What is chouans french revolution?

The Chouans were a royalist and Catholic insurgency group that rebelled against the French Revolution's radical reforms and defended the traditional values and monarchy. They were named after their call, "chouan" (the owl's cry), which served as a password to recognize each other during their covert operations.

The Chouans were mainly active in the western regions of France, such as Brittany, Vendée, Maine, and Normandy, where the population was predominantly rural and conservative. They mostly operated in small cells, using guerrilla tactics and ambushes, and were led by charismatic local leaders, such as Jean Cottereau, Georges Cadoudal, or Louis de Frotté.

The Chouans gained momentum during the Thermidorian Reaction, a period of relative moderation and instability after the Terror, as many people felt disillusioned with the Revolutionary government's failures and excesses. They also received support from the foreign powers that opposed France, such as England or Austria, and from the émigrés and the clergy who had fled the country.

The Chouans launched several uprisings between 1793 and 1800, but were ultimately defeated by the Republican armies under Napoléon Bonaparte, who used a combination of military force and concessions to ease the tension in the regions. Some Chouans continued to resist the new regime, but their strength progressively declined, and their cause was lost in the long run.

The Chouans remain a symbol of the counter-revolutionary sentiment that opposed the French Revolution and of the deep cultural and political divisions that marked France in the aftermath of the Revolution. They inspired literary works such as Balzac's Les Chouans or Hugo's Quatrevingt-treize and are remembered in the local traditions and folklore of Brittany and Vendée.