Pierre Guillemot, called ''"the King of Bignan''" was a military leader in Brittany after the

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 ...

. Pierre Guillemot was born on 1 November 1759 at a place called Kerdel, in Bignan, and died on 5 January 1805 in Vannes. As a Chouan military leader who held Republican troops in respect of a large part of Morbihan from year 1794 to 1800. He is the father of Julien Guillemot.

Career

He was at the beginning of the Revolution only a simple farmer from Donnan, hamlet of Plumelec. He was, however, a scholar since he had begun studies in

Vannes Vannes (; br, Gwened) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago. History Celtic Era The name ''Vannes'' comes from the Veneti, a seafaring Celtic people who live ...

, which he had to abandon when his father died to keep the land of Kerdel. Recruited by

Georges Cadoudal Georges Cadoudal ( br, Jorj Kadoudal; 1 January 1771 – 25 June 1804), sometimes called simply Georges, was a Breton politician, and leader of the ''Chouannerie'' during the French Revolution. He was posthumously named a Marshal of France in 1 ...

, he began his career with the occupation of Grand Champ, the felling of the Tree of Liberty, the seizure of the tax office and the release of a refractory priest, Father Leclerc, rector of Saint-Jean-Brévelay. The latter was being forced to

Josselin Josselin (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. History St Meriadek is said to have founded a chapel there during the 4th century. Much later Josselin became a stronghold of the House of Rohan. An ...

by eighty Republicans with about thirty

peasant A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership, especially one living in the Middle Ages under feudalism and paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord. In Europe, three classes of peasant ...

s, Guillemot attacked the escort in the Colledo wood at Guéhenno, puts them to flight and frees the vicar who, wounded in the leg, will die a few days later. Joseph of Boulainvilliers Croÿ who deserted the Morbihan and passed in Ille-et-Vilaine in September with 50 000 books entrusted by Joseph de Puisaye was arrested by the men of Pierre Guillemot. The latter made him judge by an improvised council of war which condemned him to death: Boulainvilliers was shot by the Chouans de Guillemot on 17 January 1795 in the village of Kerhervy in

Saint-Jean-Brévelay Saint-Jean-Brévelay () is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France. Inhabitants of Saint-Jean-Brévelay are called in French ''Brévelais''. Administration The mayor of Saint-Jean-Brévelay is Guénaël Robin. Sa ...

. He showed his great military abilities by dislodging Locminé's blue troops, fighting General Lazare Hoche and trying to prevent General Brune from liberating Vannes in 1799. For his success he was nicknamed the King of Bignan and he became colonel of the Royalist Army and Chief of Legion for the whole department. After an exile in England with Cadoudal, he returned to France and, to liberate Cadoudal, devised a plan which failed. On 13 June 1804 the prefect Jullien was informed by one of his spies that Guillemot had been seen in Plumelec. Hidden from Plaudren, he was arrested soon after. He was tried by a military commission and shot in Vannes on 5 January 1805. There is an association,centre-morbihan-tourisme.bzh
/ref> Pierre Guillemot whose head office is in Bignan and whose purpose is to safeguard the historical memory of the Chouan chief.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guillemot, Pierre Military leaders French military leaders