Events of 1703 in France
In 1703, France witnessed significant events under the reign of Louis XIV, particularly during the War of the Spanish Succession and various societal developments.
Incumbents
- Monarch: Louis XIV
Key Events
- 20 February – 10 March: The Siege of Kehl occurs as French forces led by Duc de Villars capture the fortress of the Holy Roman Empire at Kehl, situated opposite Strasbourg on the Rhine.
- 19 March – 15 May: During the Siege of Guadeloupe, an English expeditionary force fails to capture the island capital Basse-Terre in the French West Indies.
- 21 March: Jeanne Guyon is released in Paris after enduring over seven years of imprisonment for heresy in the Bastille.
- 7 September: The town of Breisach is retaken for France by Camille d’Hostun, duc de Tallard.
- 11 October: Nine Roman Catholic residents of Sainte-Cécile-d’Andorge are massacred by a mob of over 800 Huguenot Protestants, known as the Camisards.
- 30 October: In a retaliatory act, over 47 Huguenots in Branoux-les-Taillades are massacred by Roman Catholic vigilantes.
- 15 November: The Battle of Speyerbach sees the French defeat a German relief army, paving the way for the capture of the besieged town of Landau, for which Tallard is appointed a Marshal of France.
- 19 November: The infamous Man in the Iron Mask dies in the Bastille.
Notable Births
- 3 January: Daniel-Charles Trudaine, administrator and civil engineer (died 1769)
- 8 January: André Levret, obstetrician (died 1780)
- 15 January: Henriette Louise de Bourbon, princess (died 1772)
- 29 September: François Boucher, painter (died 1770)
- 25 November: Jean-François Séguier, astronomer and botanist (died 1784)
Notable Deaths
- 16 May: Charles Perrault, author (born 1628)
- 26 May: Louis-Hector de Callière, politician, governor of Montreal (born in 1648)
- 30 November: Nicolas de Grigny, organist and composer
The events of 1703 reflect a pivotal time in French history, marked by military pursuits and cultural developments, underlining the complexities of Louis XIV‘s reign.