Marie Pierre Louis de Frotté (August 1, 1766 – February 18, 1800) was a French soldier and an opponent of the

Republic A republic () is a " state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th ...

during the Revolutionary Wars. Louis de Frotté was born in

Alençon Alençon (, , ; nrf, Alençoun) is a commune in Normandy, France, capital of the Orne department. It is situated west of Paris. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alençon (with 52,000 people). History The name of Alençon is fi ...

(

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 ...

). He joined the Royal Army in 1781, and was in command of infantry units by 1789, when 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 ...

broke out. Frotté joined the émigrés, and served in the combined

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

n and

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

n army of the

Duke of Brunswick Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

, which aimed to restore the monarchy in France. Frotté fought at

Valmy Valmy () is a commune in the Marne department in north-eastern France. Geography The town stands on the west flank of the Argonne massif, midway between Verdun and Paris, near Vouziers. History Valmy provided the setting for the Battle of Val ...

in 1792, and, after Brunswick's unsuccessful campaign, sailed to

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. There, he joined the vicomte de Bussy's regiment of émigrés, ''Les Chevaliers de la couronne'', venturing into

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 ...

several times and linking up with

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 ...

royalists, who had risen up against the French Republic that had evolved from the Revolution. Frotté soon became a leader of the Chouan revolt, organizing the rebels into military units and forming a staff. By 1796, however, forces under General Hoche had scored several victories, defeating the Chouans and forcing de Frotté to flee abroad, after repulsing his assault on

Tinchebray Tinchebray () is a former commune in the Orne department in the Lower Normandy region in north-western France. On 1 January 2015, Tinchebray and six other communes merged becoming one commune called Tinchebray-Bocage. History It was the scene ...

. Returning to England, he was enlisted by Charles, Count of Artois (

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 ...

's younger brother), in an attempt to start yet another rebellion in his native Normandy. This rebellion was fairly successful, but, after

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader wh ...

seized power, the tide began to turn against Frotté, as most of his direct subordinates were killed. When, in early 1800, many rebel soldiers deserted, he began to negotiate with the government, eventually being invited by General Guidal to a meeting in Alençon. Frotté met with Guidal at the ''Hôtel du Cygne'' on 15 February 1800. During the meeting, he was arrested by Republican forces and, three days later, brought before a military tribunal, which sentenced him to death by firing squad. He was executed on February 18.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frotte, Louis de Royalist insurgents during the French Revolution Order of Saint Louis recipients French counter-revolutionaries Military personnel from Alençon 1766 births 1800 deaths People executed by France by firing squad Executed people from Normandy