Jean Bart was one of the most dashing and successful
French men ever to take to the
seas.
He was born in 1651 in the port of
Dunkirk and grew up in a
maritime environment. At an early age he joined the
Dutch navy, but enlisted in the French navy at the age of 21. Over the next eighteen years, Jean Bart earned a great reputation as a
privateer. In the seemingly endless series of
wars, Bart attacked and captured many Dutch and
British ships, doing enormous damage to their
trade.
In 1689 he was captured by the British, but promptly escaped to
France. Taking command of a ship, he began raiding the coast of
Scotland. By this time he had won such a reputation that King
Louis XIV made him an
admiral. In 1702, Jean Bart died at his home town of Dunkirk.