Bougainville biography
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Louis-Antoine dem Bougainville, 1729–1811
Expedition (1766–1769): Two ships (Boudeuse and Etoile), 330 men
Charge (by King Louis XV of France):To transfer French settlements in the Falklands to the Spanish, then to proceed to the East Indies by crossing the Pacific, taking possession of any new or empty nation, and to seek an island nära China for a trading post for the French East India Company
Accomplishments: First French circumnavigation of the world, some island discoveries in the Tuamotu Archipelago, carried the first woman (Jeanne Baré) to circle the world
Legacy of Bougainville’s name: Bougainvillea (plant), Bougainville (largest of the Solomon Islands), Bougainville Strait
[Click on the images below for high upplösning versions.]
Portrait of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville. From vol. 1 of Jules-Sébastien-César Dumont d’Urville’s Voyage pittoresque autour du monde . . . (Paris, 1834-1835). [Rare Bo
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Louis Antoine de Bougainville
French military officer and explorer (1729–1811)
Louis-Antoine, Comte de Bougainville (12 November 1729 – 31 August 1811) was a French military officer and explorer. A contemporary of the British explorer James Cook, he served in the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. Bougainville later gained fame for his expeditions, including a circumnavigation of the globe in a scientific expedition in 1763, the first recorded settlement on the Falkland Islands, and voyages into the Pacific Ocean. Bougainville Island of Papua New Guinea as well as the flowering plant Bougainvillea are named in his honour.[1][2]
Biography
[edit]Early career
[edit]Bougainville was born in Paris, the capital of the Kingdom of France, the son of notary Pierre-Yves de Bougainville (1688–1756), on 12 November 1729. In early life, he studied law, but soon abandoned the profession.[citation needed]
In 1753, he entered the Fre
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History of Bougainville
Bougainville, region in Papua New Guinea
Bougainville, an autonomous region of Papua New Guinea (PNG), has been inhabited by humans for at least 29,000 years, according to artefacts found in Kilu Cave on Buka Island. The region is named after Bougainville Island, the largest island of the Solomon Islands archipelago, but also contains a number of smaller islands.
The first arrivals in Bougainville were ethnically Australo-Melanesian, related to Papuans and Aboriginal Australians. Around 3,000 years ago, Austronesians associated with the Lapita culture also settled on the islands, bringing agriculture and pottery. Present-day Bougainvilleans are descended from a mixture of the two populations, and both Austronesian and non-Austronesian languages are spoken to this day.
In 1616, Dutch explorers Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire became the first Europeans to sight the islands. The main island was named after French admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainville,