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nesiacha · 21 days ago

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The Mysteries of Marie-Anne Babeuf, Wife of Gracchus Babeuf, and My Theories About Her

I have previously published several articles about this revolutionary woman, and you can find them all here (these sources concern the life of Gracchus Babeuf): https://www.tumblr.com/nesiacha/768437156389715968/in-honor-of-gracchus-babeufs-recent-anniversary. This revolutionary woman, a true political right-hand to Gracchus Babeuf, was known for her strong character, leaving many mysteries surrounding her.

Marie-Anne Victoire Langlet came from a poor family of servants at the castle and was slightly older than her husband. Her father was a hardware merchant. When Gracchus Babeuf met her, he was certain he would marry her and was so in love that he wrote to lawyer Mouret on July 21, 1781: "I advise you not to be too sensitive to the pleasures of your age. Love makes those who experience it pay dearly, and often the moment when one kneels before the altar is the one that determines the fate of an entire life; do not be too angry with the circumstances, but never cease to respect yourself." It was a marriage of love, revolution, and mutual support until the end.

Some historians claim that despite her political effectiveness, her advice, and her knowledge of numbers, she was illiterate and had to have her letters written for her, read by her trusted friends or her son, as she was poor and had no access to education. However, Jean-Marc Schiappa argues that she was not illiterate. According to him, she could read and even write, though her handwriting was erratic, like that of many poor women of the time. Schiappa states that when Gracchus claimed his wife couldn’t read or write, it was in vain, aimed at protecting her during the repression (which would not be enough—she would face governmental repression during Gracchus’s life and even for years after his death, especially under the Napoleonic regime). This hypothesis is interesting, though it does not discredit other theories suggesting that Babeuf's wife was indeed illiterate. There is nothing better than a good debate of solid theories among historians or even researchers.

Jean-Marc Schiappa writes again, like other historians, that she was an effective political advisor to her husband, united with him, loving him, and endowed with a strong character. Virtually no divergence in their difficult struggles, their exchanged letters were full of love, advice, and tenderness. Schiappa explains that she played a more significant role than simply managing her husband’s subscriptions and printing his works. She advised him, showing great cunning, and advised him to be clever when he was imprisoned again during Year III. In January 1795, she protected her husband by telling the police she had not seen him. She would be arrested for two days under the Directory, and her allies René Lebois and René Vatar (the latter would die in exile under the Napoleonic regime, if I understand correctly) protested against this.

She managed clandestine communication under the guise of a mother of a family (she took good care of her children). This shows she was a trusted figure within the Babouvist circle, capable of deceiving the police and displaying initiative and intelligence, according to Jean-Marc Schiappa. There seems to have been a brief moment of tension between the Babeufs, according to Advielle, but this letter is neither signed nor dated, and there’s a stern phrase from Gracchus: "We are no longer tender at all," although this seems to be the only tension during their years of revolutionary struggle. She told her husband she would never abandon him. She even tried to help him escape during his last incarceration to prevent his execution, but this failed (she walked miles to support her husband, pregnant and about to give birth, trying to organize his defense with others, alongside Teresa Poggi, Buonarroti's companion).

One aspect that deepens the mystery of Marie-Anne Babeuf is that no physical description of her exists. In fact, physical descriptions of her were made when she was imprisoned at the La Petite-Force prison during Year IV. However, these documents were destroyed because she was never convicted. One can imagine a similar scenario when she was arrested by the Napoleonic police in 1801 and underwent brutal questioning in 1808. What a shame. I would have liked to know, for example, what her relationship with Albertine Marat, Marat's sister, was like, as she had good relations with Gracchus Babeuf. It is certain they met, as Albertine gave Gracchus a letter to publish against Stanislas Fréron, as you can see here https://www.tumblr.com/nesiacha/767708756031176704/i-am-so-exhausted-that-i-only-now-realize-that-i?source=share . At this time, Marie-Anne Babeuf was in Paris, collaborating faithfully with her husband. I would also have liked to know her relationship with the Duplay family. Perhaps some members of the Duplay family never spoke of her to protect her after all the misfortunes she had suffered and the suffering of her surviving son, Émile (I’m thinking specifically of Elisabeth Le Bas, for example). Perhaps they didn’t get along, despite the common cause and Gracchus becoming a fervent admirer of Robespierre again after having violently criticized him, but I don’t know.

Why did Joseph Fouché target the widow Babeuf?

I will now propose a few theories explaining why Joseph Fouché, Minister of Police, targeted the widow Babeuf twice. It is certain that in 1801, he included her name in the list of Jacobins to arrest, and then he authorized an arrest warrant for her son, Émile Babeuf (Émile escaped arrest because he was working abroad). Marie-Anne Babeuf underwent quite a harsh moral interrogation, and her papers were seized, although they were innocent of the Malet conspiracy, I talk about it in a personal and not very important post https://www.tumblr.com/nesiacha/770322937812336640/one-of-the-creepiest-things-among-the-many.

Theory 1: Opportunistically, Fouché wanted to show Bonaparte that he had no mercy for the Jacobins (after all, Fouché was in a delicate position), especially after the attack on Rue Saint-Nicaise, which I briefly discussed here and here. Bonaparte had not forgotten the Babouvistes, so the widow Babeuf was a logical target. But why attack her and her son again in 1808, even though this episode of the Malet conspiracy exposes Fouché’s limits as Minister of Police, according to Jean Tulard? I don’t know. I think after that it's because Emile had contacted Buonarroti so maybe for a verification. Honestly I think the first hypothesis is the most plausible.

Theory 2: Gracchus Babeuf and Fouché worked together at one point (more precisely, Fouché manipulated Gracchus before Gracchus realized his true nature and showed him the door, as you can see here). It is highly probable, if not nearly certain, that Fouché met Gracchus's wife and saw her political talents, activism, her combative nature in the underground, and her ability to evade the police, since she was always by Gracchus’s side. As a close ally to her husband, she had been involved in underground activities, and Fouché may have suspected her of continuing anti-Napoleonic actions. Furthermore, her associations with neo-Jacobins and opponents like René Vatar and Félix Le Peletier might have fueled Fouché’s suspicion. Perhaps these suspicions were justified, given the strong character of the widow Babeuf. In 1808, he may have wanted to verify this. Fouché was just acting as a "good" Minister of Police to fight the Empire’s opponents (even though again, why target her son? Perhaps as a warning or because he was beginning to want to become a revolutionary activist apart).

Theory 3: The third theory is the one I believe the least but after discussion with friends I decided to put it. We know that Fouché liked to keep all documents concerning him at his disposal, including delicate documents about others, and he liked to destroy traces of himself (including information about his own mother, for which there is no trace). In fact, in his last days, he burned papers containing important correspondence, notably with Condorcet, Robespierre, Collot d'Herbois, and others. We know that Gracchus Babeuf had to produce documents about him, especially when Gracchus considered him an ally. It’s possible that Fouché sought to recover these documents, either directly or indirectly. We also know that in Gracchus Babeuf’s final letter before his execution, he left his defense papers with his wife, recommending that they be passed to their friends. Here’s an excerpt from this letter: "Lebois announced that he would print our defenses separately. It is necessary to give my defense as much publicity as possible. I recommend to my wife, my dear friend, not to give to Baudouin, to Lebois, or to others, any copy of my defense, without having another accurate one kept with her, so as to ensure that this defense is never lost" as you can see here https://www.tumblr.com/nesiacha/765954409563897856/last-letter-of-babeuf-before-his-execution?source=share .

What is the connection? Gracchus Babeuf may have entrusted his wife with other important papers, and Joseph Fouché might have wanted to recover them, either indirectly, or he wanted to verify their contents to see if they concerned him directly. So what to do if Marie-Anne Babeuf surely didn’t want anything to do with him anymore? He could commit a burglary ( Fouché clearly demonstrated that he often acted outside the law in ways that are difficult to understand. I am currently examining the Clément de Ris case more closely through the papers of Clément de Ris to see if the hypothesis of historian Alain Decaux aligns with that of Waresquiel, which highlights the extent to which Fouché could be unscrupulous at times as you all know which is an understatement ). However, Marie-Anne Babeuf would have quickly deduced who it was or would have her suspicions. It is important to say that the Babeufs had important links with François Réal , who had an important role in Bonaparte’s government (François Réal, one of the few with Admiral Truguet, openly protested against Bonaparte when Napoleon ordered the repression of the Jacobins in 1801 during a council). So she might have informed Réal, who would tell Bonaparte, which would have been problematic.So burglary is out of the question . On the other hand, when someone is arrested or interrogated, their house can be searched legally. This is partly why he included Marie-Anne Babeuf's name in the list of Jacobins to be arrested in 1801—to thoroughly search her home and the homes of her friends to try to recover her papers. Perhaps Fouché was not satisfied with what he found in 1801 and took the opportunity to try again and search her home in 1808. Proof is that her papers were confiscated, even though they were returned to her two days later. So, Fouché targeted Marie-Anne Babeuf to verify that she didn’t have any compromising documents about him, or to try to get his hands on any papers Gracchus might have left, which could be important for him.

Theory about Marie-Anne Babeuf's Date of Death

Finally, the date of Marie-Anne Babeuf’s death remains a great mystery, but I will propose a hypothesis. In my opinion, she surely died after her friends and comrades, Félix Le Peletier and Philippe Buonarroti. Indeed, Félix Le Peletier was very close to the Babeufs, almost a family member, a mentor, a protector and it seems hard to believe that there would not have been a written account if he had lost one of his closest friends and a companion in struggle. Buonarroti, despite his suspicions about Émile’s Bonapartist leanings, also likely would have mentioned Marie-Anne’s passing, as she had been his ally.

One source says she was alive in 1842, according to Advielle, quoted by Dommanget and Legrand, because she supposedly signed as the widow Babeuf. However, given her spelling issues, it is likely that it was actually Émile Babeuf's wife (Émile passed away in 1842). Personally, I believe Marie-Anne Babeuf died between 1841 and 1842, because otherwise, I think Albertine Marat would have mentioned her death, since Marat's sister died in 1841. I say this because it would have been horrible for her to lose two daughters (one died from a scalding accident, the other from malnutrition under the Directory) and later two sons (Camille in 1814 by suicide at the time of the Allies' entry into Paris—some say from depression, others say from "patriotism", and Caius Babeuf, who died at 17 in the defense of Paris in 1814). It would have been so painful if she had also lost the last son she had left after everything she had suffered.

My theory is that she died between 1841 and 1842.

Émile Babeuf's Lie about His Mother's Origins

Émile Babeuf lied about his mother’s origins, claiming she was not a maid: "It is false that my mother was a maid," and that she was, according to him, "the friend of a noblewoman who had taken her out of the convent." Why did Émile Babeuf lie? To protect his mother from persecution by inventing more important origins to try to deter their enemies from attacking them? Or was it to protect himself, given his activism (he joined Bonaparte’s Hundred Days and was involved in opposition to the Bourbons) and the subsequent persecution he faced under the Restoration? Or did he simply want to glorify his parents?

A Final Word from Jean-Marc Schiappa:

"Like Hecuba, the Queen of Troy, she had the misfortune of seeing almost all of her children (including two young daughters) die. There was a Greek tragedy in her fate. Always poor, always suffering, always unknown, always a victim, but always present, and always faithful... An admirable woman, she deserves much more than these few lines, but history has left us with few elements to better describe her. How can we not regret her?"

But in my view, she was far more than faithful—she was a fighter, just like her husband. Just as Camille Desmoulins would not have been as effective without Lucile Desmoulins, Antoine-François Momoro without Sophie Momoro, the Marquis de Condorcet without Sophie de Grouchy, Philippe Le Bas without Elisabeth, Jean-Paul Marat without Albertine Marat, his partner Simone Evrard, and her sister Catherine, Gracchus Babeuf would not have made it as far without his faithful political right-hand, Marie-Anne Babeuf, who never ceased to fight, surely even after Gracchus’s death.

#frev #french revolution #napoleonic era #babeuf #marie anne babeuf #joseph fouché #albertine marat #napoleon bonaparte #1800s #history #france #theories #felix lepeletier #buonarroti #women's history #women in revolution

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