Page 54 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Brittany

52  INTRODUCING BRIT T AN Y

The Chouans and the Revolution “Les blancs” had been dealt a blow. The army
During the French Revolution, Brittany was of Catholics and royalists was defeated at
divided between “les bleus”, who were in Savenay in 1793; attempts by émigré nobles
favour of new ideas, and “les blancs”, to land in Brittany, with British aid, were
supporters of the Ancien Régime. “Les bleus” quashed. At Quiberon, in June 1795, 6,000
consisted of the liberal bourgeoisie and of of them were taken prisoner by Hoche’s
country-dwellers of those republican army and 750 executed.
cantons of Lower Brittany Stability was not restored until the advent
that were op posed to of Napoleon Bonaparte, who reconciled
the clergy and nobility; “les Church and State, appointed prefects, and
blancs”, consisting mostly ensured military control by building roads
of nobility and unruly and establishing gar rison towns, such as
clergy, predominated Napoléonville in Pontivy. Because of the
in southern and Napoleonic Wars, during which the British
eastern Brittany. ruled the seas, Brittany’s fortunes were in
Jean Cottereau, known as In 1792, a few decline, despite the exploits of privateers
Jean Chouan
aristocrats led by such as Robert Surcouf of St-Malo.
La Rouërie hatched an unsuccessful
counter-revolutionary plot, but in 1793, The 19th Century
when the National Convention ordered During the 19th century and until the
that 300,000 men should be levied to fight 1950s, Brittany, isolated from the centres
in the war, the Loire-Atlantique, Morbihan of the industrial revolution, became a rural
and Ille- et-Vilaine rebelled. The Chouans, backwater, although it supported a thriving
led by Cadoudal, Guillemot, Boishardy and canning industry. Fishing off Iceland and
Jean Chouan, fought a guerrilla war in the Newfoundland was another key activity.
countryside. The Republicans responded Awareness of Brittany’s Celtic heritage
by launching the Terror: in Nantes, 10,000 gathered strength as poets, ethnologists and
people were beheaded or drowned. folklorists documented and recorded Breton

Mass drownings in the Loire at Nantes, ordered by Jean-Baptiste Carrier during the French Revolution

1865 The 1886 1898
1789 Riots Paris-Brest Paul Gauguin The URB is
in Rennes 1793–1802 railway is arrives in founded
Chouan uprising Nantes is attacked by the Vendéens completed Pont-Aven
1780 1800 1820 1840 1860 1880 1900
1792 1795 The landing of 1839 La 1848 F. de Lamennais 1896 La
La Rouërie’s royalist émigrés in Villemarqué is elected people’s Borderie starts
plot Quiberon ends in publishes Barzaz delegate at the his History of
failure Breiz Constituent Assembly Brittany
De Lamennais

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