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The Chouannerie (from the
Chouan Chouan ("the silent one", or "owl") is a French nickname. It was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution. Part ...
brothers, two of its leaders) was a
royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gov ...
uprising or counter-revolution in twelve of the western ''départements'' of France, particularly in the provinces of
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
and
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...
, against the First Republic during the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...
. It played out in three phases and lasted from spring 1794 to 1800. Albert Soboul (dir.), ''Dictionnaire historique de la Révolution française'', Quadrige/PUF, 1989, p. 217, "Chouans/Chouannerie" entry by Roger Dupu.] The uprising was provoked principally by the Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790) and the mass conscription, or ''
levée en masse ''Levée en masse'' ( or, in English, "mass levy") is a French term used for a policy of mass national conscription, often in the face of invasion. The concept originated during the French Revolutionary Wars, particularly for the period follo ...
'' (1793), which was decided by the
National Convention The National Convention (french: link=no, Convention nationale) was the parliament of the Kingdom of France for one day and the French First Republic for the rest of its existence during the French Revolution, following the two-year Nation ...
. A first attempt at staging an uprising was carried out by the ''Association bretonne'' to defend the French monarchy and reinstate the specific laws and customs of Brittany, which had been repealed in 1789. The first confrontations broke out in 1792 and developed in stages into a
peasant revolt This is a chronological list of conflicts in which peasants played a significant role. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: ...
,
guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run ta ...
and finally full-scale battles. It only ended with the Republican forces defeating the rebels in 1800. Briefer peasant uprisings in other ''départements'' like in
Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitan ...
and Lozère are also identified as "chouanneries". Another ''petite chouannerie'' broke out in 1815, during the
Hundred Days The Hundred Days (french: les Cent-Jours ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition, marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoratio ...
War, and a final one occurred in 1832.


Origins

In 1791, the adoption of the Civil Constitution of the Clergy loyalty to State requirements caused peasants around
Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who live ...
to rise to defend their
bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...
Sébastien-Michel Amelot from those of
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...
who wanted him to swear this oath of loyalty. In another incident, the following spring, in the area around
Quimper Quimper (, ; br, Kemper ; la, Civitas Aquilonia or ) is a commune and prefecture of the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Administration Quimper is the prefecture (capital) of the Finistère department. Geography Th ...
, a justice of the peace led several parishes in a uprising in the name of King
Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...
against the local authorities. Albert Soboul (dir.), ''Dictionnaire historique de la Révolution française'', Quadrige/PUF, 1989, p. 218, entrée "Chouans/Chouannerie" par Roger Dupuy. In the summer of 1792, further incidents occurred in the districts of Carhaix (Finistère), Lannion, Pontrieux (Côtes-d'Armor), Craon, Château-Gontier and Laval, where peasants opposed a levy of volunteers for the army. At
Saint-Ouën-des-Toits Saint-Ouën-des-Toits () is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France. See also *Communes of the Mayenne department The following is a list of the 240 communes of the Mayenne department of France. The communes cooperate in ...
, in the department of Mayenne, Jean Cottereau (known as Jean
Chouan Chouan ("the silent one", or "owl") is a French nickname. It was used as a nom de guerre by the Chouan brothers, most notably Jean Cottereau, better known as Jean Chouan, who led a major revolt in Bas-Maine against the French Revolution. Part ...
) led the insurgents. His nickname probably came from his imitation of the call of the tawny owl (the ''chouette hulotte'') for a recognition-signal. A reward was put on his head, but he managed to reach England in March 1793. The Republican administration recognised him and his brother as the leaders of the revolt.


Uprising


First phase 1794–1795

By January 1794, the Vendéans of the ', following a setback of the
Virée de Galerne The Virée de Galerne was a military operation of the War in the Vendée during the French Revolutionary Wars across Brittany and Normandy. It takes its name from French ''virée'' (turn) and Breton ''gwalarn'' (northwest wind). It concerns th ...
, tried to resist the
infernal columns The infernal columns (French: ''colonnes infernales'') were operations led by the French Revolutionary general Louis Marie Turreau in the War in the Vendée, after the failure of the Royalist Virée de Galerne. Following the passage on 1 Augus ...
of General
Louis Marie Turreau Louis-Marie Turreau (4 July 1756, Évreux, Eure – 10 December 1816, Conches), also known as ''Turreau de Garambouville'' or ''Turreau de Linières'', was a French general officer of the French Revolutionary Wars. He was most notable as the ...
. Groups of Chouans north of the
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
took up arms again in the areas crossed by the Vendeans. The Chouannerie was born on the borders of the
Mayenne Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and I ...
and of the
Ille-et-Vilaine Ille-et-Vilaine (; br, Il-ha-Gwilen) is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country. It is named after the two rivers of the Ille and the Vilaine. It had a population of 1,079,498 in 2019.
, near Fougères, Vitré and Laval. The small groups, led by Jean Chouan, Aimé du Boisguy and (nicknamed ''Jambe d'Argent'', i.e. "Silver Leg"), had Chouans and Vendeans who survived the
Virée de Galerne The Virée de Galerne was a military operation of the War in the Vendée during the French Revolutionary Wars across Brittany and Normandy. It takes its name from French ''virée'' (turn) and Breton ''gwalarn'' (northwest wind). It concerns th ...
, leaders who were compromised in the peasant uprisings of March 1793 and even deserters.Roger Dupuy, ''les Chouans'', p.36. Condemned to live in almost total secrecy, the Chouans knew that capture by the Republicans would mean certain death. Most of them were motivated by a desire to avenge their relatives who had disappeared in the Virée de Galerne. Using
guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run ta ...
tactics, Chouans in groups of a few score or a few hundred men ambushed military detachments, couriers and stagecoaches carrying government funds. They attacked Republican towns and executed informers, constitutional priests and republicans, and many administrators. To oppose the Chouans, Republicans built strongholds or fortified towns, which were defended by local territorial guards. They were led by General
Jean Antoine Rossignol Jean Antoine Rossignol (7 November 1759 – 27 April 1802) was a general of the French Revolutionary Wars. Life Early life Rossignol began his ''Memoirs'', published in 1820 by Victor Barrucand, with the words: "I was not born into a poor family. ...
, the chief commander of the
Army of the Coasts of Brest The Army of the Coasts of Brest (french: Armée des côtes de Brest) was a French Revolutionary Army formed on 30 April 1793 by splitting the '' Army of the Coasts'' into this army and the '' Army of the Coasts of Cherbourg''. The formation was f ...
. A law enacted on 23 March 1793 mandated that captured insurgents were to be executed by firing squad or by guillotine within 24 hours. Rossignol also assembled groups of fake Chouan outlaws to do as much as possible to discredit the real Chouans. Murders were carried out throughout the whole war with a varying degree of intensity, for example, in the district of Fougères, Chouans and a fluctuating number of Republicans, 219 people were assassinated or executed by Chouans and 300 by Republicans. This number did not include deaths during fights,
summary execution A summary execution is an execution in which a person is accused of a crime and immediately killed without the benefit of a full and fair trial. Executions as the result of summary justice (such as a drumhead court-martial) are sometimes includ ...
s on the battlefield or executions following the expeditive revolutionary due process of law. The Chouannerie spread quickly to
Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...
and reached the Côtes-d'Armor, which was dominated by the Chevalier de Boishardy. On 15 March, it reached
Morbihan Morbihan ( , ; br, Mor-Bihan ) is a department in the administrative region of Brittany, situated in the northwest of France. It is named after the Morbihan (''small sea'' in Breton), the enclosed sea that is the principal feature of the coastl ...
, where Joseph de Fay and Béjarry, former officers of the Vendean army, assisted by Pierre Guillemot incited a peasant uprising aimed at Vannes. The insurgents were easily countered by the Republicans at the . However, in
Finistère Finistère (, ; br, Penn-ar-Bed ) is a department of France in the extreme west of Brittany. In 2019, it had a population of 915,090.
and the west of Côtes-d'Armor, Basse-Cornouaille, Léon and Trégor did not take part in the uprising. Georges Cadoudal and , nicknamed ''la Vendée'', rescued from the Battle of Savenay, moved to the Morbihan, where Boulainvilliers was appointed general-in-chief of the département. However, Boulainvilliers defected to Ille-et-Vilaine with money taken from the headquarters. Sébastien de La Haye de Silz succeeded him as general. Boulainvilliers foolishly returned a few months later in the Morbihan. He was captured and shot by Pierre Guillemot's men. Other ''départements'', however, were not as united as the Morbihan. In the north of
Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duke ...
, Marie Paul de Scépeaux de Bois-Guignot was named commander for the north of
Maine-et-Loire Maine-et-Loire () is a department in the Loire Valley in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France. It is named after the two rivers, Maine and the Loire. It borders Mayenne and Sarthe to the north, Loire-Atlantique to the west, Indre-et ...
. His authority later extended to Loire-Atlantique, Mayenne and Sarthe. However, he commanded in name only since like in other ''départements'', his authority as a Chouan chief only extended to his own canton. Joseph de Puisaye, a former officer who was compromised in the federalist revolts, realised the necessity of centralised command and attempted to assume the function of general-in-chief of the Chouans. Recognised by some chiefs, Puisaye embarked from Dinard to London on 11 September 1794 to meet future King
Charles X of France Charles X (born Charles Philippe, Count of Artois; 9 October 1757 – 6 November 1836) was King of France from 16 September 1824 until 2 August 1830. An uncle of the uncrowned Louis XVII and younger brother to reigning kings Louis XVI and L ...
. Major-General
Pierre Dezoteux de Cormatin Pierre is a masculine given name. It is a French form of the name Peter. Pierre originally meant "rock" or "stone" in French (derived from the Greek word πέτρος (''petros'') meaning "stone, rock", via Latin "petra"). It is a translation ...
, his second-in-command, assumed command in his absence. Charles X favoured
absolute monarchy Absolute monarchy (or Absolutism as a doctrine) is a form of monarchy in which the monarch rules in their own right or power. In an absolute monarchy, the king or queen is by no means limited and has absolute power, though a limited constituti ...
and distrusted Puisaye, who advocated parliamentary monarchy. However, after the intervention of British Prime Minister
William Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ir ...
, Puisaye was appointed general-in-chief of the Royal and Catholic Army of Brittany on 15 October 1794 with the rank of
lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on th ...
, thus entrusting him with the king's authority. His power thus extended to all the insurgent areas north of the
Loire The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhôn ...
, including the
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and nor ...
and Anjou, where Scépeaux appointed him general-in-chief. When
Maximilien de Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Estat ...
fell on 28 July 1794, the Terror ended and the '' Convention nationale'' became more flexible and open to negotiation. The '' Agence royaliste de Paris'' asked the Chouans in the name of
Louis XVIII of France Louis XVIII (Louis Stanislas Xavier; 17 November 1755 – 16 September 1824), known as the Desired (), was King of France from 1814 to 1824, except for a brief interruption during the Hundred Days in 1815. He spent twenty-three years in ...
, then count of
Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bo ...
, to stop fighting. On 26 December, Brigadier General Jean Humbert and the Chouan chief Boishardy met to discuss peace options. Puisaye tried to organise a landing from London, and his lieutenant, Cormatin, assumed full command and negotiated the peace treaty of La Mabilais in April 1795. He was followed by a few local leaders. Albert Soboul (dir.), ''Dictionnaire historique de la Révolution française'', Quadrige/PUF, 1989, p. 219, entrée "Chouans/Chouannerie" par Roger Dupuy. Of the 121 leaders attending, only 21, including de Silz and Boishardy, signed the treaty.


Second phase 1795–1796

Because neither side had negotiated in good faith, tension again increased following the death of Louis XVII on 8 June. The peace was broken on 26 August 1794 by General
Lazare Hoche Louis Lazare Hoche (; 24 June 1768 – 19 September 1797) was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars. He won a victory over Royalist forces in Brittany. His surname is one of the names inscribed under the Arc de Triomphe, on ...
, who succeeded
Jean Antoine Rossignol Jean Antoine Rossignol (7 November 1759 – 27 April 1802) was a general of the French Revolutionary Wars. Life Early life Rossignol began his ''Memoirs'', published in 1820 by Victor Barrucand, with the words: "I was not born into a poor family. ...
as head of the
Army of the Coasts of Brest The Army of the Coasts of Brest (french: Armée des côtes de Brest) was a French Revolutionary Army formed on 30 April 1793 by splitting the '' Army of the Coasts'' into this army and the '' Army of the Coasts of Cherbourg''. The formation was f ...
and ordered the arrest of those who had refused to sign the treaty of La Mabilais. Hoche thought that Cormatin was trying to outsmart him. Cormatin was imprisoned and would not be freed before 1802. Boishardy, who did not sign, was killed during the night of 17 to 18 June between Bréhand and Moncontour. Likewise, de Silz, who had taken up arms again, was attacked on 28 June at Grand-Champ by the troops of Adjutant-General Josnet. De Silz was killed in action, and his men retreated. On 23 June 1795, a British fleet led by Commodore John Borlase Warren, landed soldiers of the émigré army in
Carnac Carnac (; br, italic=no, Karnag, ) is a commune beside the Gulf of Morbihan on the south coast of Brittany in the Morbihan department in north-western France. Its inhabitants are called ''Carnacois'' in French. Carnac is renowned for the C ...
. They joined Chouans led by Vincent de Tinténiac, and
Jacques Anne Joseph Le Prestre de Vauban Jacques Anne Joseph Le Prestre de Vauban (10 March 1754, in Dijon – 20 April 1816) was a French general of the Ancien Régime. He took part in the American War of Independence, and later in the Chouannerie uprising against the Republic during ...
, the great-grandnephew of Marshal
Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Seigneur de Vauban, later Marquis de Vauban (baptised 15 May 163330 March 1707), commonly referred to as ''Vauban'' (), was a French military engineer who worked under Louis XIV. He is generally considered the ...
. However, disagreements between the general of the ''émigrés''
Louis Charles d'Hervilly Comte Louis Charles d'Hervilly (26 February 1756, Paris – 14 November 1795, London) was a French nobleman and émigré. He was involved in the abortive landing at Quiberon. His daughter married the general Marie-François Auguste de Caffar ...
and the expedition leader Puisaye cost the Royalists precious time. A counterattack by Hoche forced the Chouans back to the
Quiberon Quiberon (; , ) is a commune in the French department of Morbihan, administrative region of Brittany, western France. It is situated on the southern part of the Quiberon peninsula, the northern part being the commune of Saint-Pierre-Quiberon. It ...
peninsula. On 10 July, two columns of Chouan troops wearing English uniforms embarked on British ships from the peninsula and were landed behind Republican lines. However, the men from the first column, led by Lantivy du Rest and , scattered. The second column, led by Vincent de Tinténiac and seconded by Georges Cadoudal, prepared to attack but received a message from the ''Agence royaliste de Paris'' requiring them to join a second British landing at Côtes-d'Armor. Tinténiac hesitated in the face of opposition from Cadoudal but obeyed the order. He was killed on his way there at Coëtlogon on 18 July. They reached the bay of
Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc (, Breton language, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo language, Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor Departments of France, department in Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in northwestern France. History ...
, but since British fleet had joined them, they returned to the Morbihan and appointed Cadoudal as their general. Meanwhile, in Quiberon, reinforcements of men led by Charles de Virot de Sombreuil joined the ''émigrés''. They attempted to attack on 16 July, but were crushed. Hoche launched a final assault on 20 July and routed the ''émigrés''. Louis Charles d'Hervilly was fatally wounded, and Puisaye managed to board a British ship. The Republicans took more than prisoners. 748 of them were shot by firing squad, including Sombreuil. The day before his execution, he wrote a letter to Commodore Warren denouncing the flight of the Chief General, Joseph de Puisaye. That letter had an enormous impact on the Chouans. A council of officers in Morbihan sentenced Puisaye to death ''in absentia''. He returned to Brittany in autumn 1795, where he was arrested by Pierre-Mathurin Mercier and brought before Cadoudal. Puisaye defended himself vigorously and found that he still had the support of the Count of Artois. Cadoual and Puisaye eventually reconciled. Guerilla fighting resumed after the failure of the British royalist expedition and spread to
Normandy Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
, where
Louis de Frotté Marie Pierre Louis de Frotté (August 1, 1766 – February 18, 1800) was a French soldier and an opponent of the Republic during the Revolutionary Wars. Louis de Frotté was born in Alençon (Normandy). He joined the Royal Army in 1781, and wa ...
, who had freshly landed in France in 1795, organised an uprising. Puisaye had suffered a loss of reputation and blamed the Chouans of the Morbihan and their chiefs, who he claimed were hostile towards nobles and wanted to "establish equality under a white flag". Puisaye left the Morbihan for the Ille-et-Vilaine, where the division chiefs were of the nobility, and joined the
Mordelles Mordelles (; ; Gallo: ''Mordèll'') is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department of Brittany in northwestern France. Geography The river Meu forms the commune's southwestern border. Population Inhabitants of Mordelles are called in French ' ...
division led by . He did not receive much more support than in the Morbihan, but he remained commander-in-chief because of the support of the Count of Artois. Puisaye wanted a Chouannerie led by nobles and founded the company of the '. Several ''émigrés'' joined France to fight with the Chouans, but numerous disputes broke out among them. In January 1796, Puisaye joined the Fougères division, the most important one in Ille-et-Vilaine, and appointed as his chief
Aimé Picquet du Boisguy Aimé Casimir Marie Picquet, chevalier du Boisguy, sometimes spelt Bois-Guy, (15 March 1776 – 25 October 1839), was a Breton chouan general during the French Revolution. He was nicknamed "the little general" by his men due to his youth. Still a ...
, Chief General of the Ille-et-Vilaine and of the east of the Côtes-d'Armor. However, in practice, Boisguy controlled only the east of Ille-et-Vilaine, and Frotté and Scépeaux acknowledged Puisaye as General-in-Chief in name only. To fight the Chouans, the Republican forces were organised in three armies. The Army of the Coasts of Brest, led by Lazare Hoche, was based alternately in
Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine departme ...
or Vannes and controlled the Finistère, the Morbihan, the Côtes-d'Armor, the Ille-et-Vilaine and the Mayenne. The Army of the West, led by Jean Baptiste Camille Canclaux, was based in
Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
and controlled
Loire-Atlantique Loire-Atlantique (; br, Liger-Atlantel; before 1957: ''Loire-Inférieure'', br, Liger-Izelañ, link=no) is a department in Pays de la Loire on the west coast of France, named after the river Loire and the Atlantic Ocean. It had a population ...
, Maine-et-Loire, the
Vendée Vendée (; br, Vande) is a department in the Pays de la Loire region in Western France, on the Atlantic coast. In 2019, it had a population of 685,442.
and
Deux-Sèvres Deux-Sèvres () is a French department. ''Deux-Sèvres'' literally means "two Sèvres": the Sèvre Nantaise and the Sèvre Niortaise are two rivers which have their sources in the department. It had a population of 374,878 in 2019.
. The Army of the Coasts of Cherbourg, led by
Jean-Baptiste Annibal Aubert du Bayet Jean-Baptiste Annibal Aubert du Bayet (19 August 1759, Louisiana – 17 December 1797, Istanbul) was a French General and politician during the period of the French Revolution. Aubert du Bayet was born in Baton-Rouge in the French American colo ...
, was based in
Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the All ...
and controlled Manche, Orne, Calvados, Sarthe and part of Ille-et-Vilaine. In December 1795, the '' Directoire'' named Hoche chief general of all the Republican forces based in the West and gave him full authority. The Armies of the West, of the Coasts of Brest and of the Coasts of Cherbourg were merged to form the Army of the Coasts of the Ocean. Despite the Quiberon disaster, the Chouans had some victories in the coming months. Hoche however changed tactics in the beginning of 1796. He set up mobile columns, promised amnesty to Chouans who surrendered, guaranteed religious freedom and strove to discipline the army. Many Chouans and Vendeans were amenable to those measures and laid down their arms. Hoche's priority was to pacify the Vendée.
Jean-Nicolas Stofflet Jean-Nicolas Stofflet (3 February 1753 – 25 February 1796) was a French leader of the Revolt in the Vendée against the First French Republic. Born in Bathelémont-lès-Bauzemont (Meurthe-et-Moselle), the son of a miller, he was for long a ...
was captured and shot by firing squad in
Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the pr ...
on 25 February 1796.
François de Charette François Athanase de Charette de la Contrie (2 May 1763 – 29 March 1796) was a Franco-Breton Royalist soldier and politician. He served in the French Navy during the American Revolutionary War and was one of the leaders of the Revolt in the ...
was hunted down, imprisoned and shot on 29 March 1796. His death marked the end of the War in the Vendée. Since the Vendée was pacified, Hoche turned his attention to the Chouans. Faced by large Republican numbers, Chouan chiefs gradually surrendered. Scépeaux was the first to surrender, on 14 May. Georges Cadoudal signed a peace treaty on 19 June. Louis de Frotté refused to sign a peace treaty and embarked for England and left his lieutenants to sign it on 23 June.
Aimé Picquet du Boisguy Aimé Casimir Marie Picquet, chevalier du Boisguy, sometimes spelt Bois-Guy, (15 March 1776 – 25 October 1839), was a Breton chouan general during the French Revolution. He was nicknamed "the little general" by his men due to his youth. Still a ...
was the last to surrender, on 26 June. Puisaye returned to England.


Third phase

The uprising lasted until the Republican victory in 1800.


Leaders

The principal leaders of the insurrection were Georges Cadoudal, his brother Julian, Jean Cottereau, called Jean Chouan; Pierre Guillemot, known as ''the king of Bignan''; Joseph de Puisaye, Louis-Charles de Sol de Grisolles, Auguste and Sébastien de La Haye de Silz, John-Louis Treton, nicknamed Jambe d'Argent; Tristan-Llhermitte, Michel Jacquet, known as Taillefer; Joseph-Juste Coquereau, Aimé du Boisguy, Boishardy, Pierre-Mathurin Mercier and Bonfils de Saint Loup. In Brittany, the Chouans were supported by many nobles:
Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie (13 April 1751 – 30 January 1793), also known in the United States as "Colonel Armand," was a French cavalry officer who served under the American flag in the American War of Independence. He was pro ...
, the Chevalier de Boishardy, Count Louis of Rosmorduc, the Picquet brothers of Boisguy, as well as by commoners (the brothers Cadoudal). In Lower Normandy, Count Louis de Frotte had a dominant role. One of the lieutenants in lower Maine was Guillaume Le Métayer, who was nicknamed Rochambeau. In the Vendée, the nobility were not able to play their normal military role. There was never any properly-organised army and was mostly small elusive bands. The Chouan leaders were, above all, peasant farmers. In contrast to the earlier War in the Vendée of 1793, the Chouannerie did not have any territory, the cities and many towns having remained Republican, but some districts openly revolt. There was also the ''Petite Vendée'' in the lower part of Maine, which was controlled by the Prince of Talmont. The Chouannerie was very difficult to suppress since its fighting forces had not been beaten during the Vendée War. Also, it had many leaders, and its army units were small l and dispersed.


In popular culture

This rebellion was featured in the novel ''
Les Chouans ''Les Chouans'' (, ''The Chouans'') is an 1829 novel by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) and included in the ''Scènes de la vie militaire'' section of his novel sequence '' La Comédie humaine''. Set in the French ...
'' by Honoré de Balzac and ''
The Man in Grey ''The Man in Grey'' is a 1943 British film melodrama made by Gainsborough Pictures; it is considered to be the first of a series of period costume dramas now known as the "Gainsborough melodramas". It was directed by Leslie Arliss and produc ...
'', a collection of short stories about the Chouans by Baroness Orczy, as well as being the central action of the novel ''The Marquis of Carabas'' by
Rafael Sabatini Rafael Sabatini (29 April 1875 – 13 February 1950) was an Italian-born British writer of romance and adventure novels. He is best known for his worldwide bestsellers: '' The Sea Hawk'' (1915), ''Scaramouche'' (1921), ''Captain Blood'' (a.k. ...
. It was also depicted in paintings and popular imagery. In
Breton literature Breton literature may refer to literature in the Breton language (''Brezhoneg'') or the broader literary tradition of Brittany in the three other main languages of the area, namely, Latin, Gallo and French – all of which have had strong mutual ...
, Lan Inisan published ''Emgann Kergidou'' ("The Battle of Kergidou") in 1877, the first and only novel in the
Breton language Breton (, ; or in Morbihan) is a Southwestern Brittonic language of the Celtic language family spoken in Brittany, part of modern-day France. It is the only Celtic language still widely in use on the European mainland, albeit as a member of ...
to be published before the First World War. The novel is set during the 1793 uprising in Saint-Pol-de-Léon.


Bibliography


Historical

* Jacques Duchemin des Cépeaux, ''Souvenirs de la Chouannerie'', 1855 ; * Émile Souvestre, ''Scènes de la Chouannerie'', Michel Lévy, Paris, 1856; * Abbé Jean-François Paulouin, ''La Chouannerie du Maine et Pays adjacents. 1793–1799–1815–1832. Avec la Biographie de plus de 120 Officiers.'', Monnoyer, Le Mans, 1875 * Jean Morvan, ''Les Chouans de la Mayenne. 1792 - 1796'', Lévy, Paris, 1900 * Abbé Almire Belin (dir.), ''La Révolution dans le Maine. Revue bimestrielle'', Imprimerie Benderitter puis M. Vilaire, Le Mans, 1925–1937 * Marc Valin, ''Chouans de la Mayenne'', Éditions Siloé, Laval, 1985 * Jean Barreau, ''La chouannerie mayennaise sous la Convention et le Directoire'', Imp. Martin, Le Mans, 1988. * Anne Bernet, ''Les Grandes Heures de la chouannerie'', Perrin, 1993 * Roger Dupuy, ''Les Chouans'', Hachette Littérature, 1997. * Anne Bernet, ''Histoire générale de la chouannerie'', Perrin, 2000. * Jean Lepart,"Histoire de la Chouannerie dans la Sarthe", in ''Revue Historique et Archéologique du Maine'', Le Mans,tome CLIII, p. 13-64, 2002 and tome CLV, p 65-120, 2004. * Hubert La Marle, ''Dictionnaire des Chouans de la Mayenne'', Éditions régionales de l'Ouest -
Mayenne Mayenne () is a landlocked department in northwest France named after the river Mayenne. Mayenne is part of the administrative region of Pays de la Loire and is surrounded by the departments of Manche, Orne, Sarthe, Maine-et-Loire, and I ...
. 2005.The names and distinctions of around 4,000 Mayenne Chouans, officers, NCOs and men, as well as almoners serving in the Mayenne departement between 1792 and 1832. Biographical notes on the Chouans' military careers, a non-exhaustive list of around 3000 Chouans. It also contributes to rectifying two historical errors - the revolt recruited in the towns as much as in the countryside, and the army quickly organised itself first into companies, then legions, then divisions, in an increasingly highly-structured manner. * Bernard Coquet, ''Le dernier des Chouans Louis-Stanislas Sortant, 1777–1840'', Éditions Ophrys-SPM, Paris, 2007.


Works of fiction

* Honoré de Balzac, '' Les Chouans ou la Bretagne en 1799'',
La Comédie humaine LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
, tome XIII. (also adapted as a film, ''
Les Chouans ''Les Chouans'' (, ''The Chouans'') is an 1829 novel by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) and included in the ''Scènes de la vie militaire'' section of his novel sequence '' La Comédie humaine''. Set in the French ...
'', by Henri Calef, with
Jean Marais Jean-Alfred Villain-Marais (11 December 1913 – 8 November 1998), known professionally as Jean Marais (), was a French actor, film director, theatre director, painter, sculptor, visual artist, writer and photographer. He performed in over 100 f ...
, 1946). *
Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...
, '' Quatrevingt-treize''. *
Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly (2 November 1808 – 23 April 1889) was a French novelist and short story writer. He specialised in mystery tales that explored hidden motivation and hinted at evil without being explicitly concerned with anythin ...
, '' L'Ensorcelée''. and ''Le Chevalier des Touches''. * Michel Ragon, ''les mouchoirs rouges de Cholet''. * The film ''
Chouans! ''Chouans!'' is a 1988 French historical adventure film directed by Philippe de Broca and starring Sophie Marceau, Philippe Noiret, and Lambert Wilson. Based on the 1829 novel ''Les Chouans'' by Honoré de Balzac, the film is about a woman who mu ...
'', by
Philippe de Broca Philippe de Broca (; 15 March 1933 – 26 November 2004) was a French movie director. He directed 30 full-length feature films, including the highly successful '' That Man from Rio (''L'Homme de Rio'')'', '' The Man from Acapulco (Le Magnifique) ...
, with Philippe Noiret,
Sophie Marceau Sophie Marceau (; born Sophie Danièle Sylvie Maupu, 17 November 1966) is a French actress. As a teenager, she achieved popularity with her debut films ''La Boum'' (1980) and '' La Boum 2'' (1982), receiving a César Award for Most Promising A ...
, Lambert Wilson and Stéphane Freiss, 1988. *
D. K. Broster Dorothy Kathleen Broster (2 September 1877 – 7 February 1950), usually known as D. K. Broster, was an English novelist and short-story writer. Her fiction consists mainly of historical romances set in the 18th or early 19th centuries. Her best k ...
'Sir Isumbras at the Ford', published in 1918. *
D. K. Broster Dorothy Kathleen Broster (2 September 1877 – 7 February 1950), usually known as D. K. Broster, was an English novelist and short-story writer. Her fiction consists mainly of historical romances set in the 18th or early 19th centuries. Her best k ...
'The Yellow Poppy', published in 1920.


References


Further reading

* Furet, François and Mona Ozouf, eds. ''A Critical Dictionary of the French Revolution'' (1989), pp 3–10 * Sutherland, Donald. ''The Chouans: The Social Origins of Popular Counter-Revolution in Upper Brittany, 1770-1796'' (1982) *


External links

* {{Authority control Political parties established in 1793 Royalist insurgents during the French Revolution Military history of Brittany 1793 establishments in France Political parties with year of disestablishment missing