The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 973: Chapter 47 Vendee’s Past

The anger of the assassin leader instantly resonated with his companions, and this group of normally reticent peasants from the provinces suddenly opened up to Arthur, recounting their different origins but common ordeals.

Some spoke of how their old father was forcibly conscripted by a drafting officer sent by the National Assembly while harvesting buckwheat in the fields without any warning, others talked about their families being massacred by the republican government troops, and some even angrily slammed the table, accusing the Jacobin Party of the tyranny it imposed on their hometown, detailing the story of a kind and amiable rural priest near their home being sent to the guillotine for refusing to denounce his religious stance.

But among the experiences personally recounted by these narrators, they all eventually converged on one time and place — the Vendee of 1793, and that conscription order issued by the National Assembly.

The experiences described by this group of honest peasants were completely different from those recorded by Gizo, Thiers, and many other historians who sided with the republicans or Napoleon, even to the extent of being worlds apart.

However, setting aside those emotionally charged narratives mixed with personal opinions, Arthur still used his historical knowledge to restore the simplest and most accurate truth.

In 1793, three major events occurred in France: the downfall of the Girondins who ruled France, the declaration of war against France by Austria and Prussia, and a series of civil wars led by the Vendee uprising within France itself.

To summarize briefly, the occurrence of the first two of these major events ultimately catalyzed the civil war.

The downfall of the Girondins was due to the armed uprising of the Jacobin Party in Paris. Although the Jacobins took Paris by force and completely controlled the National Assembly, what they actually seized was only Paris.

In the provinces, many people did not like this new government that came to power not through elections but by force.

But this kind of discontent usually only permeated among the provincial officials and intellectuals; as for the rural farmers, they initially didn’t care about the Girondins or the Jacobins.

To these farmers, who were busy working in the fields every day, whether it was the King, the Girondins, or the Jacobins, they all seemed the same. What they cared about most was living a good life and farming their lands well.

These provincial farmers, especially those in the northwest, were never very concerned with politics.

France’s northwestern Brittany and its surrounding areas are mainly woodlands and marshlands, and the population there is not as dense as in Paris. So although life was not affluent for these farmers, they generally had no problem making a living by farming and herding.

And the vast majority of them were quite satisfied with this kind of life. Even if there were occasional complaints, they never reached the extent of wanting to revolt. For over a thousand years, they and their ancestors have lived this way, working in the fields in the morning, managing the livestock in the afternoon, and if they encountered problems they couldn’t solve, they habitually consulted the most reputable and knowledgeable person in the area — the Priest.

Perhaps in other affluent regions of France, there were plenty of corrupt priests who embezzled parish properties. However, in the mouths of peasants from Brittany, Vendee, and similar areas, the priests were all first-rate gentle and compassionate gentlemen. They helped the poor faithful, guided them in their sins, organized believers to dig water conservancy projects during the leisure farming period, and could explain the difficult parts of the ”Bible” to them.

The reason why these rural priests demonstrated such a large difference in character compared to those in wealthier regions is not difficult to understand. This is because only those priests with the most devout faith and the best morals could preach in remote areas for decades. If they had even a slight desire for material possessions, they would have long sought every opportunity to return to the bustling cities.

The harmonious coexistence between the peasants and priests from Brittany and Vendee has lasted for a thousand years, and the continuous dedication of generations of devout priests naturally led the peasants to see the local priest as their leader, establishing a dependent relationship that was both material and spiritual.

So when the republican government ordered the arrest of all the clergy who had not sworn allegiance to the new government, these usually meek and kind farmers immediately became infuriated. Many of them participated in protest actions for the first time in their lives, just to plead with the government to bring back their good priest.

However, in January 1793, when Louis XVI was executed, these farmers made no protest, and at the news, many merely exclaimed, ”My God! They actually beheaded the King!”

But arresting the priests was not enough to make these farmers take up arms; they were merely infuriated.

The final straw that intensified the conflict was the government’s March 1793 decree imposing additional agricultural taxes and the conscription order for 300,000 men.

They neither understood nor agreed to participate in a war that had nothing to do with them.

In the minds of these Brittany farmers, wars were meant to protect their lords, homeland, land, property, and faith. If they were to join the military, it would only be to fight near their homes. If one day they were to leave their homeland to fight, the most likely reason would not be to join some anti-French war, but to join the Crusaders under the guidance of the priests.