Léon Roches

Léon Roches was born on 27 September 1809 in Grenoble. He was a student at the in Tournon-sur-Rhône, and followed an education in Law. After only 6 months at university, he quit to assist friends of his father as a trader in Marseille. ==North Africa==

When Léon's father acquired a plantation in Algeria, Léon left France to join him on 30 June 1832. Léon spent the next 32 years on the African continent. Using his experiences in North Africa, he wrote a book titled Trente-deux ans à travers l′Islam (Thirty-two years through Islam). ==Trieste==

By an exceptional nomination, Roches became first-class Consul in Trieste, allowing him to acquire a strong experience in trading matters. After three years, he was appointed Consul in Tripoli. In 1855, he became Consul in Tunis. He often wore Arab dress and was renowned for his abilities with guns and horses. ==Japan==

to the Japanese "Taikun" nominating Léon Roches, in replacement of Duchesne de Bellecourt, 23 October 1863. Diplomatic Record Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Japan). On 7 October 1863, Roches was nominated Consul General of France in Edo, Japan, and remained in that position until February 1868. His great rival was the British consul Harry Parkes. The French government took the side of the Tokugawa Bakufu and thus was not very popular in Japan after the Meiji Restoration. On 23 March 1868, Roches and the Dutch Minister-Resident Dirk de Graeff van Polsbroek were the first European envoys ever to receive a personal audience with the new Emperor Meiji in Edo (Tokyo). Roches advocated the use of strength against the anti-foreign adversaries of the Shogunate. He fully supported the 1864 allied Bombardment of Shimonoseki. Roches also helped the Shogunate modernize. He arranged for an "Ecole Franco-Japonaise" to be established, and organized the building of the Yokosuka arsenal. In 1866, he wrote to the French Minister Drouyn de Lhuys: He left Japan on 23 June 1868, following the defeat of the Shogun's forces in the battle of Toba-Fushimi. ==See also==