Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars

Who was Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars?

Abel Aubert Dupetit Thouars was a French naval officer important in France's anexation of French Polynesia.

He was born at the castle of La Fessardière, near Saumur. His uncle Aristide Aubert Dupetit-Thouars was of the heroes of the Battle of the Nile. He joined the French Navy in 1804, where he was a young hand in the Boulogne fleet.

He was promoted to Captain in 1824. He frequently travelled to Algeria, and had a decisive role in the conquest of Algiers, where he established the attack plans. During the battle, he commanded the 20-gun Le Griffon.

He was later put in charge of the Southern Seas command, in the Pacific Ocean. In 1834 he played a key role in protecting French shipping interests against the Peruvians.

He became "Capitaine de vaisseau" on 6 January 1834, and accomplished a circumnavigation between 1836 and 1839 on La Venus.

He was made Rear-Admiral on 12 July 1841, in charge of the Pacific Naval Division. His mission was to take possession of the Marquesas Islands. In Tahiti, he entered into a confrontation with Queen Pōmare IV and the English missionary and Consul George Pritchard, and finally expelled him and established a French protectorate over the territory. He was initially denounced for his actions by the French government, which feared a conflict with Great Britain. Relations between France and Great Britain soured considerably during the reign of Louis-Philippe, due to this "Pritchard Affair".