The Drownings at Nantes
We do not remember the French Revolution nearly enough. But for some reason the world remembers it fondly. Indeed, "The Revolution" in Europe always refers reverently to the French one, sort of like the American Revolution but without the philosophy, the heroism or the restraint.
During the Reign of Terror, Jean-Baptiste Carrier, a member of the Revolutionary Tribunal, was sent to Nantes to suppress a revolt by anti-revolutionaries. He did.
16th November 1793 is the anniversary of the first Drownings at Nantes. One of the bleakest episodes of the Terror, the drownings were a method of mass execution used to remove those who did not agree with the revolution or were suspected of sympathizing with the royalists. They were also used as a ruthlessly efficient means of executing Catholic priests and nuns and eventually resulted in the loss of approximately 40,000 lives. 40,000! That is almost as many people as Caesar killed at the Siege of Alesia--but , of course, they were fighting back. It is a lot harder to kill that many people if there is no conflict. (If you are interested in an example of some peculiarly grotesque and gratuitous savagery of the time, google "Republican marriages.")
Carrier requested that almost 200 Catholic priests who were being held on the prison barge, La Gloire, be assembled on the dock. Here a customized barge waited for them and 90 of the priests were bound and herded onto the vessel. With the prisoners packed tight and helpless, the craft was piloted out into the Loire where it was scuttled.
We do not remember the French Revolution nearly enough. But for some reason the world remembers it fondly. Indeed, "The Revolution" in Europe always refers reverently to the French one, sort of like the American Revolution but without the philosophy, the heroism or the restraint.
During the Reign of Terror, Jean-Baptiste Carrier, a member of the Revolutionary Tribunal, was sent to Nantes to suppress a revolt by anti-revolutionaries. He did.
16th November 1793 is the anniversary of the first Drownings at Nantes. One of the bleakest episodes of the Terror, the drownings were a method of mass execution used to remove those who did not agree with the revolution or were suspected of sympathizing with the royalists. They were also used as a ruthlessly efficient means of executing Catholic priests and nuns and eventually resulted in the loss of approximately 40,000 lives. 40,000! That is almost as many people as Caesar killed at the Siege of Alesia--but , of course, they were fighting back. It is a lot harder to kill that many people if there is no conflict. (If you are interested in an example of some peculiarly grotesque and gratuitous savagery of the time, google "Republican marriages.")
Carrier requested that almost 200 Catholic priests who were being held on the prison barge, La Gloire, be assembled on the dock. Here a customized barge waited for them and 90 of the priests were bound and herded onto the vessel. With the prisoners packed tight and helpless, the craft was piloted out into the Loire where it was scuttled.
According to the journalist and historian, Louis-Marie Prudhomme, the victims under Carrier amounted to 32,000. He provided a partial breakdown, which is shown in the table below and lists how 10,244 victims were executed:
Method of Execution Number ==Method of Execution Number ==Total By Group
Children Shot 500 Drowned 1,500 2,000
Women Shot 264 Drowned 500 764
Priests Shot 300 Drowned 460 760
Nobles Drowned 1,400 1,400
Artisans Drowned 5,300 5,300
Total 1,064 9,160 10,224
Method of Execution Number ==Method of Execution Number ==Total By Group
Children Shot 500 Drowned 1,500 2,000
Women Shot 264 Drowned 500 764
Priests Shot 300 Drowned 460 760
Nobles Drowned 1,400 1,400
Artisans Drowned 5,300 5,300
Total 1,064 9,160 10,224
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