TOURVILLE, ANNE-HILARION DE COTENTIN (or COSTANTIN), COMTE DE (1642-1701), French admiral and marshal of France, was the son of Cesar de Cotentin, or Costantin, who held offices in the household of the king and of the prince of Conde. Destined by his family to enter the Order of Malta, he served for eleven years with the galleys of the Order against the Barbary pirates. In 1667 he was incorporated in the corps of officers of the French Royal navy and in 1689 he left the Order. In the French navy he served in the Mediterranean for some years. In 167o, Tourville commanded the "Page" (so), in the squadron of the comte d'Estrees (1624-1707) sent to co operate with the duke of York against the Dutch: He was present at the battle of Solebay (June 7, 1672), and in the action on the coast of Holland in the following year, when Prince Rupert com manded the English fleet. When England withdrew from the alliance, the scene of the naval war was transferred to the Mediter ranean, where Holland was co-operating with the Spaniards. Tourville served under Abraham Duquesne in his battles with De Ruyter. By this time he was known as one of the best officers in the service of King Louis XIV. By 1689 he had been pro moted lieutenant-general des armees navales, and was named vice-admiral du Levant or of the East. In June of that year he became commander-in-chief of the French naval forces in the war against England and her continental allies.
From this time till the failure of his resources compelled King Louis XIV. to withdraw his fleets from the sea, Tourville con tinued to command the naval war in the Channel and the Atlantic. His conduct and example during this period were the source of the system of manoeuvring to gain an advantage by some method other than plain fighting. In 1690 he had an opportunity which
might well have tempted the most cautious, and he missed it out of sheer care to keep his fleet safe against all conceivable chances, aided perhaps by a pedantic taste for formal, orderly movement. He was opposed in the channel by the allies, who had only fifty six ships, while his own force was from seventy to eighty sail strong. He was feebly attacked by Admiral Arthur Herbert, earl of Torrington, off Beachy Head on July io. The Dutch ships in the van were surrounded. The allies retreated in disorder, and Tourville followed in "line of battle" which limited his speed of pursuit to that of his slowest ship. In 1692 the Mediterranean fleet having failed to join him, he was faced by a vastly superior force of the allies. The French king had prepared a military force to invade England, and Tourville was expected to prepare the way. He made a resolute attack on the centre of the allies on May 29, off Cape Barfleur, and drew off before he was surrounded. This action, with the pursuit of the following days, made up what is called "the battle of La Hogue." His flagship the "Soleil Royale" and fifteen other ships were cut off and destroyed. In 1693 he was again at sea with a great fleet, and had a chance to capture the Smyrna convoy off Gibraltar. Again he kept his fleet in battle order, and a large part of the convoy escaped. Tourville was made Marshal of France in 1693. He died in Paris in 1701.