Villegagnon | Timeline

Nicolas Durand, sieur de Villegagnon (1510 – 9 January 1571) was a Commander of the Knights of Malta, and later a French naval officer (vice-admiral of Brittany) who attempted to help the Huguenots in France escape persecution. A notable public figure in his time, Villegagnon was a mixture of soldier, scientist, explorer, adventurer and entrepreneur. He fought pirates in the Mediterranean and participated in several wars. He commanded the attempted establishment of a french colony in Brazil, known as "France Antarctique". (Intro based on Wikipedia)

~Some details are sketchy - you can help improve it~

January(?) 1(?), 1510 - Villegaignon - Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon is born

August 25, 1521 - Paris - Nicolas' father dies. The 11-year old boy is sent to Paris to study

January(?) 1(?), 1530 - Paris - Admitted as a lawyer to the Parliament of Paris, but is expelled soon after

January(?) 1(?), 1531 - Paris(?) - Villegagnon joins the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, recently settled in Malta, recommended by his uncle, Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, Grand Master of the Order of Malta
December(?), 21(?), 1534 - Mallorca - Observer in the Armada of Charles V against Tunis and Algiers =(START)
May 30, 1535 - Barcelona - The Armada of Charles V departs to recapture Tunis
June 3, 1535 - Mahón, Minorca - The Armada arrives in Mahón
June 14, 1535 - between Bizerta and Carthage - The Armada reaches the North African Coast
June 28, 1535 - La Goletta, Tunis - The fighting between the Spanish and the Ottomans begins
July 21, 1535 - Tunis - The city of Tunis falls to the Spanish
August 17, 1535 - Naples - The Armada of Charles V arrives in Naples
October(?) 1(?), 1540 - Venice, Italy - Villegagon departs to Istanbul to take a letter from the King of France to the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent
November(?) 1(?), 1540 - Istanbul - Villegagnon delivers a letter from the french King to the Ottoman Sultan
February(?) 1(?), 1541 - Turin, Italy - Villegagnon returns with the answer from Suleiman, the Magnificent
September 28, 1541 - Palma, Majorca - Villegagnon sets sail with the royal armada to Algiers
October 19, 1541 - In front of Algiers - After facing contrary winds for many days, the armada arrives in front of Algiers
October 23, 1541 - Near Algiers - As it starts raining and winding, the soldiers are bogged down and some of the landing ships sink. The soldiers land
October 31, 1541 - Outskirts of Algiers - Letter to Guillaume du Bellay, Signeur de Langey, Governor of Piedmont
December 3, 1541 - Cartagena - Return to Cartagena
July 15, 1542 - Budapest, Hungary - Reports to Cardinal Du Bellay about the war between the Emperor and the turks
December(?) 1(?), 1542 - Paris - Again in Paris to report personally to Francis I the events of the Algiers campaign
April 11, 1544 - Ceresole Alba, S. of Turin - Battle of Cérisoles - French victory over the Duchy of Milan
April 15, 1544 - Ponte Stura, Turin - After the Battle of Cérisoles, Villegagnon is put in charge of the castle of Ponte Stura
June(?) 21(?), 1547 - Coast of Brittany - Villegagnon receives the mission of defending the coast of Brittany against English raiders
May 20, 1548 - Brest - Villegagnon departs to Scotland with 5,440 men
June 18, 1548 - Dunbar, E. Edinburgh - Villegagnon disembarks 5,440 men in Scotland
June 30, 1548 - Between the Orcades and Shetland Islands - On the way to the Clyde River, west of Scotland
July 17, 1548 - Firth of Clyde - Hovering on the Firth of Clyde, Villegagnon is ordered to fetch the queen from Dumbarton
July 28, 1548 - Dumbarton, Clyde estuary - Villegagnon anchors before Dumbarton
August 7, 1548 - Dumbarton, Clyde estuary - Departs from Dumbarton with the future queen of Scotland
August 13, 1548 - Brest - Villegagnon, avoiding the English, arrives safely in France
August 16(?), 1548 - English Channel - Villegaignon's galleys, after landing Mary Stuart at Brest, roam about the English Channel, preying upon English merchant ships
September 1(?), 1548 - Scotland - Villegagnon transports 600,000 "couronnes" to Scotland
February 1(?), 1549 - Ferniehirst Castle, SE. Scotland - Villegagnon helps assault the castle of Ferniehirst
February 15, 1550 - Torcy, E. of Paris - Villegagnon becomes Lord of the town of Torcy
July 18, 1551 - Island of Gozo, Malta - He tries in vain to defend Malta against the Turks
July 30, 1551 - Tripoli, Libya - He tries in vain to defend Tripoli against the Turks
August 15, 1551 - Tripoli, Libya - He tries in vain to defend Tripoli against the Turks
March(?) 28(?), 1552 - Brest - Villegagnon departs for a discreet reconnaissance voyage
June(?) 21(?), 1552 - Cabo Frio, E. of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Arrival at Cabo Frio (Cold Cape)
September 1, 1552 - Brest - Villegagnon returns to Brest
September 15(?), 1552 - Brest - Villegagnon is appointed Vice-Admiral of Brittany, with orders to fortify Brest against the English
June(?) 1(?), 1554 - Cabo Frio, E. of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Villegagnon makes a reconnaissance voyage to Cape Frio
July 12, 1555 - Le Havre - Villegagnon departs to Brazil with his nephew, Bois le Comte
August 14, 1555 - Le Havre - At the third attempt they are able to leave Le Havre, with better winds
September(?) 1(?), 1555 - Off Canary Islands - Exchange of shots with the spanish, who refuse him water
October 31, 1555 - Búzios, Brazil - Villegagnon anchors at Búzios, after three months voyage

Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro

November 10, 1555 - Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro | Villegagnon Island - Arrival to his prefered anchorage in Guanabara Bay. He chooses to settle on a small island of 14,000 sq. Meters near the the coast, which he baptizes as "Fort Coligny"
November 13, 1555 - Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro | Villegagnon Island - After landing in the Island of Laje, Villegagnon opts for the "Villegagnon Island"
February 14, 1556 - Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro | Villegagnon Island - Villegagnon sends Bois le Comte and Thévet back to France to ask for more money and 4,000 men
February 16, 1556 - Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro | Villegagnon Island - First revolt in "France Antartique" - Assassination attempt against Villegagnon. With the help of his scottish contingent, the attempt fails: Of the 26 traitors, one is executed and two others sentenced to forced labor.
March 7, 1556 - Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro | Villegagnon Island - Villegagnon is disappointed when french ships arrive with only 280 colonists. Although he is moved with the news of the abdication of Charles V and the partition of his Empire
March 31, 1557 - Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro | Villegagnon Island - Letter to Jean Cauvin (John Calvin)
October 1, 1559 - Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro | Villegagnon Island - Villegagnon departs to France with Le Testu
October(?) 26(?), 1559 - Off Natal, Brazil - Sailing towards France
December(?) 20(?), 1559 - NW of Brest - Villegagnon and Le Testu enter the English Channel
December(?) 29(?), 1559 - Honfleur - Back to France (speculative date)
January(?) 18(?), 1560 - Paris - Villegagnon decides to go to Paris to explain the situation to Henri II
March 17, 1560 - Amboise, E. of Tours - Villegagnon becomes involved against the Huguenots, participating in the repression of the Amboise Conspiracy
September 28, 1562 - Rouen - Wounded during the siege of Rouen
October 26, 1562 - Rouen - The siege of Rouen is lifted
May 24, 1564 - Plombières - Letter to the Cardinal de Granvelle
May 27, 1564 - Plombières - Letter to the Cardinal de Granvelle
January 8, 1565 - Paris - Villegagnon commands the vanguard of Charles de Lorraine, author of a mad attempt against Paris, which fails pitifully
January(?) 1(?), 1567 - Sens, SW of Troyes - Villegagnon is appointed governor of Sens
January(?) 1(?), 1568 - Paris - Becomes representative of the Order of Malta in the French Court
January(?) 1(?), 1570 - Beauvais - The Order of Malta, in the person of Grand Master Parisot de la Valette, Villegagnon's subordinate in the adventure of the abduction of Mary Stuart, elevates him to the Order's board and grant him the earnest command of Beauvais-en-Gatinais, near Nemours , Where he resides in a beautiful noble house
January 9, 1571 - Beauvais - Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon dies, aged 60 =(END)