Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban

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Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban

French military engineer

Written by Robert S. Quimby

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 26, 2024 • Article History

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban

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Category: History & Society

Born:: May 15, 1633, Saint-Léger-de-Foucherest [now Saint-Léger-Vauban], France

Died:: March 30, 1707, Paris (aged 73)

Role In:: Dutch War; Siege of Maastricht; War of the Grand Alliance; War of the Spanish Succession

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Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (born May 15, 1633, Saint-Léger-de-Foucherest [now Saint-Léger-Vauban], France—died March 30, 1707, Paris) French military engineer who revolutionized the art of siege craft and defensive fortifications. He fought in all of France’s wars of Louis XIV’s reign (1643–1715). Vauban was from a family of very modest means that belonged to the petty nobility. In 1651 he became a cadet in the regiment of Louis II de Bourbon, prince de Condé, who was about to rebel against the young Louis XIV. Vauban’s talents were soon revealed. He distinguished himself by defending towns in the Argonne region and ...(100 of 1458 words)

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