Nicolas Chauvin - Historicity

Historicity

Historical research has not identified any biographical details of a real Nicolas Chauvin, leading to the claim that he may have been a wholly fictional figure. Researcher Gérard Puymège concludes that "Nicolas Chauvin did not exist. It is a legend, which crystallized under the Restoration and July Monarchy, from the pen of songwriters, vaudeville and historians.". He argues that the figure of Chauvin continues the long tradition of the mythological farmer-soldier or Miles Gloriosus from ancient times in Greek mythology."

Many writers and historians falsely attribute to Chauvin the exploits of other Bonapartists. It is claimed that he served in the Old Guard at Waterloo, which is unlikely considering his age and the severity of his disabilities. When the Old Guard was surrounded and made its last stand at La Belle Alliance, he supposedly shouted in defiance to a call for their honorable surrender: "The Old Guard dies but does not surrender!", implying blind and unquestioned zealous devotion to one's country .

The apocryphal phrase was, in fact, attributed to the Old Guard's commander, Pierre Cambronne but whose actual reply was later asserted by other sources to be "Merde!" (in English, literally "Shit!").