Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban

Revolutionary military engineer who transformed siege warfare

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707) redefined military architecture through his star-shaped fortification system that dominated European warfare for 200 years. As Louis XIV's chief military engineer, he designed 33 new fortresses and improved 300 others, creating an impregnable 'Iron Belt' around France.

His scientific approach to siegecraft, detailed in Treatise on Siegecraft, introduced parallel trenches and ricochet artillery fire. Remarkably progressive, Vauban later advocated for tax reforms and social equality, publishing Project for a Royal Tithe that challenged France's feudal system. Though censored, this early socioeconomic treatise influenced Enlightenment thinkers.