General Lamarque:
learning Les
Misérables History
By Aspen Larkin
Life of Lamarque
• Born: July 22, 1770
• Place of Birth: Saint-Sever, Landes, France
• Died: June 1, 1832
• Cause of Death: Illness
• Place of Death: Paris, France
Life of Lamarque
continued
• Lamarque was a member of a powerful and
influential family. Lamarque's father was
elected a member of the Third Estate to the
Estates General of 1789. He was involved in
early revolutionary and anti-clerical activity.
• In 1793 he took part in the infamous
"colonne infernale" led by Théophile Corret
de la Tour d'Auvergne. In July 1794 he
successfully took Hondarribia with a small
force. In 1800 he was promoted to the rank
of brigadier general.
Who was General Lamarque?
• Lamarque served in the Napoleonic army as a major general. He fought at
the Battle of Austerlitz and the siege of Gaeta. In 1810, he was created a
baron of the French Empire. During the Hundred Days he commanded a
division of ten thousand men against a Royalist uprising in La Vendée.
Lamarque defeated the rebellion, but his victory was nullified by
Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo.
• Lamarque went into exile after Waterloo but returned to France in 1818.
He was elected to the French Chamber of Deputies in 1828. He fought in
the suppression of Legitimist risings against the July Monarchy of LouisPhilippe. Lamarque's defense of constitutional liberties in Poland and Italy
was very popular in France. He advocated French support for the rebels in
Poland.
Lamarque’s funeral
• On the morning of June 5, 1832, a crowd
started to gather in the streets. They were
mourning General Lamarque’s death. General
Lamarque had been a military leader in
Napoleons army and earned the respect of
the people by turning against the Orleans
Monarchy.
• This caused many people to gather and
protest, rebels about 500-1000 people fought
on the barricades
How he became Champion of the poor?
• After Louis Philippe took power as king, Lamarque continued to
sit on the left and he supported reuniting Belgium with France,
and the reconstitution of Poland as a nation. He also became
known as one of Louis Philippe's chief political opponents. In
1831 Lamarque was rewarded with the Grand Cross of the
Legion of Honor and due to his outspoken politics he became
known as a defender of the people.
• Hugo views Lamarque as the government's champion of the
poor. Hugo says that Lamarque was "loved by the people
because he accepted the chances the future offered, loved by
the mob because he served the emperor well". Hugo portrays
Lamarque as a symbol of French pride and honour.
Les Misérables inspiration
• The June Rebellion, also known as the Paris
Uprising of 1832, took place between June
5-6, 1832. Anti-monarchist republicans
began the uprising attempting to turn back
the 1830 July Monarchy. During the public
funeral of General Jean Maximilien
Lamarque on June 5, the rebellion began.
Barricades surrounding the rue Saint-Martin
and rue Saint-Danis were built. This event
inspired Victor Hugo, for his 1862 novel Les
Misérables.
General Lamarque in
Les Misérables
• However, he soon became a leading critic
of the new constitutional monarchy of
Louis Philippe, arguing that it failed to
support human rights and political liberty.
He also advocated French support for
independence struggles in Poland and
Italy. In the musical Gavroche and Enjolras
briefly talk about his influence over the
people.
June Rebellion
• The rioting (on 5–6 June) was provoked by both Bonapartists
and republicans and led to an attempted insurrection known as
the June Rebellion. It was suppressed by the Army and National
Guard; an estimated 800 were killed or wounded during the
conflict.
Sources
• https://lesmiserables.fandom.com/wiki/Jean_Maximilien_Lamarque
• https://www.frenchempire.net/biographies/lamarque/
• https://sites.google.com/site/thejunerebellionof1832/subtopic-2
• https://historythings.com/victor-hugos-inspiration-les-miserablesjune-rebellion-1832/