Massacres of La Glacière
Encyclopedia
The bloody massacres of La Glacière that took place during 16–17 October 1791 in the Tour de la Glacière of the Palais des Papes
at Avignon
, then but recently united to France, were an isolated and early example of violence in the opening phase of the French Revolution
; the massacres are interpreted by French historians not as presaging the September massacres
of 1792 and the Reign of Terror
, but rather as a last episode in the struggle between partisans and advocates of the reunion of the papal enclave of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin
with the state of France.
In this context, with the opening events of the Revolution, the revolutionary Avignonnais had forced a new municipal election, expelled the papal Vice-Legate (12 June 1790) and demanded to be united with France, while the conservative rural population of Carpentras
remained faithful to their papal overlord. The outcome was virtually civil war in the region, with assassinations and mob violence.
In this superheated atmosphere, following circulated reports of miraculous tears on the Madonna of the Cordeliers, a papiste mob lynched
a patriot municipal administrator, Lescuyer, who was suspected without foundation of planning to seize church property. Jean Duprat, a silk merchant elected mayor of Avignon the previous June, was suspected of having participated. Some sixty persons were summarily executed in a tower of the Palais des Papes
, following the lynching. Amnesty for the executioners, as patriots, was debated in Paris, as justice in revolutionary France became more and more politicised.
Mathieu Jouve Jourdan, nicknamed "Jourdan Coupe-Tête", was implicated in these atrocities, eventually traduced to the revolutionary tribunal, condemned to death and guillotined, 8 prairial an II (27 May 1794).
The savage massacres of La Glacière, dramatised in popular engravings, were traumatic in the region and appalled the reading public of the Enlightenment
; they reverberated for a generation: Jules Michelet
devoted two chapters of his massive history of the Revolution to the massacres.
Palais des Papes
The Palais des Papes is a historical palace in Avignon, southern France, one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe....
at Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
, then but recently united to France, were an isolated and early example of violence in the opening phase of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
; the massacres are interpreted by French historians not as presaging the September massacres
September Massacres
The September Massacres were a wave of mob violence which overtook Paris in late summer 1792, during the French Revolution. By the time it had subsided, half the prison population of Paris had been executed: some 1,200 trapped prisoners, including many women and young boys...
of 1792 and the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...
, but rather as a last episode in the struggle between partisans and advocates of the reunion of the papal enclave of Avignon and the Comtat Venaissin
Comtat Venaissin
The Comtat Venaissin, often called the Comtat for short , is the former name of the region around the city of Avignon in what is now the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It comprised roughly the area between the Rhône, the Durance and Mont Ventoux, with a small exclave located to the...
with the state of France.
In this context, with the opening events of the Revolution, the revolutionary Avignonnais had forced a new municipal election, expelled the papal Vice-Legate (12 June 1790) and demanded to be united with France, while the conservative rural population of Carpentras
Carpentras
Carpentras is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It stands on the banks of the Auzon...
remained faithful to their papal overlord. The outcome was virtually civil war in the region, with assassinations and mob violence.
In this superheated atmosphere, following circulated reports of miraculous tears on the Madonna of the Cordeliers, a papiste mob lynched
Lynching
Lynching is an extrajudicial execution carried out by a mob, often by hanging, but also by burning at the stake or shooting, in order to punish an alleged transgressor, or to intimidate, control, or otherwise manipulate a population of people. It is related to other means of social control that...
a patriot municipal administrator, Lescuyer, who was suspected without foundation of planning to seize church property. Jean Duprat, a silk merchant elected mayor of Avignon the previous June, was suspected of having participated. Some sixty persons were summarily executed in a tower of the Palais des Papes
Palais des Papes
The Palais des Papes is a historical palace in Avignon, southern France, one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe....
, following the lynching. Amnesty for the executioners, as patriots, was debated in Paris, as justice in revolutionary France became more and more politicised.
Mathieu Jouve Jourdan, nicknamed "Jourdan Coupe-Tête", was implicated in these atrocities, eventually traduced to the revolutionary tribunal, condemned to death and guillotined, 8 prairial an II (27 May 1794).
The savage massacres of La Glacière, dramatised in popular engravings, were traumatic in the region and appalled the reading public of the Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
; they reverberated for a generation: Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet
Jules Michelet was a French historian. He was born in Paris to a family with Huguenot traditions.-Early life:His father was a master printer, not very prosperous, and Jules assisted him in the actual work of the press...
devoted two chapters of his massive history of the Revolution to the massacres.
Further reading
- Martin, Jean-Clément, Violence et Révolution: Essai sur la naissance d’un mythe national. (Paris: Éditions du Seuil), 2006.
- Moulinas, René, Les massacres de la Glacière: Enquête sur un crime impuni, Avignon 16–17 octobre 1791. (Aix-en-Provence: Edisud), 2003.