massacre massacre events war revolt mass conscription civil constitution clergy massacre took place march provincial city district lower city thriving center grain trade victims administrators merchants citizens city massacre followed viewed variously royalist revolt counter revolution century historians generally agree revolt complicated popular event brought anti revolution mass conscription geographic area south resistance recruitment particularly intense area resented intrusion partisans republic called blue coats brought new ideas district judicial organization required reorganization parishes called priests taken civil oath consequently combination conscription organization parishes led list response incredibly violent sides background representatives mission informed condition news quickly followed exposure royalist plot organized social unrest combined external pressures civil constitution clergy introduction levy france decreed february region erupted civil constitution clergy required swear allegiance extension increasingly anti clerical seven french bishops refused oath half parish priests persecution clergy faithful trigger rebellion refused oath called non priests exiled imprisoned women way mass beaten streets religious orders suppressed church property confiscated march churches ordered closed soldiers confiscated vessels people forbidden place crosses graves nearly church land peasants benefited sales add insult february convention required raising additional troops provinces act enraged populace took arms instead term royal added later army fought foremost reopening parish churches priests march word conscription requirements filtered countryside refused satisfy decree issued february weeks rebel forces formed substantial ill equipped army supported thousand irregular cavalry captured artillery pieces insurgents operated smaller scale guerrilla tactics supported local knowledge good people massacre irregular army raised countryside reached officials conscription officers monday march crowd arrived center town surrounding countryside started chant surrounded republic conscription officers town nervous soldier opened fire enraged crowd soldiers killed including lieutenant immediate victims included priest death body mutilated magistrate principal college national_guard routed rebels including women seized called patriots called blues people supported republican cause led prison old castle convent killed notable inhabitants total according testimony killed day day witness gave count dead situation control following days insurgents thousand men women republican adherents families fled strongholds march counter revolutionary suspects rounded republicans inflicted non priests death heads body parts shown city week later insurgents seized neighboring harbor town approximately miles northwest march time joined irregular army forming sacked republican patrol surprised liberated killed angry peasants returned killed dozen prisoners march total died battle survivors returned pulled detained blue coats prisoner shot process lasted weeks mid april tales brutality true numbers killed escalated current research suggests executed town overall contemporary republican reports figure despite insurgents blue coats parish saved request neighborhoods cleared established monitor executions overseen local lawyer judge profession directed execution approximately republican officials adherents april shot buried field outside city contemporary reports influential contemporary reports came published pamphlets later year claimed surviving arrived exits city thousand peasants women children armed guns knives shouted running streets peace peace account continues descended confronted detachment national guard come enforce levy police defended town farmer merchant deputy convention tried attackers heard din republican troops officials scattered threatening crowd according eye witness officers remained posts time according national tried escape alley ambushed peasants pursued finally brought crowd feet deputy crowd pulled horse killed stroke wrote sensational account fact safety taken rescued republican forces admitted spent weeks safety hiding peasants account terror lost fact seen little peasants town sounded wrote exploded surrounding fields short time entire affair wholesale massacre republican troops constitutional priest known radical involved municipal administration prisoners hands tied backs linked rope passed called dragged fields forced dig graves patriots supported revolution hunted trees patriot women raped cut placed count dead view paris clubs convention streets paris viewed insurrection revolution meant france divided france varied path set revolutionary government dangerous success revolution idea action thought ran counter revolutionary ideology worse royalist sentiment historians debate french revolution reaches days revolution called time revolution matter labeled anti revolutionary called anti revolutionary meant facto royalist convenient epithet called alienated principal radical goal revolution create single unified notion possibility department departments establish set conditions government labeled anti revolutionary moderate radical meant revolution violation civic body loss dreams peasants want fight revolution preferred priests dead king liberty revolution consequently severed benefits vision revolutionary goals implied plain brutal truth convert heads deputy complained simple matter putting sword written description event published pamphlet november representative mission sent thousand copies convention departments served basis official report presented convention aftermath levy riots france departments started draft men army response levy decree reaction northwest march particularly pronounced large scale rioting insurrection early april areas north order restored revolutionary government south river departments known troops control rebels started rioting quickly took form insurrection led priests local nobility evidence links events local dissatisfaction reorganization church government entity unrest began half way lent easter year occurred march significantly initial violence directed local priest revolution republican government paris taking essentially puppet republicans paris eyes insurgents violence followed called singular pattern logic targeted revolution function status national_guard lieutenant prominent deputy constitutional priest local district administrator left apparently known anti republican sentiments actually threw lot insurgents died later spring pastor non priest refused celebrate liberated church constitutional priest instead said mass outside makeshift altar class differences great paris french provinces rural local nobility permanently residence resented parts france noted french nobles lived cities survey showed areas lived peasants consequently conflicts drove revolution paris example particularly isolated france strong adherence populace catholic faith
First Massacre of Machecoul