“Alpine Vendée”. Transformation of the Popular Protest in Savoy, 1793

Abstract

The author examines the course, forms and causes of the defeat of the anti-republican uprisings in the lands of the former Duchy of Savoy, annexed to France during the Revolution of the eighteenth century. The aim of the study is to analyse the transformation of popular protest in Savoy over the course of 1793. The events of January–October 1793 are considered in this article in the light of the concept of the “popular counter-revolution”. The annexation of the Savoy to France was strongly supported by its population, but immediately after the introduction of the civil system of the clergy and the circulation of banknotes, the social situation in the region came to a head. The decree of the French National Convention on mass conscription into the republican army also contributed to the social upheaval. The protest had its own characteristics and evolved from a traditional form of rebellion to a local civil war, in which a simple political programme of the rebels also emerged. However, the peasants were unprepared to participate in hostilities, had no military experience, and the forces and resources of the Sardinian army were limited. Realising that the plan to return Savoy under the rule of the king by the end of September 1793 was unworkable, the troops had to return to Piedmont. The restoration of the Republican rule over the rebellious department marked the beginning of a policy of revolutionary terror in Savoy.