Jules Vallès. Ever heard of him? Place Jules Vallès is named after this French journalist. He was an author and a left-wing political activist.
Vallès was born in 1832 in Le Puy-en-Velay. His father was a teacher. Jules was a brilliant student. He participated in protests in Nantes. This was during the Revolution of 1848 in France. He aligned himself with the socialist movement.
In 1851 he fought against Napoleon III. Vallès later fled to Nantes. His father had him committed to a mental institution. Thanks to a friend he escaped a few months later. He joined the staff of Le Figaro. He became a regular contributor to other leading journals.
In 1853 he was arrested. He was accused of conspiring against Napoleon III. He was later freed due to a lack of evidence. He lived in poverty. He wrote journalism for bread. He even wrote for the stock market page of the Figaro. He was fired for his bias against capitalism. He wrote his first book L’Argent in 1857.
In 1860 Vallès found an administrative job. He issued birth certificates for the Vaugirard town hall. He became a steady friend of Hector Malot. He began to live with his lover Joséphine Lapointe. In 1867 he started the newspaper La Rue. The government suppressed it after eight months.
By this time Vallès was a recognized leader. He led the republican opposition against the Second French Empire. In 1865 he lost his job. He gave a speech against the capitalist society of the Second Empire. In 1868 he was twice convicted for press crimes.
In 1870 Jules Vallès and Henri Rochefort found themselves at the head. They led the mass manifestation at Victor Noir’s funeral.
Napoleon III embroiled France in the Franco-Prussian War. Vallès was among the few anti-war protesters. He was jailed as a consequence. Napoleon III capitulated at Sedan. He was captured. The Third French Republic was proclaimed. Vallès was freed from prison.
In 1871 Jules Vallès edited the Affiche Rouge. This was the first call for the proclamation of the Paris Commune. He escaped from the tribunal. His Le Cri du Peuple was banned. On March 18 the Commune was officially proclaimed. On March 26 he was elected to the Conseil de la Commune.
Jules Vallès claimed his reserve. This was when the separation of Church and State was proclaimed. He opposed the suppression of the reactionary newspapers. He voted against the institution of the Comité de Salut.
In May 1871 the Versailles troops entered Paris. Vallès took part in the fighting. He made a last stand in the rue de Paris. He managed to escape the fusillades.
Jules Vallès’ newspaper Le Cri du Peuple was among the most successful of the Paris Commune. After the paper was banned it was reissued. It was published without interruption.
Vallès went to live in exile in London. He had an affair with another woman. She bore his daughter. The girl died at 10 months. Vallès quickly separated from the mother.
After his liberation in 1879 Vallès was able to return to Paris. He renewed his journalism. In 1883 he restarted Le Cri du Peuple. He died in 1885. His funeral was a major public event. A procession of some 60000 followed the coffin.
Place Jules Vallès stands as a testament. It honors a man who dedicated his life to fighting for what he believed in.