Rob Harper - Fighting the French Revolution: The Great Vendée Rising of 1793

To Jackie with love

(and appreciation for your patience)

First published in Great Britain in 2019 by

Pen & Sword Military

An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Yorkshire - Philadelphia

Copyright Rob Harper 2019

ISBN 978 1 47386 896 0

eISBN 978 1 47386 898 4

Mobi ISBN 978 1 47386 897 7

The right of Rob Harper to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

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: The regime in place before the French Revolution.

: Former: A term derisively used in reference to officers who could claim noble descent.

: Created in April 1793 following the treason of Dumouriez and the outbreak of the Vende Rising. It was formed of nine (later twelve) members, appointed for a month at a time, from Deputies of the National Convention. It was effectively the executive government of France responsible for internal and external security and in time came to direct the Convention. Danton controlled it in the early months but it was firmly under Robespierres influence from late July 1793. The conduct of the war and appointment of generals was a key function of the CPS.

: Literally the madmen or enraged. The most extreme of Revolutionary movements who assisted in the violent overthrow of the Girondists. Their core leadership would be crushed by the Montagnards in September 1793. Many were absorbed into the Hbrtist faction.

: A loosely organised group of Jacobins formed around Jacques-Pierre Brissot and other Deputies from the Gironde. They were in effective control from 1792 until 2 June 1793 and sought to weaken the grip on power held in Paris and backed by the Paris Commune, by promoting a less centralised and more federal form of government. Their attempts to stem the power of the Paris Commune led to their downfall. Supporters were sometimes called Federalists.

were brought down in March 1794. Leading figures included Bourbotte, Ronsin, Momoro and Carrier.

: Known as the Mountain from their habit of sitting in the upper tier of the Assembly. A Jacobin group led by Maximilien Robespierre, more extreme than the Girondists (their ideological opponents), who believed in a centralised form of government. Strongly influenced by the Jacobin Club and its links to the sansculottes . They were instrumental in implementing the Terror and were effectively in power from mid-1793 until July 1794. Key figures included St-Just and Marat. Many Montagnard Representatives served in the Vende.

: The elected assembly of deputies who formed the first republican government of France. Created September 1792.

: The elected governing authority for Paris, centred on the Hotel-de-Ville. It frequently refused to follow orders issued from the National Convention and exerted great influence and power during the critical days of 1793. For most of the year it was firmly under the control of the Hbrtists.

: Deputies sent on mission to the Departments to apply the law and maintain order. Those sent on mission to the armies would help raise troops, maintain morale, ensure supplies, and keep an eye on the generals. During the Terror they were vested with extensive power.

: Literally without breeches; used to define the lower class revolutionaries who would have worn loose fitting trousers not the knee breeches associated with wealthier classes. It came to be a name proudly adopted by militant revolutionaries.

: The name given to the period between June 1793 and July 1794 when the law allowed for swift and brutal punishment through Revolutionary Tribunals, often with little formal trial. More people were executed in the region affected by the Vende Rising than anywhere else in France. Representative Carrier was especially notorious for the implementation of the Terror and the mass execution of Venden rebels and refugees. The extent of his brutality resulted in his own recall and execution.

: A distance frequently used in contemporary sources. Although, theoretically, a standard eighteenth century French league was equivalent to between 6 and 7km (depending on which league was being used), measuring the known distance referred to in several accounts indicates that the term was applied loosely. Where contemporaries do not pinpoint locations, enabling a metric distance to be inserted in the text, I have retained the use of the term league.