Thomas-Alexandre Dumas
Encyclopedia
Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie, (1762–1806) was a hero of the French Revolution and General in Napoleon's army. He is better known as Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, General of the French Revolution
and the father of author Alexandre Dumas, père
, and grandfather of author Alexandre Dumas, fils
. He was nicknamed the "Schwarze Teufel" ("Black Devil", "Diable Noir" in French) by the Austrians after his personal bravery prevented their retreat across the Adige
on 19 January 1797.
, Saint-Domingue
(today Haiti
), Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie was the son of a French nobleman, the Marquis
Alexandre-Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie (20 June 1714, Belleville-en-Caux
–15 June 1786, Belleville-en-Caux), and Marie-Césette Dumas, who was of Afro-Caribbean descent. His father served the government of France as Général commissaire in the Artillery in the colony of Saint-Domingue
, and his mother Marie-Césette managed a farm (her name "Dumas", derives from "du Mas" which means "of the farm"); she died there of dysentery
when her son was 12. Thomas-Alexandre had three sisters: Adelphe, Jeannette and Marie-Rose. At age 18, his father took him back to France and gave him the education of a young nobleman of the time. His father was the son of Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie (1674–1758) and his wife, Jeanne-Françoise Pautre de Dominion.
In August of 1789, his regiment was sent to Villers-Cotterêts
to secure the region. While staying at an inn, he met the daughter of the innkeeper and his future wife, Marie-Louise Elisabeth Labouret. He first served under General Dumouriez in the Army of the North. When he reached the rank of colonel in 1792 he married Marie-Louise. During the French Revolution, Dumas distinguished himself as a capable and daring soldier and became a General by the age of 31. As a General, he fought in the Revolt in the Vendée
(1793–1796), the Italian Campaign (1796–1797), and the Egyptian Campaign (1798–1800).
Dumas, however was very critical of Napoleon and it nearly came to mutiny. While Napoleon was preparing his Syrian campaign, Dumas told him that he was very ill because of the climate. Napoleon is stated to have said: "I can easily replace him with a brigadier", and let him go.
Returning to France, storms forced his ship into Taranto
, where he was imprisoned by Ferdinand, King of the Two Sicilies
, then at war with France. Thomas-Alexandre was kept starved and incommunicado for two years. Constant attempts were made to poison him with arsenic, and by the time of his release, he was partially paralysed, almost blind in one eye, deaf in one ear, his exceptional physique broken. During his imprisonment no attempt was made by France to ransom him, nor was he awarded the customary pension.
, on 26 February 1806 in Villers-Cotterêts
, France. At his death his son, the future author Alexandre Dumas, père
, was three years and seven months old and the family was plunged into poverty.
for the 100th anniversary of his death. It was removed by the Germans
just before Hitler's visit to occupied Paris and has never been restored. In 2009, a sculpture by Driss Sans-Arcidet was erected in Paris
, Place du Général Catroux. It represented broken slave handcuffs and was unveiled on April the 4th, 2009. In the Nouvelle Revue d'Histoire, No. 42 (May–June 2009) Jean-Joël Brégeron pointed out that this statue was not particularly appropriate—the General had never been a slave. On April the 15th, the writer Claude Ribbe
put a petition to set up on the internet to ask Nicolas Sarkozy
for giving General Dumas the Légion d'honneur
. His name is also inscribed on the south wall of the Arc de Triomphe
.
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...
and the father of author Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
, and grandfather of author Alexandre Dumas, fils
Alexandre Dumas, fils
Alexandre Dumas, fils was a French author and dramatist. He was the son of Alexandre Dumas, père, also a writer and playwright.-Biography:...
. He was nicknamed the "Schwarze Teufel" ("Black Devil", "Diable Noir" in French) by the Austrians after his personal bravery prevented their retreat across the Adige
Adige
The Adige is a river with its source in the Alpine province of South Tyrol near the Italian border with Austria and Switzerland. At in length, it is the second longest river in Italy, after the River Po with ....
on 19 January 1797.
Early life
Born 25 March 1762 in JérémieJérémie
Jérémie is the capital city of the department of Grand'Anse, in Haiti, with a population of about 31,000 . It is almost isolated from the rest of the country...
, Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
(today Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
), Thomas-Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie was the son of a French nobleman, the Marquis
Marquess
A marquess or marquis is a nobleman of hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The term is also used to translate equivalent oriental styles, as in imperial China, Japan, and Vietnam...
Alexandre-Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie (20 June 1714, Belleville-en-Caux
Belleville-en-Caux
Belleville-en-Caux is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A village of farming and light industry situated by the banks of the river Saâne in the Pays de Caux, some south of Dieppe, at the junction of the D203 and the D25...
–15 June 1786, Belleville-en-Caux), and Marie-Césette Dumas, who was of Afro-Caribbean descent. His father served the government of France as Général commissaire in the Artillery in the colony of Saint-Domingue
Saint-Domingue
The labour for these plantations was provided by an estimated 790,000 African slaves . Between 1764 and 1771, the average annual importation of slaves varied between 10,000-15,000; by 1786 it was about 28,000, and from 1787 onward, the colony received more than 40,000 slaves a year...
, and his mother Marie-Césette managed a farm (her name "Dumas", derives from "du Mas" which means "of the farm"); she died there of dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
when her son was 12. Thomas-Alexandre had three sisters: Adelphe, Jeannette and Marie-Rose. At age 18, his father took him back to France and gave him the education of a young nobleman of the time. His father was the son of Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie (1674–1758) and his wife, Jeanne-Françoise Pautre de Dominion.
Career
As Dumas grew into manhood he moved to Paris, enjoying life with the financial support of his father. But soon after the senior Davy married his second wife, he suspended the payments to his son. Without any income, Thomas-Alexandre decided to join the French Army in 1786. At the request of his father, he enlisted under his mother's name Marie Dumas, in order to preserve the family's reputation. During the French Revolution, Dumas became a devout republican serving in an all-black unit known as "La Légion Américaine." This dedication helped him catapult from the rank of corporal to that of General of a division in less than two years.In August of 1789, his regiment was sent to Villers-Cotterêts
Villers-Cotterêts
Villers-Cotterêts is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Geography:It is located NE of Paris via the RN2 facing Laon...
to secure the region. While staying at an inn, he met the daughter of the innkeeper and his future wife, Marie-Louise Elisabeth Labouret. He first served under General Dumouriez in the Army of the North. When he reached the rank of colonel in 1792 he married Marie-Louise. During the French Revolution, Dumas distinguished himself as a capable and daring soldier and became a General by the age of 31. As a General, he fought in the Revolt in the Vendée
Revolt in the Vendée
The War in the Vendée was a Royalist rebellion and counterrevolution in the Vendée region of France during the French Revolution. The Vendée is a coastal region, located immediately south of the Loire River in western France. The uprising was closely tied to the Chouannerie, which took place in...
(1793–1796), the Italian Campaign (1796–1797), and the Egyptian Campaign (1798–1800).
Dumas, however was very critical of Napoleon and it nearly came to mutiny. While Napoleon was preparing his Syrian campaign, Dumas told him that he was very ill because of the climate. Napoleon is stated to have said: "I can easily replace him with a brigadier", and let him go.
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
, where he was imprisoned by Ferdinand, King of the Two Sicilies
Kingdom of the Two Sicilies
The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, commonly known as the Two Sicilies even before formally coming into being, was the largest and wealthiest of the Italian states before Italian unification...
, then at war with France. Thomas-Alexandre was kept starved and incommunicado for two years. Constant attempts were made to poison him with arsenic, and by the time of his release, he was partially paralysed, almost blind in one eye, deaf in one ear, his exceptional physique broken. During his imprisonment no attempt was made by France to ransom him, nor was he awarded the customary pension.
Death
Dumas died of stomach cancerStomach cancer
Gastric cancer, commonly referred to as stomach cancer, can develop in any part of the stomach and may spread throughout the stomach and to other organs; particularly the esophagus, lungs, lymph nodes, and the liver...
, on 26 February 1806 in Villers-Cotterêts
Villers-Cotterêts
Villers-Cotterêts is a commune in the Aisne department in Picardy in northern France.-Geography:It is located NE of Paris via the RN2 facing Laon...
, France. At his death his son, the future author Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
, was three years and seven months old and the family was plunged into poverty.
Monuments
In February 1906, a statue of General Dumas was erected in ParisParis
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...
for the 100th anniversary of his death. It was removed by the Germans
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
just before Hitler's visit to occupied Paris and has never been restored. In 2009, a sculpture by Driss Sans-Arcidet was erected in 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...
, Place du Général Catroux. It represented broken slave handcuffs and was unveiled on April the 4th, 2009. In the Nouvelle Revue d'Histoire, No. 42 (May–June 2009) Jean-Joël Brégeron pointed out that this statue was not particularly appropriate—the General had never been a slave. On April the 15th, the writer Claude Ribbe
Claude Ribbe
Claude Ribbe is a French writer of Caribbean origin.In his book The Crime of Napoleon, Ribbe claimed that Napoleon's regime used sulfur dioxide gas for mass execution of more than 100,000 rebellious black slaves when trying to put down slave rebellions in Haiti and Guadeloupe, nearly 140 years...
put a petition to set up on the internet to ask Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
for giving General Dumas the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
. His name is also inscribed on the south wall of the Arc de Triomphe
Arc de Triomphe
-The design:The astylar design is by Jean Chalgrin , in the Neoclassical version of ancient Roman architecture . Major academic sculptors of France are represented in the sculpture of the Arc de Triomphe: Jean-Pierre Cortot; François Rude; Antoine Étex; James Pradier and Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire...
.