Jean François de Bette, Marquis of Lede
Jean François de Bette, 3rd Marquis of Lede (December 6, 1672 – January 11, 1725) was a Belgian military commander in Spanish service. He was also lord of the Fiefdom of Lede in Flanders.
Biography
Born in Brussels, he served the Spanish Crown for most of his life, including as Commander-General of Aragon and Majorca. On 31 March 1703, he became a Knight of the Golden Fleece.
He is best known for his part in the War of the Quadruple Alliance, when he commanded the Spanish troops who tried to conquer Sardinia and Sicily back from the Austrians in 1718–1719. He was victorious in the Battle of Milazzo (1718) and Battle of Francavilla (1719). The Quadruple Alliance was constituted on 2 August 1718 by Austria, Great Britain, France, and Savoy against the itching wishes of the Spaniards on controlling again the Kingdoms of Sardinia, Sicily, and Naples as they had in the last three centuries before the Treaties of Utrecht and Rastatt.
He was also Viceroy of Sicily during this short occupation of the island.
In 1720–1721, he led a successful expedition to lift the Siege of Ceuta by Sultan Moulay Ismail. He was awarded the title of Grandee of Spain by king Philip V of Spain in 1721. He was also president of the Spanish War Council, 1724. He died at Madrid in 1725.