Beauvais, Nicolas-Dauphin de

Nicolas Durand, sieur de Villegagnon, also Villegaignon (1510 – 9 January 1571) was a commander of the Knights of Malta, and later a French naval officer (vice-admiral of Brittany) who attempted to help the Huguenots in France escape persecution, before turning against them due to Eucharistic disputes. A notable public figure in his time, Villegagnon was a mixture of soldier, explorer, and adventurer. He fought pirates in the Mediterranean and participated in several campaigns against the Ottoman Empire.