Antoine-Philippe de La Trémoille

Le Prince de Talmont , painting by Léon Cogniet in the "Musée d'art et d'histoire de Cholet"

Coat of arms of the de La Trémoille family

Antoine-Philippe de La Trémoille , prince de Talmont (born September 27, 1765 in Paris , † January 27, 1794 in Laval ), was a nobleman and officer in the Catholic and Royal Army of the Vendée who was guillotined .

origin

He was the second son of Jean-Bretagne-Charles de La Trémoille, Duc de Thouars, Peer of France , Prince de Tarente, Comte de Laval, de Vitré, last Comte de Montfort and last Baron de Montreuil-Bellay, Brigadier des armées du roi , Maréchal de camp , and Marie-Maximilienne-Louise de Salm-Kyrbourg , who resided at the Château de Laval in Laval (Mayenne) .

Antoine-Philippe de La Trémoille was the 8th Duc de Thouars , last Comte de Laval and Baron de Vitré. During the French Revolution he was in command of the cavalry of the royalist troops in the Vendée uprising .

On January 23, 1785 he married Henriette-Louise-Françoise-Angélique d'Argouges at the Château de Gratot .

The Poitiers Confederation and Emigration

Until the end of 1791 he was characterized by an indecisive attitude. At the end of 1791 he joined a counterrevolutionary conspiracy (Confederation of Poitiers - Confédération poitevine) in Poitou . He saw no prospects of success and went to England to represent the interests of his party here. Then he moved to the Electorate of Trier , the main refuge for the royalists who had fled, where he joined the Chevaliers de la couronne of the emigrant army in Koblenz with Comte Marie Pierre Louis de Frotté . He took part in a first campaign in which he was used as aide de camp des Comte d'Artois . Then he went back to France with a new plan to start a war of insurrection in the western provinces .

Jean Chouan

After the king's execution in 1793, he hoped to set up an anti-revolutionary movement in Paris. With passports under a false name for himself and his brother, they began traveling through Normandy , Maine and Anjou to gain followers.

The royalist uprising

On May 20, 1793, he was arrested by the citizens of the municipality of Noyant-sous-le-Lude ( Baugé ), taken to Angers prison and notified to the Welfare Committee . He was then to be moved from Angers to Laval . On the way there he was not prevented from escaping by the guards; farmers accompanied him to the vicinity of Saumur , which the Vendéer had just occupied in June. De La Trémoille later testified in one of his interrogations that he had been released from the Maine-et-Loire department . His arrival in Saumur caused the greatest sensation.

«C'était, écrit la marquise de la Rochejaquelein , un jeune homme de vingt-cinq ans, de cinq pieds dix pouces d'une très belle figure. Il était brave, loyal, complètement dévoué, d'un bon caractère… Il fut reçu avec satisfaction; on s'applaudissait d'avoir dans les rangs de l'armée un homme d'un aussi beau nom, dont la famille était depuis si longtemps presque souveraine en Poitou. M. de Talmont fut nommé sur le champ général de cavalerie. »

“ It was, writes Victoire de Donnissan de La Rochejaquelein, a twenty-five year old, five feet, ten inches tall, of very handsome build. He was brave, loyal, totally devoted, of good character ... He was received with satisfaction; there was applause for having in the ranks of the army a man with such a beautiful name, whose family had been well represented in the Poitou for so long. Mr. de Talmont was appointed general of the cavalry in the field. "

He became a member of the Army Supreme Council.

The uprising of the Vendée

During the attack on Nantes on June 28, 1793, he was able to distinguish himself through his courage , along with Cathelineau and d'Elbée .

He walked through the ranks, gave encouraging speeches, and got the discouraged Vendéers to continue the fight. Riding at the head of the royal cavalry in an attack, he was wounded. Back in the Vendée , he took part in almost all the actions of this war. After the First Battle of Châtillon and the repeated defeats of the Royalists, he insisted that the passage of the Loire and the route to Brittany be secured.

During the crisis, when the Vendée army was pushed towards the Loire, the Prince de Talmont was assigned four thousand royalists to hold Saint-Florent-le-Vieil-Saint-Florent. After the result of the Second Battle of Cholet , he protected the transition from the Vendéer to the right bank with all available forces.

The Galerne March

In the council, he rejected the resolution of the commanders who wanted to return to the Vendée, and instead of the opinion that it would be better to march to Saint-Malo to await the aid promised by the English. With the previous authority of his family in the lands of Laval, he was able to prevail, so the army was moving in the direction he suggested.

The first Chouans joined the Vendées as soon as they reached Laval, and a sizeable corps, then recruited under the name "Petite-Vendée", followed the army under the command of the Count of Laval. The Prince, with Donnissant and the Abbé Étienne-Alexandre Bernier, drew paper money in Laval for 900,000 livres . He was one of the winners of the battle of Entrammes .

With this determination, with which he had prevailed, he took command of the column, with the Chevalier Jacques Nicolas Fleuriot de La Fleuriais, which moved from Laval to Vitré , where he hoped to attract new recruits. From there, he retired to the royal army to Fougeres back on the path towards Cotentin was traveling to Granville (Manche) to besiege.

The result of Lord Moiras' expedition, which was supposed to support the royalists, depended on the possession of this port, because it was on the shortest route to the ports of Jersey . But even now the Vendées, who had failed in their attack on Granville and were completely discouraged, wanted to return to the Vendée at all costs ( Virée de Galerne ); they even turned against their leaders. In this confusion, de La Trémoille, accompanied by Beauvollier, Solérac and Bernier, reached the beach where he wanted to be embarked.

When the Vendéer found out, they were outraged, they saw it as an attempt by the prince to desert and sent a cavalry patrol under Stofflet to arrest him. The patrol brought de La Trémoille and the officers accompanying him back to the camp. A fishing boat was only chartered to Jersey to bring some women to safety and to encourage the English to act faster, it was said. Ultimately, the real background to this matter remains unresolved.

In any case, the prince earned new merits in the battle of Dol , which took place a few days later between Dol-de-Bretagne and Antrain . When almost all divisions of the royal army had fled to Dol, he held the position with a handful of men until Henri de La Rochejaquelein came to his aid. De La Trémoille followed the army to the siege of Angers , which was as unfortunate as that of Granville. In the Battle of Le Mans on December 14th, he attacked enemy hussars at the city entrance in the middle of the fire. After their defeat, the royal army could no longer cross the Loire and was reduced to seven thousand men.

Without illusions, he bravely continued the battle with the remnants of the Catholic and Royal armies of the Vendée, which had not been able to cross the Loire again. He and the leadership had crossed the river at Ancenis , but returned to find his troops at Blain and bring them back.

After Fleuriot was appointed commander in chief, de La Trémoille left the army offended. He kept himself free from any obligations and went via Derval , La Guerche-de-Bretagne and Forêt du Pertre to join Jean Chouan or go to the coast. Some Bretons recruited by Joseph de Puisaye could not give him any information about the Chouans in Mayenne; Puisaye himself showed no desire to get in touch with the prince. This then made his way to Normandy .

The arrest

Malagra, place of arrest

Disguised as a farmer, he wandered through the area around Laval and Fougères, accompanied by three men, when they fell into the hands of a patrol of the National Guard from La Bazouge-du-Désert on December 31, 1793 in the village of Malagra near Pont Dom Guérin . They found a sum of 30,000 livres, some luxury items and a passport stamped four days earlier by the municipality of Ernée .

Without realizing her identity, the General Beaufort had her transferred to Fougères . On the way there, de Talmont was recognized by the landlord's daughter in Saint-Jacques, who exclaimed loudly: This is the Prince de Talmont (c'est le prince de Talmont).

General Beaufort wrote to the President of the National Assembly: I will inform you of the arrest of the ex-Prince de Talmont. Most of them recommend their souls to the Eternal Father, I gave him permission to do so.

In an initial interrogation, de Talmont said:

“Je suis le prince de Talmont, seigneur de Laval et de Vitré. Soixante-huit combats contre les republicains ne m'ont pas effrayé; je devais servir mon roi, et je ferai voir en mourant que j'étais digne de défendre le trône. »

“ I am the Prince of Talmont, Lord of Laval and Vitré. Sixty-eight fights against the Republicans did not frighten me; I owe it to serve my king, and by dying I will show that I was worthy to defend the throne. "

On January 2, 1794, he was brought to Rennes and subjected to a long interrogation by Esnue-Lavallée. The prisoner then sent a letter to the National Assembly requesting that he be transferred to Paris. He was chained and thrown into a dungeon, from where he wrote to General Rossignol : The enemy, whom fate has placed in your hands, demands that by your justice and your humanity he be treated a little less harshly than in a room without fire, dying of cold, hunger and damp . The Republicans cheered and insulted their victims, especially the prince, idol and god of slaves and clerics . But it was feared that the prince, who suffered from typhus , would die in his prison.

The death sentence

Lettre adressée par Esnue-Lavallée au Comité révolutionnaire de Laval du 6 pluviôse an II, de Rennes … Esnue-Lavallée, représentant du peuple dans les départements de l'Ouest et du Center. Aux citoyens composant le Comité révolutionnaire de Laval:
Citoyens, Je viens d'envoyer à la Commission militaire l'ex-prince de Talmont; j'envoie également à Laval à la Commission militaire Enjubault-la-Roche afin qu'il soit jugé. Je vous engage à thunder à cette dernière Commission toutes les instructions et les renseignements nécessaires relatifs à Enjubault. Vous voudrez bien, sitôt l'exécution de Talmont, faire attacher sa tête au bout d'une pique et la faire placer de suite sur la principale porte du ci-devant château de Laval pour épouvanter les royalistes et fédéralistes dont vous êtes environnés. Voudrez-vous bien aussi faire les mêmes honneurs à la tête d'Enjubault-la-Roche, si ce fameux fédéraliste est condamné à la peine de mort? You courage, de l'activité, de l'énergie, les aristocrates trembleront et ça ira. Vive la République! Salut et fraternity. Votre concitoyen, ESNUE-LAVALLÉE. P.-S .: Accélérez par vos sollicitudes le jugement d'Enjubault, afin que, s'il subit la peine de mort, il soit exécuté en même temps que Talmont; l'agent et le seigneur feront le pendant. Talmont sera sûrement jugé demain et conduit à Laval pour y être supplicié, ainsi faites en sorte et pressez la Commission militaire de faire prompt diligence afin qu'à l'arrivée de Talmont, Enjubault soit prêt à recevoir les mêmes honneurs. ESNUE LAVALLÉE.

“ Letter from Esnue-Lavallée to the Revolutionary Committee in Laval, Rennes, the 6 pluviôse to II … Esnue-Lavallée, representative of the people in the Ouest and Center departments. To the citizens of the Revolutionary Committee in Laval: Citizens, I have just sent the former Prince of Talmont to the Military Commission; I am also sending you René Enjubault de la Roche to the Military Commission in Laval for negotiation. I ask you to provide the latter Commission with all the necessary instructions and information regarding Enjubault. As soon as Talmont is executed, please keep his head pinned to the end of a pike and have him immediately deposited on the main door of the former Château de Laval to deter the royalists and federalists around you. Would you also like to pay the same honors to the head of Enjubault-la-Roche when this famous federalist is sentenced to death? Courage, activity, energy - the aristocrats will tremble and everything will be fine. Long live the republic! Greetings and brotherhood. Your fellow citizens, ESNUE-LAVALLÉE. PS: See that the verdict on Enjubault is accelerated so that if he is sentenced to death he can be executed at the same time as Talmont; the agent and the lord will do the same. Talmont will certainly be tried tomorrow and, if he suffers the death penalty, taken to Laval, so urge the Military Commission to do their utmost to ensure that Enjubault is ready to receive the same honors once Talmont arrives. ESNUE LAVALLÉE. "

Esnue-Lavallée took care of bringing him to the Vaugeois Commission on January 26th, which was in Vitré . De La Trémoille almost died, was interrogated again and refused to sign a confession. He was then sentenced to death without further ado. The next day he protested against it and again demanded to be brought to Paris before the National Assembly.

It now appeared that the prisoner was suffering from a serious illness. De La Trémoille protested again, asserting that nothing could lead him to betray his party. By order of d'Esnue-Lavallée, six artillery horses were confiscated on January 27th in order to bring the prince to Laval.

Laval Castle , ancestral seat of the prince and place of execution

Jean Chouan had considered freeing de La Trémoille, but had to realize the impossibility of this attempt. The heavily guarded convoy reached Laval at nightfall. The guillotine had been set up in front of the main entrance to the palace and the execution was carried out immediately.

The prince's last words to the executioner were:

"Fais ton métier, j'ai fait mon devoir"

"Do your job, I've done my duty."

The severed head was then subjected to various forms of abuse, for example Jean-Louis Guilbert, former priest and member of the Mayenne Revolutionary Military Commission, planted it on a candlestick. Then he was placed on the tip of a pike and displayed on the portico of the castle. The next morning the prince's head was buried in the courtyard of the castle.

His only son, Henri-Léopold de La Trémouile, prince de Talmont, Colonel in the 5 ^e régiment de hussards , died on November 7, 1815 with no heirs.

Footnotes

1. ↑ also Talmond, both spellings are valid
2. ↑ Louis de Frotté: Le lion de Normandie, Jean Silve de Ventavon, Fernand Lanore. 1993, p. 64
3. ↑ Some sources claim that Jean Chouan was the trigger.
4. ↑ The royal army had made its way through Mayenne and Ernée .
5. ↑ After returning to Dol, La Rochejaquelein declared that the victory was due to the Prince de Talmont.
6. ↑ One of them was his servant, called Matelein , and another was a Monsieur Bougon, former public prosecutor from the Calvados department .
7. ^ Martin Foucault: Le Château de Laval. Paragraph 146.GLI Éditions, 1874
8. ↑ François-Joachim Esnue-Lavallée (1751-1816), at that time deputy of the National Assembly
9. ↑ January 25, 1794
10. ↑ This could not be realized, however, Enjubault-La Roche was not executed until the following month.
11. ↑ Quatorze prêtres guillotinés à Laval le 21 janvier 1794. In: Laval website.
12. ↑ It was recovered in 1817 by Arthémise Duchemin and a few others and then given to Monsieur Chehère, priest of the Trinité Church in Laval. He sent it to the Princess of Talmont, who kept it in her chapel.

literature

• Louis-Gabriel Michaud: Antoine-Philippe de La Trémoille. In: Biography universelle ancienne et moderne. Histoire par ordre alphabétique de la vie publique et privée de tous les hommes avec la collaboration de plus de 300 savants et littérateurs français ou étrangers. 2nd Edition. 1843-1865.
• Alphonse-Victor Angot, Ferdinand Gaugain: Antoine-Philippe de La Trémoille. In: Dictionnaire historique, topographique et biographique de la Mayenne. Laval-Goupil, 1900-1910.