Nicolas Chauvin is a legendary, possibly unhistorical French France (pronounced /ˈfrænts/ frantss or /ˈfrɑːnts/ frahnts; French pronunciation (help·info): [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française, pronounced: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a state in Western Europe with several of its overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, soldier A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary. In most languages, "soldier" includes commissioned and non-commissioned officers in national land forces and patriot Patriotism is love and devotion to one's country or homeland. Patriotism, however, has had different meanings over time, and its meaning is highly dependent upon context, geography, and philosophy who is supposed to have served in the First Army of the French Republic France (pronounced /ˈfræns/ or /ˈfrɑːns/; French pronunciation (help·info): [fʁɑ̃s]), officially the French Republic (French: République française, pronounced: [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a member state of the European Union located in its western region, with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents. France and subsequently in La Grande Armée of Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte , was a military and political leader of France and Emperor of the French as Napoleon I, whose actions shaped European politics in the early 19th century. His name is the eponym of chauvinism Chauvinism, , in its original and primary meaning, is an exaggerated, bellicose patriotism and a blind belief in national superiority and glory. By extension it has come to include an extreme and unreasoning partisanship on behalf of any group to which one belongs, especially when the partisanship includes malice and hatred towards a rival group, a term for excessive nationalistic fervor.
According to the stories that developed about him, Chauvin was born in Rochefort Rochefort is a commune in southwestern France, a seaport on the Atlantic Ocean. It is a sub-prefecture of the Charente-Maritime département, around 1780. He enlisted at age 18, and served honorably and well. He is said to have been wounded 17 times in his nation's service, resulting in his severe disfigurement and maiming. For his loyalty and dedication, Napoleon himself presented the soldier with a Sabre of Honor and a pension of 200 francs The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra (which had no national currency with legal tender). Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money. It was re-introduced (in decimal form).[citation needed]
Chauvin's distinguished record of service and his love and devotion for Napoleon, which endured despite the price he willingly paid for them, is said to have earned him only ridicule and derision in Restoration France, when Bonapartism In French political history, Bonapartism has two meanings. In a strict sense, this term refers to people who aimed to restore the French Empire under the House of Bonaparte, the Corsican family of Napoleon Bonaparte and his nephew Louis (Napoleon III of France). In a wider sense, it refers to a broad centrist or center-right political movement became increasingly unpopular.
Historicity
Historical research has not identified any biographical details of a real Nicolas Chauvin, leading to the claim that he may have been a wholly fictional figure. Researcher Gerard Puymège concludes that "Nicolas Chauvin did not exist. It is a legend, which crystallized under the Restoration The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the restored Bourbon Kingdom of France which existed from 1814 until the July Revolution of 1830, with the interval of the "Hundred Days" from Napoleon Bonaparte's return from Elba to the Battle of Waterloo in 1814–15. The regime was a constitutional monarchy, unlike the ancien régime, and July Monarchy The July Monarchy , officially the Kingdom of the French (French: Royaume des Français), was a period of liberal constitutional monarchy in France under King Louis-Philippe starting with the July Revolution (or Three Glorious Days) of 1830 and ending with the Revolution of 1848. It began with the overthrow of the conservative government of, from the pen of songwriters, vaudeville and historians.". He argues that the figure of Chauvin continues the long tradition of the mythological farmer-soldier from ancient times in Greek mythology [1]
Many writers and historians falsely attribute to Chauvin the exploits of other Bonapartists. It is claimed that he served in the Old Guard at Waterloo Coordinates: 50°40′45″N 4°24′25″E / 50.67917°N 4.40694°E The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium. An Imperial French army under the command of Emperor Napoleon was defeated by combined armies of the Seventh Coalition, an Anglo-Allied army under the command of the Duke of, which is unlikely considering his age and the severity of his disabilities. When the Old Guard was surrounded and made its last stand at La Belle Alliance, he supposedly shouted in defiance to a call for their honorable surrender: "The Old Guard dies but does not surrender!", implying blind and unquestioned zealous Zealotry was originally a political movement in first century Judaism which sought to incite the people of Iudaea Province to rebel against the Roman Empire and expel it from the holy land by force of arms, most notably during the Great Jewish Revolt . Zealotry was described by Josephus as one of the "four sects" at this time devotion to one's country [or other group of reference]. This apocryphal phrase was in fact attributed to the Old Guard's commander, Pierre Cambronne who later asserted that his actual reply was "Merde!" ("Shit!").[2]
References
- ^ de Puymège, Gérard (1997). Pierre Nora. ed. Realms of Memory. Columbia University Press. pp. 337. ISBN 0231106343. http://books.google.com/books?id=_Va9svbIgLwC.
- ^ Boller, Jr., Paul F.; George, John (1989). They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions. New York: Oxford University Press Oxford University Press is the largest university press in the world. It is a department of the University of Oxford and is governed by a group of 15 academics appointed by the Vice-Chancellor known as the Delegates of the Press. They are headed by the Secretary to the Delegates, who serves as OUP's chief executive and as its major representative. ISBN 0-19-505541-1.
- Gérard de PUYMÈGE, Chauvin, le soldat-laboureur. Contribution à l'étude des nationalismes, Paris, Gallimard, 1993.
Categories: French military personnel of the Napoleonic Wars
