Charles-Melchior Artus de Bonchamps, Marquis de Bonchamps (10 May 1760 – 18 October 1793) was a French politician and leader of the Vendéan insurrection of
Royalists
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
.
Born at
Juvardeil
Juvardeil () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
See also
*Communes of the Maine-et-Loire department
The following is a list of the 177 communes of the Maine-et-Loire department of France.
The communes cooperate ...
,
Anjou Anjou may refer to:
Geography and titles France
* County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou
**Count of Anjou, title of nobility
*Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France
**Duk ...
, he gained his first military experience in the American War of Independence, and on his return to France was made a captain of grenadiers in the French royal army. He was a staunch defender of the French monarchy, and at the outbreak of the Revolution, resigned his command and retired to his ''
château
A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions.
Now ...
Bressuire
Bressuire (; la, Berceorium; Poitevin: ''Beurseure'') is a commune in the French department of Deux-Sèvres, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. The town is situated on an eminence overlooking the Dolo, a tributary of the Argenton.
Notable buildin ...
,
Thouars
Thouars () is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in western France. On 1 January 2019, the former communes Mauzé-Thouarsais, Missé and Sainte-Radegonde were merged into Thouars.
It is on the River Thouet. Its inhabitants are known ...
, and of
Fontenay-le-Comte
Fontenay-le-Comte (; Poitevin: ''Funtenaes'' or ''Fintenè'') is a commune and subprefecture in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region of Western France. In 2018, it had a population of 13,302, while its functional area had a po ...
- where he was wounded but recovered. Dissensions among their leaders weakened the insurgents, and at the bloody battle of Cholet (October 1793) the Vendéans sustained a severe defeat and Bonchamps was mortally wounded. He died the next day.
His last act was the pardoning of five thousand Republican prisoners, whom his troops had sworn to kill in revenge for his death. Bonchamps was one of the best tactical leaders of the Vendéans and his death was an important victory for the republican forces. He was admired by the Christian monarchists and revolutionaries alike. A marble statue of him by
Pierre Jean David
Pierre-Jean David (12 March 1788 – 4 January 1856) was a French sculptor, medalist and active freemason.Initiated in ""Le Père de famille"" Lodge in Angers He adopted the name David d'Angers, following his entry into the studio of the painte ...
stands in the church of
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil
Saint-Florent-le-Vieil () is a former commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. On 15 December 2015, it was merged into the new commune Mauges-sur-Loire. The plaster original of the statue is now in the
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux is the fine arts museum of the city of Bordeaux, France. The museum is housed in a dependency of the Palais Rohan in central Bordeaux. Its collections include paintings, sculptures and drawings from the 15t ...