Vauban
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Sobriquet: Vauban
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History: (1 May 1633 – 30 March 1707) commonly referred to as Vauban (French: [vobɑ̃]), was a French military engineer, who participated in each of the wars fought by France during the reign of Louis XIV.
Considered the expert in his field, rivaled only by his Dutch contemporary Menno van Coehoorn, his design principles served as the dominant model of fortification for nearly 100 years, while his offensive tactics remained in use until the early twentieth century. He made a number of innovations in the use of siege artillery and founded the Corps royal des ingénieurs militaires, originator of combat engineering units in the French military.
He worked on many of France's major ports and harbours, as well as civilian infrastructure projects like the Canal de la Bruche. In addition to publications on engineering design, strategy and training, shortly before his death in 1707 he produced an economic tract entitled La Dîme royale, later destroyed by Royal decree. It contained radical proposals for a more even distribution of the tax burden and the use of statistics to support his arguments makes it a precursor of modern economics. His application of rational and scientific methods to problem-solving, whether engineering or social, anticipated an approach that became common in the Age of Enlightenment.
Finally, one of the most significant and enduring aspects of Vauban's legacy was his view of France as a geographical and economic entity. Unusually for the time, Vauban advocated destroying fortifications and giving up territory as part of establishing a more coherent and defensible border. The boundaries established in the north and east as a result have changed very little in the four centuries since.
Vauban died in Paris on 30 March 1707 and was buried near his home in Bazoches. The grave was destroyed during the French Revolution and in 1808, Napoléon Bonaparte ordered his heart reburied in Les Invalides, resting place for many of France's most famous soldiers.
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