Ninety-three

Ninety-Three (Quatrevingt-treize) is the last novel by the French writer Victor Hugo. Published in 1874, three years after the bloody upheaval of the Paris Commune that resulted out of popular reaction to Napoleon III's failure to win the Franco-Prussian War, the novel concerns the Revolt in the Vendée and Chouannerie – the counter-revolutionary uprisings in 1793 during the French Revolution. It is divided into three parts, but not chronologically; each part tells a different story, offering a different view of historical general events. The action mainly takes place in Brittany and in Paris. Plot The year is 1793. In the former Duchy of Brittany during the Royalist insurrection of the Chouannerie, a troop of "Blues" (soldiers of the French Revolutionary Army) encounter in the bocage Michelle Fléchard, a peasant woman, and her three young children, who are fleeing from the conflict. She explains that her husband and parents have been killed in the peasant revolt that started the insurrection. The troop's commander, Sergeant Radoub, convinces them to look after the family. Meanwhile, at sea, a group of "Whites" (Royalist emigres) are preparing to land the Marquis de Lantenac (a thinly fictionalized combination of real Chouannerie leaders Charles Armand Tuffin, marquis de la Rouërie and Vincent de Tinténiac), a Breton aristocrat and former officer in the French Royal Army whose command experience could transform the fortunes of the rebellion. While at sea, a sailor fails to properly secure his cannon, which rolls out of control and damages the ship. When the same sailor risks his life to secure the cannon and save their ship, Lantenac awards the man a medal for his bravery and then executes him (without trial) for failing in his duty. Their corvette is spotted by ships of the Republic. Lantenac slips away in a boat with one supporter, Halmalo the brother of the executed sailor. The corvette distracts the Republican ships by provoking a naval battle the damaged ship cannot win. The corvette is destroyed, but Lantenac lands safely in Brittany and sends Halmalo ahead as a messenger. Lantenac is hunted by the Blues, but is protected by a local beggar, to whom he gave alms in the past. He meets up with his supporters, and they immediately launch an attack on the Blues. Part of the troop with the family is captured. Lantenac orders them all to be shot, including Michelle. He takes the children with him as hostages.