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TheCatholic and Royal Armies (French:Armées catholiques et royales) is the name given to the royalist armies in western France composed of insurgents during thewar in the Vendée and theChouannerie, who opposed theFrench Revolution.[1]
| Catholic and Royal Army of Vendée | |
|---|---|
 Type of Catholic and Royal Army of Vendée flag | |
| Active | 1793–1800 |
| Country | France Poitou,Anjou,Brittany: Vendée, northernDeux-Sèvres, southernMaine-et-Loire, southernLoire-Atlantique |
| Allegiance |  Kingdom of France |
| Type | Army |
| Role | Ground warfare |
| Size | 80,000 men |
| Mottos | Pour Dieu et le Roi (For God and the King) |
| Colors | White cockade |
| Engagements | War in the Vendée |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | •Jacques Cathelineau •Maurice d'Elbée •Henri de La Rochejaquelein •François de Charette •Jean-Nicolas Stofflet |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol |  |
TheCatholic and Royal Army of Vendée was composed of the three Vendéen armies although that of lowerPoitou joined only occasionally.
During the year 1793, the Vendéen army was distinguished into sub-armies: Thearmy ofCharette in theMarais breton, theCatholic and Royal Army of Anjou and Haut-Poitou, and that ofBas-Poitou and Retz country, south of the Loire. TheChouans of the north of theLoire who joined the Vendéens during theVirée de Galerne were namedCatholic and Royal Army of Bas-Anjou and of Haute-Bretagne.
In reality, those armies were simply groups of fluctuating insurgents led by a chief who had authority over people following his beliefs. The only units with a quasi-permanent existence and organization are the "compagnies de paroisse" which grouped together members of the rural community who elected their captains. Although two-thirds of the insurgents were peasants, they only represented half of the men in these units, the rest being artisans and shopkeepers.
The flaws of this army were its few health services and its lack of permanent fighters, even considering their reinforcements of republican deserters,gabelous,Germans or Swiss. Their weaponry and provisions were also poor. Thecavalry was only composed of noble chiefs, a fewgame wardens andpeasants mounted on farm horses. The artillery was composed only of oldculverin taken from castles and a few cannons taken from the republicans, making it impossible for the Catholic and Royal Army to oppose a strong Republican army on open field, or to break the fortifications of a town like atGranville.
After theBattle of Savenay, the army was reconstructed on paper but its actual existence was insignificant; the insurrection became achouannerie.
The royalist insurgents who take the name of Vendéens, and that the Republicans namedBrigands, originated from fourdepartments, southernMaine-et-Loire, northernVendée, northernDeux-Sèvres, et southernLoire-Atlantique in the provinces ofPoitou,Anjou andBrittany. The insurgent territory took the name ofmilitary Vendée.
The great majority of Vendéen insurgents were peasants, armed withscythes if they did not have rifles, but there were also a great number ofartisans, especially in theMauges region of Anjou.
The mobilisation in the insurgent territories was massive. In Chemillé, the age of the insurgents varied from 11 to 67 years old. The typical age was 25 to 30 years old.
A few women also fought among the Vendéens; the most famous one wasRenée Bordereau. Thearmy ofCharette was known to have a fewamazons in its ranks, includingCéleste Bulkeley.
It was only during theVirée de Galerne that the officers started adopting signs to distinguish themselves from the troops. The generals and officers of the counsel took white scarves worn at the belt with knots of different colors.La Rochejaquelein andDonnissan wore a black knot,Stofflet a red one, andMarigny a blue one. Officers of a lower rank started wearing a white scarf attached to their left arm.
Priests who opposed the revolution did not have a direct role in the war; a few held a seat in the royalist counsels and mainly took care of correspondences.[clarification needed] For a priest to serve as an officer or to physically participate in combat was generally not well considered by Vendéens.
A few regular troops were formed in the army of Vendée, where they served as elite troops.Charles de Bonchamps organized infantry and cavalry units whom he equipped with his own means. These troops were even given uniforms, grey for the infantry, green for the cavalry.
Nonetheless, the Vendéens did not like leaving their homes for too long, so after a few days of combat they would leave the army and go back to their villages. Hence the Vendéens were incapable of keeping conquered towns likeAngers,Saumur,Thouars andFontenay-le-Comte, which were progressively abandoned and retaken by the republicans without difficulty.
To fix this disadvantage, regular troops were recruited among republican deserters and insurgents exterior toVendée, especiallyAngevins from northernMaine-et-Loire andBretons from theLoire-Atlantique. A few futureChouan officers served with these troops, includingGeorges Cadoudal,Pierre-Mathurin Mercier,Scépeaux,Jean Terrien,Joseph-Juste Coquereau andLouis Courtillé.
Regular cen troops also included a high number of foreigners, includingRussians,Germans and many Jews (according to republicanJacques Léonard Laplanche's writings).
Among the foreign soldiers who joined the Vendéens are included the Germans of theRégiment de La Mark [fr] and of theGermanic Legion, as well as a battalion of 600 Swiss and Germans commanded by the baron of Keller, of which some were formerSwiss Guards.
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Other leaders include:Jacques Nicolas Fleuriot de La Fleuriais andCharles Aimé de Royrand.
| Catholic and Royal Army of Brittany | |
|---|---|
 Chouan emblem | |
| Active | 1794–1800 |
| Country | France,Brittany |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of France |
| Branch | •Army of Morbihan •Army of Rennes and Fougères •Army of Maine, Anjou and Haute-Bretagne •Army of the Côtes du Nord |
| Type | Chouan |
| Size | 30,000 to 40,000 men |
| Mottos | In Sapientia Robur, Sic Reflorescent (Strength is in patience, the Lys will flower again) |
| Colors | White cockade |
| Engagements | Chouannerie Quiberon expedition |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | •Joseph de Puisaye •René Augustin de Chalus •Jean de Béhague de Villeneuve •Georges Cadoudal |
| Insignia | |
| Identification symbol | |
From theBreton association ofLa Rouërie, this army was created byJoseph de Puisaye to unify the differentchouans divisions.
On 15 October 1794, Puisaye was namedLieutenant General of thearmy of Brittany by the Count Charles of Artois, future kingCharles X of France.
Following the failure of theQuiberon expedition in July 1795, Puisaye's commandment was questioned, and the army was broken into factions, especially with thearmy of Morbihan commanded byCadoudal who did not recognize the authority of the Lieutenant General. Other factions were thearmy of the Côtes du Nord, and thearmy of Maine, Anjou and of Haute-Bretagne. Puisaye was only recognized by thearmy of Rennes and Fougères, although he still gathered support from the princes.
Finally, Puisaye resigned in 1798. AfterRené Augustin de Chalus commanded for a short while, then the Count of Artois choseMarigny to succeed him but he refused. The commandment went toBéhague who only stayed a few months inBrittany during the year 1798 and headed back to England.
In the end, it wasGeorges Cadoudal, named Major General of Béhague, who led the command of the army. Dead in 1804, Cadoudal was named Marshal of France after his death.
| Catholic and Royal Army of Normandy | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1795–1800 |
| Country | France Normandy andMaine: Orne, southernManche, northernMayenne |
| Allegiance | Kingdom of France |
| Type | Chouan |
| Size | 5,000 to 10,000 men |
| Engagements | Chouannerie |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | •Louis de Frotté |
TheCatholic and Royal Army of Normandy, sometimes simply namedRoyal Army of Normandy because it hosted a fewProtestants in its ranks, was an army of Chouans commanded byLouis de Frotté. In Normandy, its territory was limited to theOrne and southernManche, and inMaine only a few zones in northernMayenne.