Charles-Melchior Arthus, Marquis de Bonchamps (10 May 1760 – 18 October 1793) was a French

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 politician and leader of the Vendéan insurrection of Royalists

House of Bourbon

The House of Bourbon is a European royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty . Bourbon kings first ruled Navarre and France in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Bourbon dynasty also held thrones in Spain, Naples, Sicily, and Parma...

 against the Republic during the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

.

Born at Juvardeil

Juvardeil

Juvardeil is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France....

, Anjou

Anjou

Anjou is a former county , duchy and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of western France. It corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire...

, he gained his first military experience in the American War of Independence, and on his return to France was made a captain of grenadiers

Grenadier (soldier)

A grenadier was originally a specialized soldier, first established as a distinct role in the mid-to-late 17th century, for the throwing of grenades and sometimes assault operations. At this time grenadiers were chosen from the strongest and largest soldiers...

 in the French royal army. He was a staunch defender of the French monarchy, and at the outbreak of the Revolution, resigned his command and retired to his château

Château

A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...

at Saint-Florent-le-Vieil

Saint-Florent-le-Vieil

Saint-Florent-le-Vieil is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.-Geography:The Èvre forms the commune's western border, then flows into the Loire, which forms the commune's northern border.-References:*...

. In the spring of 1793 he was chosen leader by the insurgents of the Vendée, and his directives were largely responsible for the success of the peasants arms.

He was present at the taking of Bressuire

Bressuire

Bressuire is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department in France. The town is situated on an eminence overlooking the Dolo, a tributary of the Argenton.-Notable buildings:...

, Thouars

Battle of Thouars

The Battle of Thouars was a battle between pro- and anti-Revolutionary forces on the morning of 5 May 1793 during the war in the Vendée. It involved the taking of the town of Thouars by force by the anti-Revolutionary forces or Vendéens....

, and of Fontenay-le-Comte

Fontenay-le-Comte

Fontenay-le-Comte is a commune in the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region in France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:The Vendée River flows though the town. The town has an area of .-History:...

 - where he was wounded. Dissensions among their leaders weakened the insurgents, and at the bloody battle of Cholet

Battle of Cholet

The Battle of Cholet was fought on 17 October 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars, between French Republican forces under General Léchelle and French Royalist Forces under Louis d'Elbée. The battle was fought in the town of Cholet in the Maine-et-Loire department of France, and resulted in a...

 (October 1793) the Vendéans sustained a severe defeat and Bonchamps was mortally wounded. He died the next day.

It is said that his last act was the pardoning of five thousand Republican prisoners, whom his troops had sworn to kill in revenge for his death. A statue of him by Pierre Jean David

Pierre Jean David

Pierre-Jean David , usually called David d'Angers, was a French sculptor.He was born at Angers. His father was a sculptor or a mason, but had gone into the army as a musketeer, fighting against the Chouans of La Vendée. He returned to his trade at the end of the civil war to find his customers...

stands in the church of Saint-Florent-le-Vieil.