The bocage vendéen is a territory very marked by the War of Vendée.
The Vendée War began in 1793 when the decree of the Convention announced the mass levy of 300 men. Indeed, it arouses strong hostility in the countryside. With a desire to overthrow the revolution, the peasants of Vendée were soon joined by several local nobles. The war will only end in March 000. During this period, approximately 1796 Vendeans were massacred.
Historic sites during the Vendée War
The Logis de la Chabotterie
La Chabotterie is a Mecca of the War of Vendée : Charette was arrested there in 1796, definitively putting an end to the Vendée resistance. It is a historic place and a preserved natural space to spend a beautiful day of family vacation.
The Gaubretière Military Pantheon
The historical and heritage trail “In the footsteps of the Vendée wars” takes you in the footsteps of the “guys from La Gaubretière” in 1793 – 1794.
All the sites encountered on the route have a link with the Wars of Vendée: the pantheon of the military Vendée, the castle of Landebaudière or the old medieval bell tower.
Story
In Paris, on March 10, 1793, the assembly of the convention had recourse to the authoritarian mass levy of 300.000 men throughout the country. The peasants of the Vendée are largely majority inhabitants, very attached to their regions. These are peasants who have been disappointed by the new power. They refused the government's order for the enrollment of 300.000 men. Thus, there was a deadly riot in Machecoul between state representatives and peasants on March 10. This is where the Vendée War began.
The word Revolution makes us think of military, political or social methods. The period of 1789-1799 evokes a remarkable history for the French. Being an idea inspired by the American Revolution of 1776, this era helped France to modernize.
At the same time, this revolution is associated with civil war and wars of conquest. This particularly for the Vendée which encountered a bloody period. With a desire to overthrow the revolution, the peasants of Vendée were soon joined by several local nobles. This high-intensity war lasted from 1793 to 1796, with a large number of deaths (at least 300.000 people).