Georges Cadoudal

Georges Cadoudal , (1771 - 1804), is an emblematic figure of the Chouannerie. Its name is also synonymous in Brittany with resistance, until martyrdom, with the Parisian Jacobinisme. Its charisma and its intransigence make of it an important character of the Contre-révolution constant indéfectiblement by its religious conviction and the royal cause.

Biography

He was born on January 1st 1771, in the family farm of Kerléano-in-Brech, close to Auray, where his/her father was Meunier. After studies with the Saint-Yves college of Valves, he becomes clerk of notary, not without to have considered a career in the navy or priesthood in the orders.

The 6 Ventôse year I (February 24th 1793), one month hardly after the execution of Louis XVI, the Convention issues the lifting of 300 000 men. Like many men of the “Great West”, Cadoudal categorically refused the conscription and the law imposed by the Parisian revolutionists.

As of the appearance of the Chouannerie, it immediately decided to engage in the army directed by the major-general Stofflet, in which it was pointed out as well by his extraordinary physical force as by his wide general culture and its tactical intelligence. It was not long in being promoted major in the insurgent army. The March 19th, the capital punishment is issued by the Convention for all the insurrectionists of the Vendée.

At the time of the defeat of the Vendean armies with Savenay, the 3 Nivôse year II (December 23rd 1793), then captain of cavalry of the Catholic and Royal Large army, it escaped from the disaster and was folded up in Brittany to organize royalist resistance vis-a-vis the republican armies in the Morbihan. It was arrested first once and was imprisoned with Brest. Managed to escape, it joined the insurgent troops of Morbihan, ordered by Sebastien of $the Hague of Silz, and is promoted chief of legion.

Of return in Brittany, it coordinates resistance to Blue and organizes an insurrection in Brest. It is stopped the June 30th 1794 with its family; his/her mother dies at the time of this detention. The July 27th 1794, it enters clandestinity.

It is wounded at the time of a combat to Florange.

In 1795, Cadoudal is responsible for Chouans of the Morbihan in fight against the republicans, but makes a point of keeping its independence with regard to the count of Joseph de Puisaye, which wants to take the command of all the chouannery. To spring 1795, it is opposed with force to conventions of peaces signed between the armies royalist and republican with Jaunaye and Prévalaye and it continues the war in spite of the peace signed with Mabilais the April 23rd 1795.

The June 23rd, fourteen thousand Chouans gather close to Quiberon and the 26 it is the bay unloading of Carnac of four thousand emigrants, supported by the British. Against Vannes they run up against Hoche and must be folded up on the peninsula of Quiberon, where they are besieged. The July 21st, they capitulate - 748 of them are shot. Cadoudal is named general major of Morbihan the August 16th 1795, it unifies the army of Chouans and the troops of the emigrants who have escaped with the trap of Quiberon. They take again Sarzeau the December 19th, Locminé the April 7th 1796 but, in numerical inferiority, it must subject to Hoche the June 16th 1796. In the letter that they make him give, him and its men declare: “Us swearwords which we hate the characteristic royalty and all its signs and we promise never not to suffer whoever would dare to present ourselves in front of us covered these infamous marks of tyranny. ” The 22, peace are concluded, putting an end to the civil war in the west. Although having signed this precarious peace, it was parallel to devoted a complete reorganization of the Breton chouannery, like with a civil pacification by the elimination of the unverifiable armed bands. It continues its action on the political field and maintains the contacts with the other persons in charge of the counter-revolution.

With the Coup d'etat of the 18 fructidor year V (September 4th 1797), the policy of the Directoire reactivates the chouannery and the movements counter-revolutionaries with the financial aid and material of the Great Britain. Cadoudal is Master of Western Brittany and takes delivery of weapons come from Great Britain. In 1798, Louis XVIII entrusts officially the command to him in Brittany. Actively sought by the Blue ones, it remains imperceptible, profiting from an effective network and untraceable masks. It remakes appearance the April 17th 1799 while seizing Sarzeau and it missed little seizing Vannes in August 1799 but its action was stopped by the coup d'etat of the 18 brumaire An VIII (November 9th 1799).

Contrary to many chouans chiefs who decided to compose with the new mode, Cadoudal refused with the compromise and multiplied the armed actions during the autumn and the winter 1799 - 1800, until a new defeat to the Bataille of the bridge of Loc' H, which forced it, the February 14th 1800, with the castle of Beauregard, Saint-Ave (Morbihan), to sign a convention of peace with the general Brune, prelude to a possible reconciliation with the mode. For this purpose, Napoleon Bonaparte, First consul, convened it with Paris a few weeks later, offering the grace to him and a rank of general in exchange of his rendering, at the time of an interview which is described as “surging”. Cadoudal refused all the proposals of Bonaparte and passed clandestinely in Great Britain, where was the count d' Artois, brother of Louis XVIII, which conferred to him the title of general Lieutenant of the armies of the King.

It turned over to Brittany, in order to take part in the Conspiration of the explosive device (December 24th 1800) aiming to the assassination of the First consul. Encircled by the general Brown, Cadoudal makes to its tender with the First Consul who proposes a command in the west with the rank of general and a revenue to him: refused proposal. The failure of the conspiracy led it to turn over to Great Britain until August 1803, date on which it returned to Paris to organize the plot with which the general Pichegru and Moreau was associated, conspiracy which aimed this time to the removal of the First consul, and who failed following indiscretions in February 1804, Cadoudal had refused to join to the conspirators but nevertheless were stopped in February 1804 and condemned to two years of prison.

The last arrest of Georges Cadoudal, the March 25th 1804, was very animated, giving place to a true race-continuation in the streets of the capital. While the Pichegru general was strangled in his cell the April 6th, the lawsuit took place without clash and succeeds, the June 10th, with the death sentence of Cadoudal and with a two years of prison sorrow for the Moreau general, who was quickly exiled. In the absence of any tangible element, it does not seem that it is necessary to grant credit to the rumors according to which the denunciation of the plot would emanate from the Moreau general, who had refused to follow entreated in their company.

Georges Cadoudal savagely refused, by principle, any idea of request for grace, whereas all leaves think that Bonaparte was in fact petitioning on the matter, and the brain of the conspiracy was guillotine the June 25th 1804. It is reported that, placed on the plate of the guillotine, he would have shouted: “ Pimpernels for our God and our King ”, thus taking again the currency of the Vendean insurrectionists. Its body will be used for the students of the medical college.

One can suppose that the First consul then Empereur, who had hoped for until the end a “ reversal ” of Georges Cadoudal, preserved towards him a certain resentment, since he was not opposed so that the remainders of the conspirator, instead of being buried after the setting with death, are recovered at medical ends “ ”, the skeleton being exposed in medical college lasting all the First Empire.

The fall of the Napoleonean mode gave place to solemn funeral for Cadoudal, whose remainders were buried with Auray, in a mausoleum (figures 1 and 2) built for this purpose on the hill of Kerléano, in the vicinity immediate of its native house, while restored monarchy raised it, on a purely posthumous basis, with the dignity of Marshal of France, and that one of its nephews, from now on called Louis de Cadoudal, was anobli.

Decorations

Large Cross of the royal and military order of Saint-Louis

Cadoudal in 2004

An association of Auray for the memory of Georges Cadoudal had made carry out a bronze statue, by the sculptor André Jouannic. Association intended to make place work in the park contiguous to the mausoleum and carry out the inauguration the June 26th 2004, for the bicentenary of the execution. The town hall of Auray made known its formal opposition a fifteen or so days before the date envisaged, forcing association to put itself in search of another place for the installation of the statue. The enormous stone in Granite which was to be used as headland with the statue having been deposited in the park before the opposition of the town hall, is there always; its weight makes its removal difficult.

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