François Blondel ( June 1618 – 21 January 1686) was a soldier, engineer of fortifications, diplomat, civil engineer and military architect, called "the Great Blondel", to distinguish him in a dynasty of
French architects. He is remembered for his
Cours d'architecture which remained a central text for over a century. His precepts placed him in opposition with
Claude Perrault in the larger
culture war known under the heading
Querelle des anciens et des modernes. If François Blondel was not the most highly reputed among the
académiciens of his day, his were the writings that most generally circulated among the general public, the
Cours de Mathématiques, the
Art de jetter les Bombes, the
Nouvelle manière de fortifier les places and, above all his
Cours d'Architecture.