Canger’s Conigan Conigs — Wikipedia

Hercle de coinigan ^{[ first ]} two cangé ^{[ 2 ]} , said the “knight of canga”, born in 1594 in Saint-Avertin in Touraine and killed the battle of Barcelona the first ^is July 1642 , is a French naval officer of XVI ^{It is} And XVII ^{It is} centuries. He ended his career with the rank of squadron chief, and vice-admiral of the vessels of the Levant fleet. He found a heroic death by refusing to abandon his ship on fire.

Origins and family [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Hercules Conigan de Cangé descends from a family of Scottish origin, established in France since the XV ^{It is} century and ennobled. His ancestor, Robert Cunningham (the name will then be Francisée en Conigan), dies at the siege of Liège, under the eyes of Louis XI ^{[ 3 ]} . He is the third son of Antoine de Conigan de Cangé, lieutenant of the Duke of Montbazon, to the government of the City and Citadel of Amiens ^{[ 4 ]} , and his wife Jeanne Boudet. Her parents get married September 29, 1592 ; From this union are born four children ^{[ 5 ]} :

• Louys de Conyghan, lord of Cangé and Rodon;
• Roger de Conyghan, abbot of Sainte-Marie de Pornic in Brittany, prior of Jean du Grez
• Hercules de Conyghan;
• Françoise de Conyghan, married to the Lord of Contade, without descendants;

Navy career [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

Like many younger sons of noble families, he has the choice between the army and the orders. He is received in the order of Saint-Jean de Jerusalem the October 15, 1615 , in the great priory of Aquitaine ^{[ 6 ]} . He made his caravans on the island before returning to France and leaving order to join the royal navy. He received a captain’s commission in 1626 ^{[ 7 ]} . In 1627-1628, he fighted at the headquarters of La Rochelle against the Rochelais rebellies ^{[ 3 ]} . He then commands the Hercule .

Between May and December 1629 , he receives command of the vessel The Swan (or The sign ), then again in 1636. The knight of Cangé was distinguished in the command of the Unicorn to the victory of Getaria won by Cardinal de Sourdis, the August 22, 1638 , during the Thirty Years War ^{[ 8 ]} . He was subsequently vice-admiral of the vessels of the Levant fleet.

He is killed at the Battle of Barcelona, ​​won by the Marquis de Maillé-Brézé, the first ^is July 1642 ^{[ 7 ]} . On that day, the knight of the canga commands the Guise galleon , of 48 cannons, a magnificent building “enriched with downs from the stern to the phanal”. Squading chief of Provence, he has under his orders the entire French avant-garde division. He fights successively against 3 then 5 Spanish galleons. He is isolated from the rest of the fleet and attacked by the Our Lady of the Assunción and James (60 cannons, 1,140 tons, Capitana Real) and the Magdalena (34 guns, 650 tons) as well as another galleon. The three enemy buildings are being tested against the Guise galleon . The knight of a cange resists, one of the French vessels attempts to blow up the steel vice, he is forced to retreat. The Cangé knight then orders to concentrate the shots on the Magdelena And will approach it. This is when the French burning, the Mary try to hang the Magdalena To blow it up. However, the burning deviates from its route and hung on the Guise galleon which takes fire instantly. The knight of CANGE, the arm broken by a musquet blow prefers to die on his ship than to abandon him, in accordance with the regulations written by the door and MANTIN. While he torches like a torch, a cange presss his world to leave him, but himself refuses to abandon him. Forty men manage to embark on canoes on the 540 that the crew counted. THE Magdalena will also ignite in the fire and will flow.

Verses are composed shortly after to celebrate his heroic death ^{[ 9 ] , [ ten ]} :

Sources and bibliography [ modifier | Modifier and code ]

: document used as a source for writing this article.

• Jean-Baptiste of The Hermite-Souliers , Inventory of the genealogical history of the nobility of Touraine and circumvoisin countries , Alliot, 1669 ( read online ) , p. 159 .
• Abbe Vertot , History of the Malta Knights , vol.  7, Louis Janet, 1819 ( read online ) , p. 338 .
• Jean Louis Chalmel , History of Touraine since the conquest of Gaul by the Romans, until the year 1790 , Paris, H. Fournier, 1828 ( read online ) , p. 119 .
• Leon Guérin , Maritime History of France , vol.  1, A. Ledoux, 1863 ( read online ) .
• Michel Francisque , Scottish in France and the French in Scotland , Paris, Franck, 1862 ( read online ) , p. 233 .
• Claude Ask , The bailiff of Forbin: lieutenant general of the galleys: a knight of Malta in the navy of Louis XIII , Fernand Lanore, 2003 , 388 p. ( read online ) , p. 369 .

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