Louis Mandrin
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Louis Mandrin (pronounced lwi mɑ̃dʁɛ̃; 11 February 1725 – 26 May 1755) was a French
smuggler Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...
(highwayman) from
Dauphiné The Dauphiné ( , , ; or ; or ), formerly known in English as Dauphiny, is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné was ...
.


Biography

Mandrin has been called the
Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary noble outlaw, heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature, theatre, and cinema. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions o ...
of France. He became famous for his rebellion against the
Ferme générale The ''ferme générale'' (, "general farm") was, in ''ancien régime'' France, essentially an outsourced customs, excise and indirect tax operation. It collected duties on behalf of the King (plus hefty bonus fees for themselves), under renewable ...
, the hated privatized tax collecting agency of the French
ancien régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...
(royal government). Government taxes in his time were levied on salt (the ''
gabelle The ''gabelle'' () was a very unpopular French salt tax that was established during the mid-14th century and lasted, with brief lapses and revisions, until 1946. The term ''gabelle'' is derived from the Italian ''gabella'' (a duty), itself orig ...
''), tobacco, and farming. The tax collectors, called ''fermiers'', or (tax) farmers, were in charge of collecting all taxes for the king, but the total amount of the tax to be paid by the population was not specified; the tax collectors needed to pay only the pre-agreed amount to the king, but could exact unspecified sums themselves. Many of them were greedy and became extremely wealthy and powerful through their exactions from the poor. The tax collectors were therefore hated by the people. Louis Mandrin was born in 1725 at
Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs (; literally 'Saint-Étienne of Saint-Geoirs') is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is the hometown of Rose Valland, who saved thousands of works of art from Nazi looting and destruct ...
, Dauphiné, then a border province. His family was well established in the region, but was no longer as prosperous as in the past. Louis's father, a horse merchant, died when Louis was 17, leaving nine children. Louis, as the eldest, became head of the family. Mandrin's first run-in with the ''fermiers'' was in 1748. He was under contract to supply to French army in Italy with "100 mules minus three." Unfortunately, crossing the Alps was difficult and most of the animals died on the way to their destination,
Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs Saint-Étienne-de-Saint-Geoirs (; literally 'Saint-Étienne of Saint-Geoirs') is a commune in the Isère department in southeastern France. It is the hometown of Rose Valland, who saved thousands of works of art from Nazi looting and destruct ...
. Mandrin had only 17 mules left when he arrived, and they were in such a sorry state that the tax collectors refused to pay him. Five years later, on 27 July 1753, Mandrin and his friend Benoît Brissaud were involved in a brawl and their opponents were killed. Brissaud was sentenced to death and Mandrin to the
galley A galley is a type of ship optimised for propulsion by oars. Galleys were historically used for naval warfare, warfare, Maritime transport, trade, and piracy mostly in the seas surrounding Europe. It developed in the Mediterranean world during ...
s. Mandrin managed to flee but Brissaud was caught and hanged in Breuil square (now Place Grenette) in
Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
. On the same day, Mandrin's brother Pierre was hanged for counterfeiting. Mandrin declared a personal war against the tax collectors. Mandrin joined a gang of smugglers operating in the
Cantons of Switzerland The 26 cantons of Switzerland are the Federated state, member states of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. The nucleus of the Swiss Confederacy in the form of the first three confederate allies used to be referred to as the . Two important ...
, France, and
Savoy Savoy (; )  is a cultural-historical region in the Western Alps. Situated on the cultural boundary between Occitania and Piedmont, the area extends from Lake Geneva in the north to the Dauphiné in the south and west and to the Aosta Vall ...
, which was then a sovereign state. They trafficked mainly in tobacco. Mandrin soon became head of this gang - a small army of some 300 men which he led and organised like a military regiment. They had warehouses for weapons and stolen goods in Savoy, and Mandrin believed himself out of the reach from the French authorities. During 1754 he organised six military-style campaigns. He and his men targeted only the most unpopular tax collectors, which gained them huge support from the local population. Mandrin bought goods (cloth, hides, tobacco, canvas and spices) in Switzerland, which he then resold in French towns without paying the Ferme Générale any of the tax due. The population was delighted with such bargains. Soon the French government passed laws forbidding the population to buy these smuggled goods. Mandrin reacted to the ban by going to
Rodez Rodez (, , ; , ) is a small city and commune in the South of France, about 150 km northeast of Toulouse. It is the prefecture of the department of Aveyron, region of Occitania (formerly Midi-Pyrénées). Rodez is the seat of the communau ...
and forcing Ferme Générale employees to buy his goods at gunpoint. The Ferme générale, exasperated by Mandrin's growing popularity, obtained help from the Royal Army, but Mandrin took refuge in Savoy, near Pont-de-Beauvoisin. The tax collectors then decided to enter the Duchy illegally, disguising their 500 men as peasants. Mandrin was betrayed by two of his men, and the tax collectors seized him at a fortified farm in Rochefort-en-Novalaise. When the King of Savoy,
Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia Charles Emmanuel III (27 April 1701 – 20 February 1773) was Duke of Savoy, King of Sardinia and ruler of the Savoyard states from his father's abdication on 3 September 1730 until his death in 1773. He was the paternal grandfather of the l ...
, learned of the French intrusion into his territory, he immediately wrote to the French King
Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reached maturity (then defi ...
demanding that the prisoner be turned over to him, and the French King agreed. However, the tax collectors were so eager to be rid of Mandrin that they had hurried through his trial and execution before the king's message reached them. Mandrin was tried on 24 May 1755 and sentenced to be
broken on the wheel The breaking wheel, also known as the execution wheel, the Wheel of Catherine or the (Saint) Catherine('s) Wheel, was a Torture, torture method used for Capital punishment#Public execution, public execution primarily in Europe from Classical ant ...
, a penalty reserved for serious offenders, in
Valence, Drôme Valence (, ; ) is a Communes of France, commune in southeastern France, the prefecture of the Drôme Departments of France, department and within the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region. It is situated on the left bank of the Rhô ...
on 26 May. He was executed on 26 May 1755 in front of onlookers, many of them sympathetic. His arms, legs and stomach were hit and broken with an iron bar and he was then hoisted on a wheel with his arms and legs under him. Mandrin endured the torture without a cry. After eight minutes, he was strangled to put an end to his suffering. His broken body was put on display. Many angry and sympathetic notes were left near the body. It was the beginning of the legend. Mandrin's struggle against the injustice of the
Ancien Régime ''Ancien'' may refer to * the French word for " ancient, old" ** Société des anciens textes français * the French for "former, senior" ** Virelai ancien ** Ancien Régime ** Ancien Régime in France {{disambig ...
was discussed across Europe and the cause taken up by
Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
(who compared him with the
king of Prussia The monarchs of Prussia were members of the House of Hohenzollern who were the hereditary rulers of the former German state of Prussia from its founding in 1525 as the Duchy of Prussia. The Duchy had evolved out of the Teutonic Order, a Roman C ...
) and
Turgot Turgot may refer to: * Turgot of Durham ( – 1115), Prior of Durham and Bishop of St Andrews * Michel-Étienne Turgot (1690–1751), mayor of Paris * Anne Robert Jacques Turgot (1727–1781), French economist and statesman * Louis Félix Étienne, ...
. Mandrin's status as a rebel folk hero was cemented. A popular ballad arose, the ''Complainte de Mandrin'', that was sung throughout France and is still known today. Its author remains unknown. Extremely popular during his life, Mandrin remains famous to this day, in his native Dauphiné, in the Savoie and to a lesser degree, in the rest of France.


La complainte de Mandrin (Mandrin's Lament)

The music of this ballad, which dates to the year of Mandrin's execution, 1755, is excerpted from an opera by
Jean-Philippe Rameau Jean-Philippe Rameau (; ; – ) was a French composer and music theory, music theorist. Regarded as one of the most important French composers and music theorists of the 18th century, he replaced Jean-Baptiste Lully as the dominant composer of ...
, composed in 1733 : ''
Hippolyte et Aricie ('' Hippolytus and Aricia'') was the first opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau. It was premiered to great controversy by the Académie Royale de Musique at its theatre in the Palais-Royal in Paris on October 1, 1733. The French libretto, by Abbé ...
''. It was then covered anonymously under the title by which it is still known. The text was also published as an appendix to a book titled ''Précis de la vie de Louis Mandrin'' ("Treatise on the Life of Louis Mandrin").


Popular culture


Literature

* Mandrin is mentioned in
Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...
's most known novel ''
Les Misérables ''Les Misérables'' (, ) is a 19th-century French literature, French Epic (genre), epic historical fiction, historical novel by Victor Hugo, first published on 31 March 1862, that is considered one of the greatest novels of the 19th century. '' ...
'', in reference to the argot of the low class society:


Cinema and TV

* '' Mandrin'', a 1924 silent film *''Mandrin, 1st period : The Liberator'' (1948) *''Mandrin, 2nd period : Tragedy of a Century'' (1948) *''
The Adventures of Mandrin ''The Adventures of Mandrin'' () is a 1952 French-Italian historical adventure film directed by Mario Soldati and starring Raf Vallone, Silvana Pampanini and Jacques Castelot. It was released under a variety of alternative titles including ''Do ...
'' (1952) *'' Mandrin'' (1962, from a book by Arthur Bernède) *''Mandrin, Gentleman robber'' (1971, TV series in 6 episodes)
''Les Chants de Mandrin'' (2011), "The Ballads of Mandrin"
(French film; trailer)


Expositions

* In the Musée dauphinois in
Grenoble Grenoble ( ; ; or ; or ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Isère Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region ...
, an exposition named ''Louis Mandrin, wrongdoer or bandit with a good heart?'' took place from 13 May 2005 to 27 March 2006.Notice biblio des archives du site du Musée Dauphinois
/ref> * At the Museum of Bordeaux


Mandrin namesakes

In 2002, a Grenoble brewery named a walnut-flavored beer after Mandrin. Today, the
Brasserie artisanale du Dauphiné
' makes 6 different beers under that brand.


References

M. Foucault "Vigilar y Castigar". Chapter II "Castigo"


Further reading

*


External links


Famous Outlaws: Louis MandrinStories From French History
by Eleanor C. Price *Sheet music o
Mandrin's lament
(free license)
Mandrin
(in French)
Blog
(in French) Much information on Mandrin, by the owners of the Chateau de Fassion in the town where Mandrin was born. The chateau is reputed to have belonged to Mandrin's family, and later to the family of French composer
Berlioz Louis-Hector Berlioz (11 December 1803 – 8 March 1869) was a French Romantic music, Romantic composer and conductor. His output includes orchestral works such as the ''Symphonie fantastique'' and ''Harold en Italie, Harold in Italy'' ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandrin, Louis 1725 births 1755 deaths People from Isère 18th-century French criminals People executed by breaking wheel Smugglers Executed French people French outlaws French highwaymen People executed by the Ancien Régime in France 18th-century executions by France