Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, duc de Mahon

Who was Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon, duc de Mahon?

Louis des Balbes de Berton de Crillon was the 4th Duke of Crillon and 1st Duke of Mahon. He became a soldier at the age of 16 and served with distinction in the French army before transferring to the army of Spain, which was allied with France for much of the 18th century. By the end of his life he had risen to the highest military rank in Spain and it was said that he had served in 68 engagements. His most famous achievement was the successful invasion of Minorca in 1781, in which he defeated a British garrison and returned the island to Spain, although his efforts the following year to recapture Gibraltar from the British were a notable failure.