Pierre Arnoul, born in 1651 and died in Paris on October 17, 1719, was a French officer de plume who served as the naval intendant during the reign of Louis XIV.

[Del 1] Pierre's brother, Nicolas-François Arnoul de Vaucresson, took over as the galley intendant in Marseille after a stint in the Caribbean islands.

The Lady of Rus then stepped in to assist Geneviève Saulger in caring for the paralyzed patient[Bé 2] and quickly assumed control of the Arnoul household.

[Ra 3] Mrs. Arnoul, a widow in her fifties, seemed to have a preference for younger men, which led Françoise to persuade her to marry her eldest son, twenty-six-year-old Joseph-Horace de Rafelis, lord of Saint-Sauveur, in 1676.

[Bé 2] Geneviève Saulger, Pierre Arnoul's mother, died on October 26, 1683, and her young widower remarried Catherine des Isnard.

In the seigniory of Ruth (at Lagarde-Paréol, near Orange), which she inherited from her first husband, she collaborates with Pierre Arnoul to establish a pious and charitable institution.

[Bé 3] Following his wife's death, Pierre Arnoul details in a memorandum, written for a legal dispute with his sister Geneviève, the significant influence Françoise de Soissan had on the entire family.

[DR 2] At the time, he was a wealthy man, owning a real estate complex in Marseille known as the Marquis de Villeneuve, which was leased out and included large warehouses near the arsenal, established by his father Nicolas Arnoul.

[2] In 1707, journalist Anne-Marguerite Petit du Noyer mentioned Françoise de Soissan in her Letters historiques et galantes, describing her as an "enchantress."

Louis Delavaud depicts her as a manipulator who exploits the gullibility and obstinacy of the Arnoul family[Del 2] while acknowledging her seductive charm and strong will.

Françoise lends money, intervenes in over three hundred notarized acts, and demonstrates a keen understanding of legal procedures to enhance her wealth.

[DR 3] As a result, he could provide detailed descriptions to Colbert about the Dutch construction techniques and their advantages, such as the use of wooden pegs instead of irons, commonly used by the French.

Pierre Arnoul provided a detailed report on the battle, which did not assign blame to the commonly accused the Count of Estrées for the lack of success.

[DR 5] However, Seignelay criticized Arnoul for not providing detailed written descriptions of his projects,[4] specifically requesting drawings with precise scales and dimensions for ship construction, including decorative elements.

Colbert had presented this ambitious project to the three intendants of Brest, Rochefort, and Toulon in July 1678, aiming to impress the king and highlight the importance of the navy.

[DT 2] He was dismissed in 1679 following the shipwrecks on October 19 and 21, 1679, in a storm, of two ships, the Prince and the Conquérant, belonging to the division commanded by Tourville off the coast of Brittany.

[DT 3] The hull breaches that led to the losses of the Prince and the Conquérant were attributed to shoddy repairs carried out in Toulon, a similar incident involving the Florissant in 1677 further supports this notion.

[DT 4] Seignelay dispatches Brodart, the naval intendant, and Duquesne to Toulon, where they confront Pierre Arnoul and accuse him of being responsible for the damages.

[DT 5] Seignelay's decision to remove Arnoul serves as a symbolic gesture to the king, but the overall maintenance of the fleet suffers due to inadequate funding.

[DR 3] He focused on expanding the Royal School of Hydrography in Le Havre, which provided training for captain and boat pilot licenses.

[16] After the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, Arnoul aimed to establish schools in the rural parishes of Saintonge and Aunis, which were heavily influenced by Protestantism.

[DR 3] In 1690, in collaboration with Michel Bégon, who succeeded him as intendant in Rochefort, he oversaw the construction of galleys from the Ponant, led by Marseille carpenters.

Furthermore, he coordinated the transfer of crews and convict laborers from Marseille to Rochefort, via the Mediterranean Sea, the Canal du Midi, the Garonne, and the Gironde, totaling over 5,000 men.

[18] In 1692, Arnoul succeeded Usson de Bonrepaus in overseeing the naval classes,[DT 6] a recruitment system for sailors established by Colbert in 1670.

They would be granted the title of Councillor of State, maintain connections with the current ambassador in their former post, offer advice to the minister, and contribute to the education of young diplomats.

[19] In 1701, Pierre Arnoul penned a memorandum on the production of sugar in the West Indies, focusing on its role in colonial economic development and maritime trade.

[22] In 1710, he was tasked by the king to resolve a significant financial dispute between privateer Jacques Cassard and the city of Marseille, a case that remained unresolved for an extended period.

[Zy 2] In October 1715, the newly established Council of the Navy, as part of the polysynody, requested Pierre Arnoul to provide an account of his management of convicts on the galleys.

As a result of the Naval Council's intervention, the duration of sentences was more strictly enforced, leading to improved survival rates for convicts with shorter terms.

The collection primarily consists of correspondence between the Arnoul intendants and successive ministers such as Colbert, Seignelay, and Phélypeaux, providing valuable insights into France's political actions.