Victor Fanneau de La Horie

Victor Claude Alexandre Fanneau de La Horie was a French general, conspirator against Napoleon, and godfather of Victor Hugo.

Early life

He was born on 5 January 1766 in Javron-les-Chapelles.

Military career

Victor Fanneau de La Horie served the First French Republic in the Army of the Rhine with Joseph Hugo and became close friends with the younger man. He was the godfather and namesake of Joseph's son Victor Hugo. He served in the revolutionary armies, but souring on Napoleon joined the Moreau conspiracy. When the plan fell apart in 1801, he was proscribed and went into hiding on the estate of Joseph Hugo. There, the young Victor Hugo got to know the general.

Capture and execution

After fleeing abroad, he returned to France in 1808 and was unduly arrested and unlawfully held at La Force Prison. He was freed during the Malet coup of 1812, but after the coup's failure, he was recaptured.
On 29 October 1812 he was executed in Paris under Napoleon's orders.