Ravachol
Encyclopedia
François Claudius Koenigstein, known as Ravachol, (1859–1892), was a French
anarchist. He was born 14 October 1859 at Saint-Chamond
(Loire) and died guillotine
d 11 July 1892 at Montbrison.
at society balls on Sundays at Saint-Étienne
.
On 1 May 1891, at Fourmies, a workers demonstration took place for the eight hour day, confrontations with the police followed. The Police
opened fire on the crowd, resulting in nine deaths (including women and children) amongst the demonstrators. The same day, at Clichy
, serious incidents erupted in a procession in which anarchists were taking part and three were arrested and taken to the commissariat of police. At the commissariat, they were interrogated (and brutalised with beatings and injuries). A trial (the Clichy Affair) ensued, in which two of the three anarchists were sentenced to prison terms (despite the questionable situation).
These events, but also the ongoing repression of the communards, which had continued from the time of the insurrection of the Paris Commune
of 1871, revolted Ravachol, and led him to acts of terrorism
. He placed bombs in the living quarters of the Advocate General, Bulot (executive of the Public Ministry), the councillor Benoit who presided over the Assises Court during the Clichy Affair. Informed on by a restaurant employee called Lhérot, Ravachol was captured. In reprisal, the restaurant where Lhérot worked was bombed the day before Ravachol's trial.
Arrested on 30 March 1892 for his bombings at the Restaurant Véry (24, boulevard de Magenta
, Paris
Xth
), his trial at the Assises Court
of Seine took place on 26 April and he was condemned to prison for life. On 23 June, Ravachol was condemned to death in a second trial at the Assises Court
of Loire
for three killings, though his participation in two of them remains very doubtful (that of the murder, admitted by Ravachol, of the hermit of Montbrison was claimed to be the result of the poverty in which he lived). On 11 July 1892, Ravachol was publicly guillotined.
On 9 December 1893, Auguste Vaillant
threw a bomb into the French Chamber of Deputies
to avenge Ravachol (however the explosion merely injured one deputy).
Fans of Tintin
in the original French will note that Ravachol is used a number of times as an insult by Captain Haddock
.
Ravachol is also a minor character in Frank Chadwick's role playing game Space: 1889
.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
anarchist. He was born 14 October 1859 at Saint-Chamond
Saint-Chamond
Saint-Chamond is a commune in the Loire department in the Rhône-Alpes region in central France.-Overview:It is situated 13 km east of the city of Saint-Étienne and approximately 45 km southwest of Lyon...
(Loire) and died guillotine
Guillotine
The guillotine is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body...
d 11 July 1892 at Montbrison.
Biography
Son of a Dutch father (Jean Adam Koenigstein) and a French mother (Marie Ravachol), he adopted his mother's maiden name after the father abandoned the family when he was only 8 years old. From that time on he had to support his mother, his sister, his brother and looked after his nephew. He eventually found work as a dyer's assistant, a job which he later lost. He was very poor throughout his life. For additional income he played accordionAccordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
at society balls on Sundays at Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
.
The bombings
He was the perpetrator of three dynamite attacks against representatives of the judiciary.On 1 May 1891, at Fourmies, a workers demonstration took place for the eight hour day, confrontations with the police followed. The Police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
opened fire on the crowd, resulting in nine deaths (including women and children) amongst the demonstrators. The same day, at Clichy
Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine
-Administration:The canton covers a part of the commune; the other is in the northern part of Levallois-Perret-Twinnings: Heidenheim, Germany, since 1959 Sankt Pölten, Austria, since 1968 Santo Tirso, Portugal, since 1991 Rubí, Spain, since 2005 Southwark, United Kingdom, since 2005Clichy has also...
, serious incidents erupted in a procession in which anarchists were taking part and three were arrested and taken to the commissariat of police. At the commissariat, they were interrogated (and brutalised with beatings and injuries). A trial (the Clichy Affair) ensued, in which two of the three anarchists were sentenced to prison terms (despite the questionable situation).
These events, but also the ongoing repression of the communards, which had continued from the time of the insurrection of the Paris Commune
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
of 1871, revolted Ravachol, and led him to acts of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. He placed bombs in the living quarters of the Advocate General, Bulot (executive of the Public Ministry), the councillor Benoit who presided over the Assises Court during the Clichy Affair. Informed on by a restaurant employee called Lhérot, Ravachol was captured. In reprisal, the restaurant where Lhérot worked was bombed the day before Ravachol's trial.
Arrested on 30 March 1892 for his bombings at the Restaurant Véry (24, boulevard de Magenta
Boulevard de Magenta
The boulevard de Magenta is located in the IX and X arrondissements of Paris, in France.It begins at place de la République and 1, rue Beaurepaire, and ends at 1, boulevard de Rochechouart and 53, boulevard de la Chapelle.-Etymology:...
, Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Xth
Xe arrondissement
The 10th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France.Situated on the right bank of the River Seine, the arrondissement contains two of Paris's six main railway stations: the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l'Est...
), his trial at the Assises Court
Cour d'assises
A French cour d'assises or Assize Court is a criminal trial court with original and appellate limited jurisdiction to hear cases involving defendants accused of major felonies or indictable offences, or crimes in French, and one of the few to be decided by jury trialUnder French law, a crime is any...
of Seine took place on 26 April and he was condemned to prison for life. On 23 June, Ravachol was condemned to death in a second trial at the Assises Court
Cour d'assises
A French cour d'assises or Assize Court is a criminal trial court with original and appellate limited jurisdiction to hear cases involving defendants accused of major felonies or indictable offences, or crimes in French, and one of the few to be decided by jury trialUnder French law, a crime is any...
of Loire
Loire
Loire is an administrative department in the east-central part of France occupying the River Loire's upper reaches.-History:Loire was created in 1793 when after just 3½ years the young Rhône-et-Loire department was split into two. This was a response to counter-Revolutionary activities in Lyon...
for three killings, though his participation in two of them remains very doubtful (that of the murder, admitted by Ravachol, of the hermit of Montbrison was claimed to be the result of the poverty in which he lived). On 11 July 1892, Ravachol was publicly guillotined.
On 9 December 1893, Auguste Vaillant
Auguste Vaillant
Auguste Vaillant was a French anarchist, most famous for his bomb attack on the French Chamber of Deputies on 9 December 1893. The government's reaction to this attack was the passing of the infamous repressive Lois scélérates.He threw the home-made device from the public gallery and was...
threw a bomb into the French Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of France
Chamber of Deputies was the name given to several parliamentary bodies in France in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries:* 1814–1848 during the Bourbon Restoration and the July Monarchy, the Chamber of Deputies was the Lower chamber of the French Parliament, elected by census suffrage.*...
to avenge Ravachol (however the explosion merely injured one deputy).
The myth of Ravachol
Ravachol became a somewhat romanticised symbol of desperate revolt and a number of French songs were composed in his honour, such as la Ravachole, to the tune of la Carmagnole.Fans of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
in the original French will note that Ravachol is used a number of times as an insult by Captain Haddock
Captain Haddock
Captain Archibald Haddock is a fictional character in The Adventures of Tintin, the series of classic Belgian comic books written and illustrated by Hergé...
.
Ravachol is also a minor character in Frank Chadwick's role playing game Space: 1889
Space: 1889
Space: 1889 is a role-playing game of Victorian-era space-faring,created by Frank Chadwick and originally published by Game Designers' Workshop from 1988 to 1991 and later reprinted by Heliograph, Inc...
.
External links
- Ravachol Reference Archive
- "Ravachol", by Octave MirbeauOctave MirbeauOctave Mirbeau was a French journalist, art critic, travel writer, pamphleteer, novelist, and playwright, who achieved celebrity in Europe and great success among the public, while still appealing to the literary and artistic avant-garde...
.