Unrest in the French Émigré Army of Condé in the Russian Military Service in 1798 (With Reference to Documents of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts)

Abstract

Between 1797 and 1798, the Prince of Condé’s French Military Corps entered the Russian army and was quartered on the territory of Volyn Region (Ukraine) in the winter of 1798. Later that spring the Prince began to introduce Russian military statutes and rules of military service in his Corps, and reorganized its military units. In response to the Prince’s actions, the French officers of the Corps started expressing discontent and protest, and the soldiers deserted on a massive scale. One of the forms of non-violent protest of the nobility against the new order of military service was personal correspondence that was sent through unofficial channels. Two of the Corps’ junior officers, de Beaumanoir and de Closets, were arrested for their daring correspondence with their relatives and friends in Austria, England and the German states. It was Emperor Paul I that personally decided upon the punishment of the rebellious aristocrats. Initially, both the Frenchmen were pardoned by the Emperor, but after some time they were demoted and exiled to Tobolsk. The article demonstrates that unrest and protest were very common in the Corps of Condé in Russia, as the officers were not prepared for the military service in the country, and were critical of the Russian reality and the military orders under Emperor Paul I. Between April and June, 1798, the military units of the Corps of Prince Condé were on the verge of open disobedience to his commands.