Nicolas Chauvin

Nicolas Chauvin (* presumably Rochefort , France , around 1790 ) was a legendary soldier who is said to have served in the army of the First French Republic and then in the Grande Armée of Napoléon Bonaparte . His name established the term chauvinism . It is not historically certain whether Nicolas Chauvin lived or is a fictional character. For example, the researcher Gérard Puymège assumes that Chauvin never lived. In his view, chauvin should continue the long tradition of the peasant soldier and was invented by some writers.

Chauvin is said to have entered the army at the age of 18 and served honorably and self-sacrificingly, wounded a total of 17 times in the service and was seriously mutilated in the process. For his loyalty and his dedication he received an honor saber and a pension of 200 francs from Napoleon himself .

In post-Napoleonic France, his readiness for action no longer seemed admirable, but served as the target of ridicule in vaudeville comedies, for example in the play La Cocarde tricolore (1831). With these plays, Chauvin became a theatrical figure, and the term “chauvinism” was coined for an exaggerated nationalism .

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• Gérard de Puymège: Chauvin, le soldat-laboreur. Contribution à l'étude des nationalismes. Gallimard, Paris 1993.