in use until the mid-twentieth century. He viewed civilian infrastructure as closely connected to military effectiveness and worked on many of France's major ports, as well as projects like the Canal de la Bruche, which remain in use today. He founded the Corps royal des ingénieurs militaires, whose curriculum was based on his publications on engineering design, strategy and training. His economic tract, La Dîme royale, used statistics in support of his arguments, making it a precursor of modern economics. Later destroyed by Royal decree, it contained radical proposals for a more even distribution of the tax burden. His application of rational and scientific methods to problem-solving, whether engineering or social, anticipated an approach common in the Age of Enlightenment. Perhaps the most enduring aspect of Vauban's legacy was his view of France as a geographical entity.

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Saint-Hilaire Church

9 Place Saint-Hilaire

Bazoches, Bourgogne, 58190

France

Europe

Grave Location:

Dôme des Invalides

Grave Location Description

Just a short distance down from the Château de Bazoches, his final resting place can be found inside the simple church with construction dating back from the 12th, 16th and 17th century. Important to note that when Vauban died in Paris at the age of 74 his body was buried in Bazoches, while his heart was taken to the Invalides Church in Paris in 1808.