Maastricht was the first siege where the famous French engineer Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban directed operations, rather than being a technical advisor. He was not a military commander and according to the custom of the time, subordinate to the senior officer present, in this case Louis XIV. Louis had forbidden his generals de Condé or Turenne to be present at the siege to prevent them from sharing in the glory. Louis regularly visited the trenches, exposing himself to enemy fire and was closely followed by painters and poets who had to immortalise his exploits for posterity, as well as the court historian Paul Pellisson.