|
The Vendean Insurrection: it is distinct from the Chouannery by its motivations and its organization. The "Vendée Militaire" extended to four departments - north of Vendée, north of Deux Sèvres, south of Maine et Loire, and south of Loire Inférieur - nearly 14,000 km2 and counted approximately 800,000 souls. The persecution of the clergy and the execution of King Louis XVI and then Queen Marie Antoinette pushed the Vendeans into the Counter-revolution on March 10, 1793. The Vendean chiefs were often aristocrats having served in the royal armies and solicited sometimes even under pressure by the peasants for their knowledge of war more than for their title of nobility. Under their authority, the "Grande Armée Catholique et Royale" was formed which bravely opposed the Republican armies until 1796.
|
|
