L'amiral Du Casse, Chevalier de la Toison d'Or (1646-1715) Étude sur la France maritime et coloniale (règne de Louis XIV)

A vivid portrait emerges of a restless young sailor from the Béarn, whose talent and ambition launch him into the swirling world of Louis XIV’s navy and overseas empire. Drawing on family archives, naval records, and diplomatic dispatches, the author reconstructs du Casse’s early years, his swift ascent to command of the French West‑Indian Company, and the bold seizure of strategic forts along the African coast. The narrative captures the high‑stakes rivalry with the Dutch, the delicate treaties with African rulers, and the burgeoning monopoly that would shape French trade for decades.

Beyond battlefield exploits, the work highlights du Casse’s talent as an administrator and negotiator, showing how his keen intellect earned the confidence of the Sun King’s court. By weaving personal letters with official reports, the study offers listeners a textured view of late‑seventeenth‑century maritime politics, allowing them to glimpse the restless energy of a man who might have become a marshal of France, had fate not intervened.