Hautefaye

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Administration
Commune of Hautefaye
Location
Longitude	0° 29' 39" (0.494) E
Latitude	45° 32' 15" (45.52) N
Country	France
Region	Aquitaine
Department	Dordogne
Arrondissement	Nontron
Canton	Nontron
Statistics
Altitude	139 m–206 m (avg. N/A)
Land area¹	12.47 km²
Population² (1999)	116
- Density (1999)	9/km²
Miscellaneous
INSEE/Postal code	24209/ 24300
¹ French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0.386 mi² or 247 acres) and river estuaries.
² Population sans doubles comptes: single count of residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel).

Hautefaye is a commune of the French département Dordogne (24300), in southwestern France, approx. 120 inhabitants.

1 History
2 Historical population
3 Other
4 References
5 External links
6 See also

[edit] History

On August 16, 1870, France was soon losing a war against Germany. Less than three weeks later, Emperor Napoleon III would be captured by the enemy and his regime immediately overthrown by a self-proclaimed Government for National Defence. At that precise moment, rural France, which had largely been faithful to Napoleon I and welcomed his nephew, was very nervous.

During a fair, somebody started a rumour accusing a young nobleman named Alain de Monéys of having betrayed the Emperor and the Nation. Both claims were in fact false, as Monéys was not a Republican and his patriotism was spotless, but a crowd gathered around him. The parish priest did try to calm the mob by offering drinks to divert their attention but, however well-meaning the effort may have been, it probably only helped get the crowd even more inebriated than they already were and therefore more dangerous. The mayor, unable to show leadership in the face of such excitement, is reported to have said "Eat him if you like". Monéys was battered and tortured for two hours. The crowd finally burnt him on the village square, probably still alive. People taking part in the killing collected fat dripping from his burning body onto bread, eating the resulting tartines.

On February 6, 1871, four of the twenty-one people found guilty for the murder of Monéys were guillotined on the Hautefaye village square.