Benjamin | |
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| Duke of Soubise | |
 Benjamin de Rohan, Duc de Frontenay, Baron de Soubise. | |
| Born | 1580 |
| Died | 1642 (aged 61–62) |
| Noble family | Rohan |
| Father | René II, Viscount of Rohan |
| Mother | Catherine de Parthenay |
Benjamin de Rohan, duc de Soubise (1580–1642), was a FrenchHuguenot leader.
Son ofRené II, Viscount of Rohan, and younger brother ofHenri de Rohan, he inherited the lordship of Soubise through his motherCatherine de Parthenay. He served his apprenticeship as a soldier underMaurice of Nassau in theLow Countries. In the religious wars from 1621 onwards his elder brother chiefly commanded on land and in the south, Soubise in the west and along the sea-coast. His exploits in the conflict have been sympathetically related by his brother, one of the most highly regarded military critics of the time.[1]
The guidons he seized from Royalist forces when he took control ofLes Sables-d'Olonne during theHuguenot rebellions were installed in theHôtel de Ville inLa Rochelle in 1622.[2]
Soubise's chief exploit was a singularly bold and well-conducted attack (in 1625) on the Royalist fleet in the riverBlavet (which included the cutting of a boom in the face of superior numbers) and the occupation of the islands ofRé andOléron in 1625, leading to theSiege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré in whichLouis XIII recovered the island of Ré. He commanded atLa Rochelle during the famousSiege of La Rochelle (1627–1628). According to his brother, the failure of the defence and of the English attack onÎle de Ré was mainly due to the alternate obstinacy of the townsfolk and the English commanders in refusing to listen to Soubise's advice.[1]
When surrender became inevitable he fled toEngland, which he had previously visited in quest of succour. He died inLondon in 1642.[1]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Soubise, Benjamin de Rohan, Duc de".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 436.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)| International | |
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