The Life and Death of Louis Dominique Cartouche, the King of Thieves in Paris
In early 18th-century Paris, his name was whispered—Cartouche. For some, he was a daring robber and the leader of a desperate gang that terrorized the capital; for others, a cunning and generous friend of the common people who defied authority. The life of Louis Dominique Cartouche, full of robberies, deceptions, and escapes, turned him into a legend, and the story itself began to resemble a novel, where reality and myth are closely intertwined.
France's most famous thief, oddly enough, was German by nationality. Louis Dominique Cartouche was born in the autumn of 1693 in Paris to Jean Harthausen, a Hamburg native. His father, upon moving to France, changed his surname to the more familiar one among locals—Cartouche.
Louis's father was a respectable artisan and owner of a harness shop. Making horse harnesses left no time for caring for his children, who were increasingly drawn to the Parisian streets. So the harness maker, Jean, sent his sons to board with the Jesuits. Thus, at the age of 14, young Cartouche became a student at a Jesuit school, where, incidentally, he studied at the same time as Voltaire.
Louis Dominique immediately hated school and didn't last long. He stole ten gold louis d'or from the Holy Fathers' coffers and ran away. Cartouche settled in Orleans with his uncle, a cheerful former soldier. His uncle had no interest in Louis's moral character, nor his knowledge of the Scriptures or arithmetic. However, he taught his nephew excellent fencing—a skill that would later prove very useful in Cartouche's turbulent life.
To make ends meet, the young man mastered the craft of pickpocketing. He operated in Orléans churches during mass, for which he was repeatedly beaten. Eventually, his uncle grew tired of his nephew's antics and kicked the boy out. After this, Cartouche fell in with the Cibgigans, who helped him perfect his craft.
Nimble fingers, an unremarkable appearance, and a natural acting talent allowed Cartouche to live a carefree life. When caught, he would put on a tearful performance, skillfully appealing to pity, and ultimately avoid prison. After some time, Louis returned to Paris, but refused to help his father in the workshop. Every day, he brought home handfuls of coins, watches, snuffboxes, and silk scarves.
Cartouche bought himself expensive clothes and fine jewelry by selling his loot to fences. His father was amazed at how his wayward son could afford gold-embroidered waistcoats and Brabant lace. But one particularly unfortunate day for Louis, the old man discovered his hiding place.
Jean Cartouche couldn't think of anything better to do than report his son to the authorities. The city guards came for Louis Dominique, but the boy eluded them in an alleyway near the door of his house, disguised as a vagabond. The guards' goal was to arrest the sleek dandy, while no one paid attention to the beggar with his head wrapped in a dirty rag. After this, Cartouche repeatedly escaped the most hopeless situations by changing his guise.
Women and wine were Cartouche's greatest weaknesses. It was his passion for drink that eventually led to his military service. At the request of a recruiting sergeant he knew, he began searching for recruits. Five soldiers were needed, but he only managed to secure four.
The disappointed recruiter didn't argue. Instead, he invited Cartouche to a drink at the nearest tavern. Shot after shot, inn after inn, and the next morning Louis woke up tied up in a cart. It soon became clear that the wagon was heading straight for the theater of war in Flanders.
Cartouche's tenure in the army was short-lived: the War of the Spanish Succession soon ended and the Treaty of Utrecht was signed in 1713. But this brief stay played a crucial role in his future. It was in the army that Louis began to form his famous band, which soon became the talk of France.
In 1713, Cartouche, along with several dozen former soldiers, formed a well-organized gang, characterized by strict discipline and a clear hierarchy. He established a special code for his men: complete obedience to the leader, a ban on concealing loot, mandatory equal sharing of the spoils, and mutual support in times of danger. There was only one punishment for violating these rules—death.
Cartouche's gang terrorized Paris for six years. His team included specialists in a wide variety of fields. Some picked locks, others climbed into houses using ropes, others stole wallets, and still others picked pockets in churches. It was a complex criminal organization with close ties to the authorities.
Cartouche was generous with bribes, buying off both ordinary guards and city judges. This allowed him to always learn of upcoming raids in advance, and his men would take refuge in pre-prepared hideouts. If someone was caught, several others would immediately appear willing to take their place.
Cartouche's gang included not only the poor, but also members of wealthy families and even clergy! Sometimes the leader would arrange for his men to work as footmen or cooks in wealthy Parisian homes. This allowed him to accurately assess the wealth of his potential victims and ensure easy access to valuables.
Cartouche soon became a legendary figure, the subject of many tales. It was said that he once saved a small merchant from suicide by paying off his debts with his own money, and then robbed those to whom he had repaid the debt. It was also said that the famous thief stole a sword that Regent Philippe d'Orléans intended to award to one of his confidants.
But it turned out the award weapon's hilt was gilded, making it practically worthless. Cartouche returned it to its owner, enclosing a note: "To the first thief of the kingdom, from Cartouche." Peasants composed songs about the successful thief, poets wrote poems, and playwrights staged plays.
The most incredible rumors circulated about him. For example, that Cartouche wanted to kill the king himself to take his place. It's worth noting that although the famous thief is described as a noble outlaw, a sort of French Robin Hood, he did occasionally kill. His victims weren't always wealthy. In 1721, a gang stole 180,000 louis d'or from a carriage. The coachman died during the robbery. The bandit also sometimes eliminated witnesses, without showing any particular scrupulousness.
After a successful robbery in 1721, Cartouche suddenly disappeared. The strangest rumors circulated about him—that he had gone to England or become the Duke of Lorraine's chef. Louis Dominique, however, simply decided to take a break and rest. He went to Champagne, where he lived in the town of Bar-sur-Seine as an ordinary bourgeois under the name Charles Bourguignon.
Returning to Paris, Cartouche became even more cautious and suspicious. He never spent the night in the same place twice and constantly changed his appearance. But it didn't help—he was captured after all. They say a woman was involved: the scourge of Paris was betrayed by his mistress. Another theory is that Cartouche was betrayed by an accomplice.
He was captured sleeping in the guest room of the Pistol Inn. Cartouche narrowly escaped justice, escaping from the Châtelet prison. But the fugitive was caught, locked up, and tortured. The trial was brief, and everyone knew the sentence in advance—death. A date was set for the execution. Edmond Jean-François Barbier, a lawyer and consultant to the Paris parliament, wrote in his diary:
But the execution, to the public's dismay, was constantly postponed. This was all because Cartouche refused to give up his accomplices. His toes were crushed and his joints were dislocated, but the thief remained silent. Only once did he name a girl. But when she was brought to the prison for a confrontation, the prisoner declared she was innocent. She was simply his lover, whom he wanted to see.
But when Cartouche was first brought to the Place de Grève, where the scaffold stood, everything changed. The thief, who had previously endured any torture with fortitude, agreed to name all the gang members. He was returned to prison, where the leader named over a hundred accomplices. Lawyer Edmond Barbier explained this change:
Some of the names on the ringleader's list horrified the investigators. They included people from highly respected families, including Abbé Jean-Gaspard de la Mothe. This high-ranking cleric turned out to be the mastermind behind numerous robberies. Cartouche also didn't spare his deputy and close friend, Baligny, known by the nickname "Capucin."
Louis Dominique Cartouche's confession after his sentence was passed mitigated his fate. No, he was not pardoned, and on November 28, 1721, the execution took place at the Place de Grève. Before being broken on the wheel, the executioner mercifully strangled the robber with a silk cord, provoking outrage among the Parisians awaiting the spectacle. Incidentally, this crucial task was performed by Charles Sanson himself—the executioner who would later be entrusted with the execution of the king.
Cartouche's life is a tale of daring, brutality, and charm, which made him a legend among the Parisian underworld. But was he simply a ruthless criminal or a kind of "folk hero" who challenged the status quo? Why do you think his name has endured through the ages and continues to evoke interest today?