June Rebellion of 1832

The June Rebellion began during the funeral procession of General Jean Maximilien Lamarque, a popular opposition figure whose death became a rallying point for republicans. Demonstrators and members of secret political societies erected barricades in central Paris and called for resistance to the government of Louis-Philippe.

The rising remained geographically limited and failed to attract the wider support its organisers expected. Government troops and the National Guard surrounded and stormed the barricades on 5 and 6 June. The defeat showed both the continuing strength of republican opposition and the ability of the July Monarchy to isolate urban revolt.

Victor Hugo made the rebellion internationally familiar through Les Misérables, placing Marius, Enjolras, Gavroche and Jean Valjean at a fictional barricade within the historical uprising. The setting is useful for fiction about student politics, secret societies, street fighting, failed revolution and the moral choices made when a cause is already facing defeat.