On the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence of the United States, the Brittany Cultural Institute – Skol Uhel ar Vro is dedicating a conference and an exhibition to Armand Tuffin de La Rouërie in Vannes. On Saturday, October 3 at 3 PM, three authors, Thierry Jigourel, François-Xavier Lefranc, and Thierry de Navacelle, will participate in a round table titled "La Rouërie, from American Commitment to the Defense of Breton Liberties."
A Breton Hero Emerges from Oblivion
In 2018, historian Reynald Seycher was the first to publish a historical novel "The Mirror Without Return" in which he resurrects the Marquis de La Rouërie in the face of Jacobin terror. In 2022, the Cultural Institute of Brittany also contributed to bringing this extraordinary figure out of oblivion and back into the spotlight of regional media, as well as under the pen of writers and comic book authors.
Having gone to fight alongside the American insurgents under the name "Colonel Armand," La Rouërie distinguished himself during the War of Independence and became a close associate of George Washington. He organized a cavalry unit, the "Legion of Armand," before returning to France with the rank of general.
La Rouërie seems straight out of an adventure novel. According to traditional accounts, after his ship was sunk by the British upon his arrival in America, he even swam to shore. He then distinguished himself during the War of Independence, raised his own cavalry legion, and became a close associate of George Washington. Legend has it that at Yorktown, he was among the first to enter one of the British redoubts, the capture of which hastened the English surrender.
Out of His Grave to Be Decapitated
A few years later, his fate changed with the French Revolution. A defender of Breton liberties, he organized the "Breton Association," considered the precursor movement to the Chouannerie. Betrayed by his doctor, Valentin Chevetel, who informed Danton about the activities of the Breton Association, and now hunted, he died in January 1793 at the Château de La Guyomarais, before the revolutionaries could capture him. His body, buried clandestinely, was later exhumed by republican soldiers to be decapitated. All the leading members of the Breton Association, including his cousin, with whom he was very close, were guillotined.
Three Authors and an Exhibition
The meeting on October 3 will bring together Thierry de Navacelle, author of "La Rouërie, Rival of Lafayette" (2020), Thierry Jigourel, author of the comic book Colonel Armand (2023), and François-Xavier Lefranc, author of "I Will Drink My Blood" (2023). It will be followed by a signing session.
In parallel, from October 1 to 17, the media library will present a dozen original boards by Dominique Cèbe, illustrator of Colonel Armand, under the title "La Rouërie, an Epic Told in Comic Book Form."
Saturday, October 3, 2026, at 3 PM – Auditorium of Ti ar Vro Bro Gwened, 3 rue de la Loi in Vannes. Free entry.
