TURENNE, HENRI DE LA Torn D'AuvERGNE, Vicomte de, one of the most emi nent of France's military heroes, was the second son of Henri, duke of Bouillon, and Elizabeth of Nassau. the daughter of William I. of Nassau-Orange, the great assertor of the liberties of the Netherlands, and was born at Sedan, in the dep. of Ardennes, Sept. 11, 1611. Brought up in the ReforMed faith, he was sent, on the death of his father in 1623, to Holland, where, under his uncle, the celebrated Maurice (q.v.), he was ini tiated into the art of war. Returning to France in 1630. lie was favorably received by Richelieu, who at once gave him a commission. In 1637 he was attached to the army of Bernard of Weimar, which at that time was engaged in Lorraine; and by bringing about the •capture of Landrecies, Maubeuge, and other Daces, including the key of western Germany, Brisach. gained such repute, that on his return to Paris (1638), he experienced quite a triumphal reception. The victories of Route and Casale in the Italian campaign of the following year, addecIto his laurels; and in 1641 he was for the first time intrusted with the supreme command. The rapid and thorough conquest. of Roussillon from the Spaniards in 1642, was good proof of his masterly military genius, and was rewarded in 1643 with the baton ofa marshal of France, and the com mand on the Rhine. where repeated reverses, a defective commissariat, and want of pay, had completely demoralized the army. But through a liberal expenditure of his own funds, and of loans obtained by him on his own security, the troops were speedily re-equipped, and by a victory over the Bavarians at Rottweil (1644), their morale was restored. Conde's arrival transferred him to a subordinate position; and his restoration to supreme command was followed by the commission of a glaring strategic error, for which he was severely punished by his able and watchful opponent, Mercy, who com pletely routed him at Marienthal, May 5,1645; but on Aug. 3 of the same year; this dis grace was amply avenged by Conde at Nordlingen, where Mercy was slain; and Tu renne gloriously concluded the war on the part of France by the reconquest of the Treves electorate, by the conquest of Bavaria in conjunction with the Swedes, and by a successful campaign in Flanders. In the civil wars of the Fronde (q.v.), which imme diately followed, Turenne joined the party of the frondeurs, of whom his elder brother was one of the principal leaders; but after being defeated at Rethel (Dec. 15, 1650), he withdrew to Flanders, returning on Mazarin's retirement. On the minister's return, Turenne joined his party, while Conde deserted to the frondeurs, and the two greatest generals of the period were for the first time pitted against each other. Turenne was
uniformly victorious over his former chief, though his forces were inferior in number; and ultimately forced him to retire from France; after which be subdued the revolted cities, crossed the northern frontier, and conquered much of the Spanish Netherlands. In 1667, on the outbreak of war between France and Holland, Louis XIV. created Turenne mar. gen. of France, and would have made him constable, had he not been a Protestant. Indeed, the unorthodoxy of Turenne had for some time been a matter of grave concern to the bigoted young monarch, at whose suggestion I3ossuet attempted the veteran's conversion by composing his celebrated Eepositam de la Doctrine Chreticnne, which, backed by the king's repeated solicitations and remonstrances, and doubtless, as Voltaire suggests, by the more cfflcacious promptings of ambition, had ultimately the desired effect. Tureune's campaign in Holland, in which he was nominally under Louis's command, was a most triumphant one; and the elector of Bradenburg, who had ventured to side with the Dutch, was pursued to Berlin (1672), and forced to beg-for peace. The emperor next took up arms on behalf of Holland, whereupon Turenne was transferred to the Upper Rhine. This, his last campaign, is foully disfigured by the horrible devastation of the Palatinate, executed under express eiders, doubtless, but with a willing thoroughness which is utterly unjustifiable. After routing the Germans at Mulhausen and Turckheim, and forcing them across the Rhine, lie was at last oppos ed to a worthy antagonist in Montecuculi (q.v.); but, unfortunately, their famous pas sage of strategy of nearly half a year's duration was left unfinished. Turenne being killed while reconnoitering the ground at Salzbach, with a view to a grand engagement. His grateful sovereign, to show that he made no distinction entre porter le ereptre, it le bien soutenir, ordered Min to be entombed at Saint Denis, and funeral orations were pro nounced for hint by Flechier and Mascai'on. On the desecration of Saint 'Denis dur ing the, revolution, Turenne's monument suffered w ith the rest, and was ultimately placed by Napoleon under the dome of the Invalides. Turenne has left memoirs of his campaigns from 1643 to 1658, which arc of considerable interest to the student of his tory. Many biographies of this eminent warrior 'have been written, by Ragucnet, Ramsay, Buisson, D'A.vrigny, etc.