Duguay-Trouin, René [key], 1673–1736, French privateer and naval officer. A member of a Breton family of shipowners, he became (1689) a privateer and was given command of a vessel in 1691. His bravery, the respect he won from his men, and his successes against the English and the Dutch in the wars of King Louis XIV caused him to rise rapidly in command. By 1709 he was reported to have captured 300 merchantmen and 20 warships or privateers. In 1711, in the War of the Spanish Succession, he captured Rio de Janeiro after an 11-day bombardment and forced the city to pay a heavy ransom. As a reward for his services Duguay-Trouin was ennobled by Louis XIV in 1709 and commissioned a lieutenant general in 1728. He left memoirs.
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