Between June 1764 and June 1767 up to 250
people were attacked by
an animal difficult to identify. This
animal killed at most a
hundred. Called "beast of Gevaudan", this
animal rages in Gevaudan, a
former province in France, which
corresponds more or less to the
departments of Lozère. Initially, it's
thinks that beast of Gevaudan is a
hyena, but several sometimes
eccentric hypotheses also circulate. Little by little,
however, the hypothesis of one or
more wolves its imposse. The French
government struggled to resolve
the crisis, despite sending a regiment of
soldiers and calling for hunters
from outside the province. Above all: the
affair is making headlines
not only in France, but also
in Europe.
Even its talking about it in the
13 colonies... and even here in Canada!
What is it the Gevaudan's beast?
How do contemporaries react? Come on,
today on History will tell us,
the beast of Gevaudan!
Subtitles: salvadorarmandoul@gmail.com
The first attacks began at the
end of June 1764, but it became
more frequent from mid-
September. The beast mainly
attacks children and women, who
perform the function of shepherds.
The Languedoc government dispatched 67
dragoons, 50 on foot and 17 on horseback. These
soldiers are mobile and disciplined. They
requisitions the men of the
surrounding parishes and make beats. In
these, men form a line and
advance together. The goal is to
flush out the wolves and kill them.
This method was inefficient. The terrain
is mountainous and it's hard
to move civilians forward at the
same pace. Most people don't
have guns. But above all:
most wolves that attack humans
manage to escape. Rather than
solving the problem, they move it.
The first beaten took place on October 28,
1764. About ten thousand people took part!
The effect? I give you a
thousand: the attacks moves a little
more to the West. From the
end of November 1764,
the press seized on the affair. The Courieur
d'Avignon and the Gazette de
France publish news relating
to the attacks, which are then taken
up abroad. Its speaks about victims, but
also about heroes. On January 1765, a
group of seven children
managed to resist the attacks of a wolf
thanks to sticks with a sharp blade.
The animal takes a child with its mouth.
Rather than leaving him to his fate, the
children harras the beast whit blows and
screams until an adult arrives. The beast
lets go of the young boy and clears off.
Various contradictory testimonies
relating to the beast circulating in
the gazettes. It's then considered
to be a hyena or even a
monstrous animal. Engravings representing the
beast are produced and sold in
all France. It's also found in popular
almanacs. The stalemate in which the
regiment of French soldiers finds
itself also pleases the English
press, which takes the opportunity to make fun
of France. -It's not very surprising-
In 1765, captain of dragoons regiment
organizes a big hunt which
brought together 20000 people.
Another failure. Louis 15, King of France,
sent two Normans, father and son, on May 1765:
the Ennevals, to take the direction
of operations. The
father is said to have killed over 1200 wolves
in his career. Their new strategy?
Beatings... But this time...
no, it won't works anymore. The king
call them back and sends his
hunting lieutenant, François Antoine. His strategy?
Make... NO! He understands that
hunts aren't very effective and he
organizes few of them. He finds that
hunting dogs are more effective
than humans on this rugged territory.
The king and several
aristocrats send him some.
On September 20, 1765,
Antoine was on the trail of the beast
thanks to the hunting dog. Suddenly, he
sees the beast and fires his
large caliber rifle.
The wolf is violently hit and
takes two steps back. Antoine doesn't have time to
reload as the wolf approaches him. At this
moment, the Duke of Orleans' gamekeeper
shoots and drops him dead. People present
observe the beast and note
that it's extraordinary: both in its
length, its size and the length of the
fangs. However, everyone find that it's
a wolf. Antoine summons those who
have been injured by the beast
and those who have seen it from around. Everyone
recognize it. An autopsy is done and
the beast has been embalmed to show it
to the king. It receivess the highest honors.
Is this the end? No!
Other attacks resume shortly
after in Gevaudan. However, there
were other wolf attacks elsewhere in
France at the same time, which caused more
victims. It was only in March 1766
that the government decided to intervene
more seriously. Étienne Lafont,
sub-delegate of Languedoc, went
there and questioned the witnesses. His
strategy? Beatings... No! It mobilizes at most a
few hundred hunters in
strategic zones and uses hunting
dogs. On June 19, 1767, he sees the
beast during a hunt. He releases the
dogs. Only one pursues the wolf, which
turns to eat it. This is
when Jean Chastel, a hunter
from the region shoots the wolf.
The beast collapses. The wolf is big,
53 kg, but not huge. Laffont brings in
26 people who have been attacked by
the wolf or who have faced it and
all recognize it. They see a similarity
with the wolf even if they recognize certain
different traits. His companion killed a few
days later is undoubtedly a she-wolf.
The body of the beast is sent to
Paris and the naturalist Georges Louis
Leclerc de Buffon examines it. His
conclusion: it was just a wolf,
but a big one.
The beast of Gevaudan isn't unique.
In Ancien Regime France several
series of attack are attributed to a beast
believev to be a hyena or a
werewolf that turns out to be,
ultimatelly, one or more wolves. The beast
of Gevaudan isn't the most
bloodthirsty of these. Why are we
talking about it so much then? The big
difference is the interest of the press.
This is what ensures that from
a regional affair, the beast of Gevaudan
is discussed in all Europe and even
outside. The incredulity of
contemporaries in front of a beast that
resists this effort favors
the emergence of the most
eccentric theories. Engravings circulate and the
beast of Gevaudan is integrated into the
printed matter intended for the most humble.
Unlike wolves, the Gevaudan's beast
has left traces that have
allowed it to cross the ages.
Today it's still found in
works of fiction, for example in
The pact of the Wolves.
Come on, it's over for today.
I hope you liked it. Thanks to Simon
Dagenais who collaborated on this video.
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in advance. I'm Laurent Turcot
and I'll see you next time. Bye!