L’histoire à fleur de peau

Abstract

This article deals with a little-known aspect of the French Revolution, in particular the history of Vendée. Among the dark legends of the Revolution, there is one which says that the revolutionaries tanned the skins of their victims in Vendée. In a novel inspired by counter-revolutionary tradition, Hubert Monteilhet gives credence to this legend which French historian Jean-Clément Martin has shown to be no more than a myth.

Keywords

• French Revolution
• Vendée
• historiography
• historical novel
• tanned skin
• transfers