| This article is part of the Dreyfus affair series. The Dreyfus Affair a Political scandal which divided France from the 1890s to the early 1900s |
| Investigation and arrest |
| Trial and conviction |
| Picquart's investigations |
| Other investigations |
| Public scandal |
| "J'accuse...!" - Zola |
| Resolution |
| Alfred Dreyfus |
| Edit this box |
Alfred Dreyfus (9 October 1859 – 12 July 1935) was a French artillery officer of Jewish background whose trial and conviction in 1894 on baseless charges of treason became one of the most sensational political dramas in modern French and European history. The Dreyfus Affair began when a bordereau (detailed memorandum disclosing French military secrets was found in the possession of the Germans. The trial and conviction of Alfred Dreyfus was the event that instigated the Dreyfus Affair, a Political scandal which divided France during the 1890s While Alfred Dreyfus was serving his sentence on Devil's Island back in France a number of people began to question his guilt After Major Georges Picquart 's exile to Tunisia others took up the cause of the Alfred Dreyfus. The scandal over falsely accused Alfred Dreyfus grew into a public scandal of unprecedented scale J'accuse ("I accuse" was an Open letter published on January 13 1898 in the newspaper L'Aurore by the influential writer Émile François Zola ( (2 April 1840 &ndash 29 September 1902 was an influential French Writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of Trial of Esterhazy for forgery On the same day as this arrest the examining Magistrate Bertulus, disregarding the threats and entreaties directed at him on Events 768 - Carloman I and Charlemagne are crowned Kings of The Franks. Year 1859 ( MDCCCLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1191 - Saladin 's garrison surrenders ending the two-year Siege of Acre. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ The History of France has been divided into a series of separate historical articles navigable through the list to the right It is still known today as the Dreyfus Affair. The Dreyfus Affair a Political scandal which divided France from the 1890s to the early 1900s
Contents |
Biography
Born in Mulhouse (Mülhausen) in Alsace, Dreyfus was the youngest of seven children in the family of a prosperous Jewish textile manufacturer who moved to Paris from Alsace after the Franco-Prussian War, Alsace-Lorraine was annexed by the German Empire in 1871. Mulhouse (Mulhouse myluz Alsatian: Milhüsa or Milhüse, pronounced; Mülhausen i Alsace (Alsace alzas Alsatian and Elsass pre-1996 German: Elsaß; Alsatia is one of the 26 Regions of France, located on the eastern A textile is a flexible material comprised of a network of natural or artificial Fibres often referred to as thread or Yarn. Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, "making by hand" is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War ( 19 July, 1870 — 10 May, 1871 Alsace-Lorraine (Reichsland Elsaß-Lothringen generally Elsass - Lothringen) was a territorial entity created by the German Empire in 1871 The German Empire is the name commonly used in English to describe Germany from 1871 to 1918 when it was a semi- Constitutional monarchy: beginning with the Unification The family had long been established in the area that traditionally had been German-speaking. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.
Dreyfus graduated from the elite École Polytechnique military school in Paris, where he received military training and thorough scientific studies in 1880 as a sub-lieutenant. For other Écoles Polytechniques see École Polytechnique de Montréal and École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city His entry into the military was influenced by the experience of seeing Prussian troops enter his hometown in 1871 when he was eleven years old. Prussia ( Latin: Borussia, Prutenia; Prūsija Prūsija Prusy Old Prussian: Prūsa) was most recently a historic state From 1880 to 1882 he attended the artillery school at Fontainebleau to receive more specialized training as an artillery officer. Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. Artillery (from French artillerie) is a military Combat Arm which employs any apparātus machine On graduation he was attached to the first division of the 32nd Cavalry Regiment and promoted to lieutenant in 1885. The Cavalry (from French cavalerie) is the second oldest of the Combat Arms, and as Soldiers or Warriors who fought mounted on In 1889 he was made adjutant to the director of the Établissement de Bourges, a government arsenal, and promoted to captain.
On 18 April, 1891, Dreyfus married Lucie Hadamard (1870-1945). The marriage produced two children, Pierre and Jeanne. Three days after the wedding, Dreyfus received notice that he had been admitted to the École Supérieure de Guerre or War College. Two years later, in 1893, he graduated ninth in his class with honorable mention and was immediately designated as a trainee in the French Army's General Staff headquarters, where he would be the only Jewish officer. His father Raphaël died on 13 December, 1893.
At the War College examination in 1892, his friends had expected him to do well. However, one of the members of the panel, General Bonnefond, felt that "Jews were not desired" on the staff, and gave Dreyfus poor marks, lowering his overall grade; he did the same thing for another Jewish candidate, Lieutenant Picard. Learning of this injustice, the two officers lodged a protest with the director of the school, Gen. Lebelin de Dionne, who expressed his regret for what had occurred, but said he was powerless to take any steps in the matter. The protest would later count against Dreyfus.
In 1894, the French Army's counter-intelligence section, led by a Lt. Col. Sandherr, became aware that some new artillery information was being passed to the Germans by a highly-placed spy most likely to be in the General Staff. With anti-Semitism still widespread in many parts of French society, particularly in the conservative military, suspicion quickly fell upon Dreyfus, who was arrested for treason on 15 October, 1894. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility In Law, treason is the Crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or Nation. The events that follow until his eventual exoneration on 12 July, 1906 are chronicled in the article on the Dreyfus Affair. The Dreyfus Affair a Political scandal which divided France from the 1890s to the early 1900s On 5 January, 1895, Dreyfus was summarily convicted in a secret court martial, publicly stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island in French Guiana. For other uses see Devils Island. Devil's Island (Île du Diable is the smallest and northernmost island of the three Îles du Salut French Guiana (Guyane française officially fr ''Guyane'' is an Overseas department (French département d'outre-mer, or DOM) of France
In August 1896 the new chief of French military intelligence, Lt Colonel Picquart, reported to his superiors that he had found evidence to the effect that the real traitor was a Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy. Charles Marie Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy ( December 16, 1847 &ndash May 21, 1923) was a French Traitor, who served as a Lt Col Picquart was silenced by being transferred, in November 1896, to the southern desert of Tunisia. Tunisia (تونس Tūnis officially the Tunisian Republic ( is a country located in North Africa. When reports of an army cover-up and Dreyfus's possible innocence were leaked to the press, a heated debate ensued about anti-Semitism and France's identity as a Catholic nation and a republic founded on equal rights for all citizens. Antisemitism (alternatively spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism; also rarely known as judeophobia) is the Prejudice against or hostility On 19 September, 1899, following a passionate campaign by his supporters, including leading artists and intellectuals like Émile Zola, Dreyfus was pardoned by President Émile Loubet and left the prison. Émile François Zola ( (2 April 1840 &ndash 29 September 1902 was an influential French Writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of Émile François Loubet (31 December 1838 - 20 December 1929 was a French Politician and the 7th President of France. During that time he lived with one of his sisters at Carpentras, and later at Cologny. Carpentras ( Provençal Occitan: Carpentràs in classical norm or Carpentras in Mistralian norm is a town and commune in the
Dreyfus was present at the ceremony removing Émile Zola's ashes to the Panthéon in 1902, when he was wounded in the arm by a gunshot from Louis Gregori, a disgruntled journalist, in an assassination attempt. The Panthéon ( Latin Pantheon, from Greek Pantheon meaning "All the gods" is a building in the Latin Quarter
On July 12 1906, Dreyfus was officially exonerated by a military commission. The day after his exoneration, he was readmitted into the army with the rank of Major ("Chef d'Escadron"). A week later, he was made a Knight of the Legion of Honour, and subsequently assigned to command an artillery unit at Vincennes. Vincennes is a commune of the Val-de-Marne located in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. On 15 October, 1906, he was placed in command of another artillery unit at Saint-Denis. Saint-Denis is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France.
Dreyfus' time in prison, notably at Devil's Island, had been difficult on his health, and he was granted early retirement in October 1907. He volunteered, however, to serve again as a lieutenant-colonel during World War I and thus held several commands including in the Paris region. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All He eventually served in front-line duty as well, during 1917, although he had by that time reached normal retirement age. Finally, Lt Colonel Dreyfus was raised to the rank of Officer of the Legion of Honor in November 1918. Dreyfus' son, Pierre, served in numerous battles as an artillery captain and managed to survive the entire war. Pierre was awarded the Croix de Guerre for his services. The Croix de Guerre (sometimes lowercase in French Croix de guerre, meaning "Cross of War" is a military decoration of both France and
Two days after Dreyfus's death in Paris in 1935, at the age of 75, his funeral cortège passed the Place de la Concorde through the ranks of troops assembled for the Bastille Day National Holiday (14 July 1935). The Place de la Concorde is one of the major squares in Paris, France. Events 1223 - Louis VIII becomes King of France upon the death of his father Philip II of France. Year 1935 ( MCMXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. He was interred in the Cimetière du Montparnasse, Paris. Montparnasse Cemetery ( French: Cimetière de Montparnasse) is a famous cemetery in the Montparnasse quarter of Paris, part of the Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city The inscription on his tombstone is in Hebrew and French. It reads (translated to English): Here Lies (Hebrew. The rest is in French. ): Lieutenant Colonel Alfred Dreyfus Officer of the Legion of Honor 9 October 1859 - 12 July 1935
Today, a statue of Dreyfus holding his broken sword stands at the entrance to the Museum of Jewish Art and History in Paris.
The actor Richard Dreyfuss and actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus are distantly related to Alfred Dreyfus. Richard Stephen Dreyfuss (born October 29 1947 is an Academy Award -winning American Actor, known for a number of film television and theater roles such Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus (born January 13, 1961) is an American Actress and Comedienne best known for her
Bibliography
- Lettres d'un innocent (Letters from an innocent man) (1898)
- Les lettres du capitaine Dreyfus à sa femme (Letters from capitaine Dreyfus to his wife) (1899), written at Devil's Island
- Cinq ans de ma vie (5 years of my life) (1901)
- Souvenirs et correspondence, posthumously in 1936
References
See also
- Charles Péguy, who wrote a defense of Dreyfus. Charles Péguy ( January 7, 1873 - September 5, 1914) was a noted French Poet, Essayist and editor.
- Émile Zola, the author of the pamphlet J'Accuse
- Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy, the real traitor. Émile François Zola ( (2 April 1840 &ndash 29 September 1902 was an influential French Writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of Charles Marie Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy ( December 16, 1847 &ndash May 21, 1923) was a French Traitor, who served as a
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic