- September 1792 to October 1795:during the French Revolution, an assembly called the National Convention is in power. It is at the origin of the First Republic. One of his first decisions was to recruit by lot 300,000 men for the war against the European monarchies:Austria, Prussia, Spain and England.
- March 10, 1793:the peasants of western France, already hostile to the Convention because of the execution of Louis XVI and anti-religious laws, decided to rise up when this requisition was announced.
- In the west of France, we find the Vendéans and the Chouans. The Vendeans designate the fighters from the south of the Loire. While the Chouans, named after their leader Jean Chouan (real name Jean Cottereau), are the fighters of the north of the Loire. The Vendeans are organized into an army, while the Chouans lead a guerrilla warfare made up of ambushes and non-frontal battles. Nevertheless, they have the same claims. They have several names:Catholic and royalist army, royalists or whites.
1793-1796
Characters
Maximilian of Robespierre
François Athanase Charette de La Contrie dit Charette
Lazare Hoche
Jean Cotterau alias Jean Chouan
Jean-Baptiste Camille de Canclaux
Francois Westermann
Procedure
- March 10, 1793, 40,000 royalist peasants quickly organized themselves around leaders (Elbée, Cathelineau, Bonchamps, Charrette) to fight the Republican soldiers. This royalist army won many battles.
- August 1, 1793:the Convention decides to set fire to the Vendée. She entrusts this task to General François Westermann, but on August 14 the Republicans are defeated by the Whites. They chained victories until the reverse of Cholet in October 1793.
- 1794:having overcome the royalists, the revolutionaries put the plan of extermination provided for by the Convention into effect in 1793. Supported by Robespierre, General Turreau and his troops "the infernal columns" massacred the royalists. The survivors take up arms again.
- July 28, 1794:Robespierre, at the head of the Convention, is guillotined. Also, wars with European nations are no longer a threat. The revolutionary government then wants to be more accommodating with the Royalists.
- August to October 1794:General Hoche takes command of the Army of Brest and General Canclaux that of the West. These two men set up a policy of appeasement. They come into contact with the royalist leaders.
- February 17, 1795:signing of the Jaunaye peace treaty between the members of the National Convention and the white leaders, including Charette (real name François-Athanase Charette de La Contrie).
- 1796:hostilities resume very quickly and the treaty is rendered null and void.
Consequences
- January 18, 1800:signing of the Montfaucon peace treaty, ending the war. However, it resumed in 1815, before ending completely in 1832.
- The Vendée War and the Chouannerie was an exceptionally violent civil war that caused several hundred thousand deaths because the revolutionaries made it a symbol. Robespierre used it in particular to impose the Terror (period of the Revolution when violence was used to impose republican ideas).