Knight of Boishardy

Amateur-Jerome the Arm of the Forging mills , Knight of Boishardy, Chief Chouan of the Coast-of-North. Born with Bréhand, it belongs to the minor nobility (knight). The origins of its family would be however middle-class.

Biography

Like noble, it enters to royal marinades in 1780, former officer with the regiment of Royal-Navy, left the service the July 9th 1792, being opposed at the beginning of its regiment for Saint-Domingue. It is carried by error on the list of the emigrants in 1792 and this error causes him some nuisances and it returns to Bréhand. But it is the lifting of the 300.000 men in March 1793 which pushes it towards the Chouannerie.

Indeed, the French revolution requiring for soldiers, it orders that a drawing lot of combatant will be organized by commune. The March 25th 1793, Pommeret, to 8 km of Bréhand refuses the drawing lot and tear off the registers of the police chiefs of the Republic. It is the signal of rising in the Coast-of-North. To the cries of Let us go on Pommeret , the young people of Bréhand move then, Boishardy at their head towards common the rebel. They are joined on the way with the place known as the moor of the fat to Meslin by the young people of common the neighborhoods. Together (can be 4000), they go on Pommeret and molestent the grocer republican of the borough. The same day, they plunder the trunk posts republican with Sainte Anne (coëtmieux). , The events of Pommeret make oil task in particular with Bréhand or the young people follow the example. The insurrectionists came to seek Boishardy because of its military experiment and not of its origins peerage-books.

Boishardy, charismatic and accessible is essential naturally as chief of the chouannery in the area. It took share with the first insurrection, that of Rouërie, and was indicated by him to order the military forces of the Breton Association on Coast-of-North. He is recognized elsewhere also since he is in contact with Vendean the François of Cart. But the chouannery of the area lamballaise remains limited. Its actions of guerilla will remain limited, to note however, the catch of Jugon (lakes) a small town between Lamballe and Dinan, it gained there its nickname of wizard , because the catch did not make any death and all the republican soldiers were captured.

After the death of Rouërie, it was withdrawn towards the coast between Lamballe and Moncontour; and, joining together all that was armed against the Revolution, it establishes its general headquarter with Bréhan. Boishardy was in the force of the age, and as skilful as intrepid ascending sound was such on the peasants that they would have exposed all to died to defend it, and that it passed in their spirit to predict the future.

Boishardy, outlaw are imperceptible, hiding between Pommeret, Bréhand and Moncontour with the liking of its many friendships. It is called the wizard by the republicans.

Moreover its soft manners and the amenity of its character generally made it like. In August 1794, it went to find Puisaye and recognized it like généralissime chouans. Puisaye did it colonel and gave him the Croix of Saint-Louis. It ordered the royalists of Coast-of-North; and October 1794, being seen overpowered by the division of the republican general Rey, and authorized by the example of Cart, it accepted to draw aside the danger by making peace overtures. Having asked an interview to the general Jean Humbert, who ordered from Moncontour a republican division, it indicated to him, in early December, a wood for the place of the conference, and it was there with fifty chouans armed. Humbert only arrived, without any escort. The royalist general, astonished by the safety of this officer, says to him: “The testimony of confidence that you give to me decides me with the reciprocity; I will return my troop, and will seek with you the means of bringing back peace in these unhappy regions! ” The friendships of Boishardy are not that royalist, a deep and divided respect binds it to the republican general Humbert thanks to which it signs a truce with Lazare Hoche (March 1795)

After pacification, the truce is not respected and of the attacks are made in the sector of Boishardy. The hostilities having started again between the two parties, Boishardy took again the offensive. The continuations against the wizard begin again and a republican camp is installed with Meslin.

The republicans having been informed that it would be the June 15th 1795 in its Château of Villehemet, a pomegranate company went for surprising there. It was betrayed by an young man. Boishardy realized too late that it was betrayed; he wanted to flee: the pomegranates continued it with rifle shots; it was reached and completed with blows of saber by two soldiers on the road of Bréhand with Moncontour, close to the Chapelle Saint Malo (a martyrdom marks the place still today) in the presence of his young friend Joséphine de Kercadio. Its head bloody and separated from its body was walked in the streets of Lamballe and Moncontour then thrown in a lake with Maroué. The two assassins will be very slightly punished.

The private chouannery of a charismatic chief, changes then in the Coasts of North. She evolves/moves out of microphone-chouannerie (Legris Duval, Duviquet, Carfort) until in 1800 and Chouannerie-armed robbery (Dujardin) 1800 - 1804.

It is noted however that symbolically, the chouannery of the Coasts of North remains important. Mercier the Vendée, assistant of Georges Cadoudal is named chief of the department (killed close to Loudéac in 1801) and that Saint Regent, chief of the area of Merdrignac will be the executant of the first attack against Napoleon Bonaparte (Christmas 1800).

The history of Boishardy has something of romantic, in particular because of its charisma, sound idylle with Joséphine of kercadio and of his tragic death… One says that Balzac would have taken as a starting point its history in its novel " the chouans ". Certain authors claim that it was killed the day of its marriage, but that seems a romantic version of its biography.

Partial source

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