Louis Joseph Nicolas André (28 March 1838,

Nuits-Saint-Georges Nuits-Saint-Georges () is a communes of France, commune in the arrondissement of Beaune of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in Eastern France. Wine Nuits-Saint-Georges is ...

Côte-d'Or Côte-d'Or () is a département in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of Northeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 534,124.

Dijon Dijon (, ; ; in Burgundian language (Oïl), Burgundian: ''Digion'') is a city in and the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Côte-d'Or Departments of France, department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Regions of France, region in eas ...

) was

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Minister of War A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

from 1900 until 1904. A

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and fiercely loyal to the Third Republic, he was militantly

anti-Catholic Anti-Catholicism is hostility towards Catholics and opposition to the Catholic Church, its clergy, and its adherents. Scholars have identified four categories of anti-Catholicism: constitutional-national, theological, popular and socio-cul ...

and

anticlerical Anti-clericalism is opposition to religious authority, typically in social or political matters. Historically, anti-clericalism in Christian traditions has been opposed to the influence of Catholicism. Anti-clericalism is related to secularism, ...

. He was the instigator of the Affaire Des Fiches, a scandal in which he received reports from

Masonic Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

groups on which army officers were practicing Catholics for the purpose of denying their promotions. In 1876 Louis André married the opera singer

Marguerite Chapuy Marguerite Chapuy (21 July 1852, Bordeaux – 23 September 1936, Dijon) was a French operatic soprano and the daughter of a former dancer at the Opéra. Her short professional career was concentrated on Paris but included appearances in London; ...

, who had created the role of Micaëla in the premiere run of Bizet's ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the O ...

'' in March 1875.

Affair des Fiches

According to Piers Paul Read, "The information, as it came in, was entered on cards or ''fiches''. These would be marked either ''Corinth'' or ''Carthage'' -- the Corinthians being the sheep who should be promoted and the Carthaginians, the goats who should be held back. An officer reported to be 'perfect in all respects; excellent opinions,' would be marked as a Corinthian: another who, 'though a good officer, well reported on, takes no part in politics,' would nonetheless be designated a Carthaginian because he, 'went to Mass with his family,' and sent his six children to Catholic schools. A bachelor officer who went to Mass was by definition of a

reactionary In politics, a reactionary is a person who favors a return to a previous state of society which they believe possessed positive characteristics absent from contemporary.''The New Fontana Dictionary of Modern Thought'' Third Edition, (1999) p. 729. ...

disposition. Officers loyal to the republican ideals were encouraged to report the opinions voiced by their colleagues in the mess." In 1904, Jean Bidegain, the assistant Secretary of Grand Orient de France, secretly sold a selection of the ''Fiches'' to Gabriel Syveton of the Ligue de la Patrie Francaise for 40,000 francs. The resulting scandal led directly to the resignation of French Prime Minister Emile Combes.Read (2012), pages 339-340.

Notes

References

* 1838 births 1913 deaths People from Côte-d'Or Catholicism and Freemasonry Politics of France Secularism in France French Freemasons Ministers of war of France Anti-Catholic activists {{France-politician-stub

Affair des Fiches

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