Adrien Lejeune (; 3 June 1847 – 9 January 1942) was a French

revolutionary A revolutionary is a person who either participates in, or advocates for, a revolution. The term ''revolutionary'' can also be used as an adjective to describe something producing a major and sudden impact on society. Definition The term—bot ...

who is recognized as the last surviving

Communard The Communards () were members and supporters of the short-lived 1871 Paris Commune formed in the wake of the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. After the suppression of the Commune by the French Army in May 1871, 43,000 Communards we ...

to have fought for the 1871

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

Life

Adrien Félix Lejeune was born on 3 June 1847 in

Bagnolet Bagnolet () is a Communes of France, commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. History On 1 January 1860, the city of Paris was enlarged by annexing neighboring communes. On that occa ...

. As a member of the

National Guard National guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. ...

, he participated in the

1870 Paris uprising On October 31, 1870, a popular insurrection occupied Paris's City Hall (Hôtel de Ville). Amidst the Franco-Prussian War, Parisians simultaneously heard of losses at Le Bourget and Metz alongside armistice negotiations. Incensed by what they ...

against

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

. Although initially discharged for health reasons, Lejeune reenlisted to fight against the Prussians during the Siege of Paris as part of the 2nd Company of the 28th Battalion. On 18 March 1871 he participated in the defense of the cannons of Montmartre against the French government at the onset of the Paris Commune. Over the next two months under the Paris Commune, Lejeune participated in skirmishes in Bagnolet and the

20th arrondissement The 20th arrondissement of Paris (known in French as the ''XXe arrondissement de Paris'' or simply as "''le vingtième''") is the last of the consecutively numbered arrondissements of the capital city of France. Also known as Ménilmontant () aft ...

, culminating with action during the

Bloody Week The ''Semaine sanglante'' ("") was a weeklong battle in Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871, during which the French Army recaptured the city from the Paris Commune. This was the final battle of the Paris Commune. Following the Treaty of Frankfur ...

in May 1871. On 28 May, the final day of the Paris Commune, Lejeune was arrested in Belleville. On 12 February 1872 he was sentenced to five years in prison, eventually reduced to four years. After the

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

of 1917, the Paris Commune was idolized by the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

government. Following a request from the

French Communist Party The French Communist Party (, , PCF) is a Communism, communist list of political parties in France, party in France. The PCF is a member of the Party of the European Left, and its Member of the European Parliament, MEPs sit with The Left in the ...

, which Lejeune had joined in 1922, he was invited in 1928 to emigrate to the Soviet Union, where he moved in 1930. By the time of his death in Novosibirsk in 1942, Lejeune was recognized as the last surviving

at 94 years' old. Originally buried in the Soviet Union, his ashes were repatriated on the initiative of the

and buried in

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (, , formerly , ) is the largest cemetery in Paris, France, at . With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Buried at Père Lachaise are many famous figures in the ...

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, on 23 May 1971, as part of the centenary celebrations of the Paris Commune.

Life

References

Further reading