Philippe, Marquis de Villette-Mursay

Philippe Marquis de Villette-Mursay (1627 – 25 December 1707) was a French naval commander.

He was born in Normandy as the son of Benjamin de Villette (1582–1661) and Louise Arthémise d’Aubigné.
Françoise d'Aubigné, the future marquise de Maintenon and second wife of Louis XIV, was his cousin.
She lived in his parents' house, the Château de Mursay, and received a Calvinist upbringing until the age of seven.

After a disappointing career in the Army, Villette-Mursay chose a career in the young French Navy under Colbert. In 1672 he was promoted to captain and received in 1674 command of his own ship : l'Apollon.

He first distinguished himself on 8 January 1676 in the Battle of Stromboli against De Ruyter commanding L'Assuré.
He again fought in a pitched battle a few months later near Agosta.

In 1680 he sailed to the Caribbean Sea as captain of Les Jeux (36) in the fleet of Jean II d'Estrées. On his return in March 1681, he learned, to his fury, that his children had been converted to Catholicism under influence of Madame de Maintenon.
He himself remained Huguenot, which did his career no good.

Finally, the pressure became too great and Villette-Mursay converted to Catholicism, with immediate consequences.
In 1686 he was promoted to squadron-leader and in 1689 to lieutenant-general. In 1697 he received the order of Saint-Louis.

In the War of the Grand Alliance, he commanded a squadron in the Battle of Beachy Head where he finished off nine or ten beached Dutch ships.

...
Wikipedia