Joseph Bara

"Only the French have thirteen-year-old heroes."

―Maximilien de Robespierre honouring Bara, 1793.

Joseph Bara (30 July 1779 – 7 December 1793) was a French drummer boy who supported the revolutionaries during the French Revolution.

Biography

Born the youngest of three sons to an innkeeper in Paris, Joseph's brothers were sent to the French border to defend it against Prussia while he was exempted due to his young age. Instead, Joseph became a drummer in a unit in Vendée. On 7 December 1793, Joseph was killed when his unit was ambushed near Jallais by a group of horse thieves during an incident where they tried to steal its horses.

It was believed that his murderers were Royalists and he showed heroism when declaring a long life to the Republic instead of the King. Maximilien de Robespierre, a politician and a member of the Templar Order, seized the opportunity and used Joseph's death as a form of propaganda, proclaiming "Only the French have 13-year-old heroes."

The Assassin Arno Dorian helped transfer Bara's remains to the Panthéon and protect the funeral procession from more Royalists. Later that month, the painter Jacques-Louis David completed a painting depicting Joseph, entitled The Death of Joseph Bara.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Unity