EXPLORER

Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon

1510 - 1571

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Nicolas Durand, sieur de Villegaignon, also 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, before turning against them due to Eucharistic disputes. A notable public figure in his time, Villegaignon was a mixture of soldier, scientist, explorer, adventurer and entrepreneur. He fought pirates in the Mediterranean and participated in several wars. Villegagnon was born in Provins, Seine et Marne, France, a nephew of Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, Grand Master of the Order of Malta. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon is the 205th most popular explorer, the 2,405th most popular biography from France (up from 2,553rd in 2019) and the 22nd most popular French Explorer.

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Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon ranks 205 out of 498. Before him are Don Walsh, Francisco de Montejo, Jean-Baptiste Charcot, Pedro Arias Dávila, Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec, and Francis Garnier. After him are Douglas Mawson, John Rolfe, René Caillié, Vasily Tatishchev, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, and John Sutter.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1510, Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon ranks 20. Before him are Elena Glinskaya, Oda Nobuhide, Antonio de Cabezón, Roy Mata, Jean Goujon, and Francesco de' Rossi. After him are Guillaume Postel, Bernard Palissy, Margaret Paleologa, Francis I, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, Alonso Mudarra, and Andrea Schiavone. Among people deceased in 1571, Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon ranks 10. Before him are Niccolò dell'Abbate, Dorothea of Saxe-Lauenburg, Mōri Motonari, Müezzinzade Ali Pasha, Titu Cusi, and Marco Antonio Bragadin. After him are Hōjō Ujiyasu, Marfa Sobakina, John, Margrave of Brandenburg-Küstrin, Setthathirath, Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox, and Giovanni Animuccia.

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Others Deceased in 1571

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In France

Among people born in France, Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon ranks 2,405 out of 6,770. Before him are Gonzalo Higuaín (1987), Francis Garnier (1839), Guillaume Canet (1973), Louise Abbéma (1853), Philippe Chatrier (1926), and Jean Daniélou (1905). After him are Joan, Duchess of Brittany (1324), Peter Bartholomew (1100), Brigitte Lahaie (1955), Marie Victoire de Noailles (1688), Alfred Loisy (1857), and Adolphe Marbot (1781).

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Among EXPLORERS In France

Among explorers born in France, Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon ranks 22. Before him are Henri Mouhot (1826), Constantin François de Chassebœuf, comte de Volney (1757), Sophie Blanchard (1778), Jean-Baptiste Charcot (1867), Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec (1734), and Francis Garnier (1839). After him are René Caillié (1799), Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605), Marc-Joseph Marion du Fresne (1724), André Thevet (1516), Pierre Poivre (1719), and Freya Stark (1893).

French born Explorers

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