![\"\"](\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/a\/ac\/Gevaudanwolf.jpg\")
The Beast\u2019s First Victims<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOn the 30th of June, 1764, the beast<\/a> claimed its first victim, a young girl named Jeanne Boulet who was only 14 years old. She was looking after her sheep when it attacked and killed her near Saint-\u00c9tienne-de-Lugdar\u00e8s, a village in G\u00e9vaudan. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe local parish register reported her death, not knowing that she would be the first of many victims to fall into the beast\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A couple of months before this fatal attack, Marie Jeanne Valet<\/a>, a woman who was tending cattle, had a similar encounter with the mysterious wolf-like beast. Fortunately, her herd of bulls charged and drove off the beast. This allowed her to escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe second reported victim was another girl aged 15 years. She was killed a month later near Puylaurent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On September 8, 1762, the beast claimed its third victim \u2014 a young shepherd who went missing near Laval. This was a village in the province of Dauphin\u00e9. Only his partially eaten remains were found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The death toll continued to rise during the following summer and autumn. Moreover, the barbarity of the deaths terrified people. The ferocious beast did not seem to kill its victims for food. Rather, it violently mangled their corpses, causing pain and only partially eating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The beast of G\u00e9vaudan mostly attacked women and children. But it also targeted men who were out on their own. The large number of attacks made some people speculate that there was more than one beast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Hunt for the Beast Begins<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nSoon, offers of bounties were made and hunters scoured the countryside searching for the beast of G\u00e9vaudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the 8th of October, 1764, a few hours after an attack, people spotted the creature going after a herdsman at Chateau de la Baume. Hunters chased it into the woods of the estate and brought it out into the open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
They then fired their muskets at the animal, but it only fell, rose, and immediately fled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.historydefined.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/Francois_Antoine_et_la_Bete_du_Gevaudan_gravure-1024x679.jpg\")
18th century print depicting Fran\u00e7ois Antoine slaying the Beast of G\u00e9vaudan on 21 September 1765, in Chazes, Gevaudan, France.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nKing Louis XV Gets Involved<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nChildren also had terrifying confrontations with the beast of G\u00e9vaudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the 12th of January, 1765, the creature charged toward Jacques Portefaix, aged 10, and his seven friends whose ages ranged from eight to 12. But the children bravely fought it off with sticks, eventually driving it away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Upon hearing the news, King Louis XV rewarded them for their bravery and funded Portefaix\u2019s education. Soon after this incident, Louis XV sent hunters to kill the animal and offered a 6,000-livre bounty for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, the beast\u2019s tale spread like wildfire. Many European and American newspapers shared its horrific stories. This made the beast of G\u00e9vaudan a media sensation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOn August 11, 1765, the beast attacked a young woman named Marie-Jeanne Valet as she and her sister were making their way across the River Desges. Valet quickly took a bayonet attached to a pole and stabbed its chest with the weapon. The beast escaped and Valet became famous as the \u201cMaid of G\u00e9vaudan\u201d and the \u201cAmazon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The King\u2019s Gunbearer Shoots a Big Wolf<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nOn the 20th of September, 1765, King Louis XV\u2019s 71-year-old gunbearer, Francois Antoine, and his nephew gunned down a big wolf near an abbey at Chazes. They believed it to be the beast. The king rewarded Antoine with money and titles while the animal\u2019s corpse was stuffed and dispatched to the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, in December, reports of animal attacks resurfaced although the behavior of the beast seemed different this time. Earlier, it was scared of cattle, but this time around, it was fearless. It made people think that perhaps another beast was on the loose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The royal court ignored the reports and insisted that Antoine had shot the beast. But in June 1767, a string of killings made the Marquis d\u2019Apcher, a local nobleman, lead a hunt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On June 19, Jean Chastel, a local hunter, killed a wolf on Mount Mouchet. The animal\u2019s autopsy showed remains of a human being inside and traits that were unlike a wolf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nonetheless, people assumed that it was the beast of G\u00e9vaudan. Although they didn\u2019t know what to make of the creature, they doubted that it was a wolf. Meanwhile, the attacks came to an end, restoring peace and quiet in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reports of the Beast\u2019s Looks and Behavior<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nEyewitnesses often described the beast of G\u00e9vaudan as a creature that didn\u2019t look like a regular wolf. A few described it as being as large as a horse or a calf. It had a reddish gray coat and a long and tough tail that resembled a panther\u2019s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, it had a short-haired, deer-colored head and legs. Meanwhile, its back featured a black stripe with taloned feet. Many of its depictions showed it to have wolf-like features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
People also described the creature as an ambush predator that followed its victims and caught them by their throats. Its victims\u2019 bodies usually had wounds on the head and limb. This pattern was found on the decapitated remains of 16 victims. The beast hunted in the mornings and the evenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Unsolved Mystery of the Beast\u2019s Nature<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nScientists, historians, and conspiracy theorists have speculated extensively about the beast\u2019s nature. Some thought it was a Eurasian wolf, a lion, or a striped hyena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, others believed it to be a prehistoric predator, a werewolf, an armored war dog (which probably explained its bullet-proof body), a dog-wolf hybrid, and a human serial killer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The reason why many hypothesized that the beast was a human being wearing a wolf\u2019s disguise is that most of its victims were decapitated. This was not something that many animals could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After all these years, the true nature of the beast is still shrouded in mystery and continues to capture people\u2019s imaginations even centuries after its death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\nhttps:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/beast-gevaudan-france-theories<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nhttps:\/\/www.thecollector.com\/beast-of-gevaudan\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
The local parish register reported her death, not knowing that she would be the first of many victims to fall into the beast\u2019s hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A couple of months before this fatal attack, Marie Jeanne Valet<\/a>, a woman who was tending cattle, had a similar encounter with the mysterious wolf-like beast. Fortunately, her herd of bulls charged and drove off the beast. This allowed her to escape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second reported victim was another girl aged 15 years. She was killed a month later near Puylaurent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On September 8, 1762, the beast claimed its third victim \u2014 a young shepherd who went missing near Laval. This was a village in the province of Dauphin\u00e9. Only his partially eaten remains were found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The death toll continued to rise during the following summer and autumn. Moreover, the barbarity of the deaths terrified people. The ferocious beast did not seem to kill its victims for food. Rather, it violently mangled their corpses, causing pain and only partially eating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The beast of G\u00e9vaudan mostly attacked women and children. But it also targeted men who were out on their own. The large number of attacks made some people speculate that there was more than one beast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soon, offers of bounties were made and hunters scoured the countryside searching for the beast of G\u00e9vaudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the 8th of October, 1764, a few hours after an attack, people spotted the creature going after a herdsman at Chateau de la Baume. Hunters chased it into the woods of the estate and brought it out into the open. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They then fired their muskets at the animal, but it only fell, rose, and immediately fled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Children also had terrifying confrontations with the beast of G\u00e9vaudan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the 12th of January, 1765, the creature charged toward Jacques Portefaix, aged 10, and his seven friends whose ages ranged from eight to 12. But the children bravely fought it off with sticks, eventually driving it away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Upon hearing the news, King Louis XV rewarded them for their bravery and funded Portefaix\u2019s education. Soon after this incident, Louis XV sent hunters to kill the animal and offered a 6,000-livre bounty for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, the beast\u2019s tale spread like wildfire. Many European and American newspapers shared its horrific stories. This made the beast of G\u00e9vaudan a media sensation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n On August 11, 1765, the beast attacked a young woman named Marie-Jeanne Valet as she and her sister were making their way across the River Desges. Valet quickly took a bayonet attached to a pole and stabbed its chest with the weapon. The beast escaped and Valet became famous as the \u201cMaid of G\u00e9vaudan\u201d and the \u201cAmazon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n On the 20th of September, 1765, King Louis XV\u2019s 71-year-old gunbearer, Francois Antoine, and his nephew gunned down a big wolf near an abbey at Chazes. They believed it to be the beast. The king rewarded Antoine with money and titles while the animal\u2019s corpse was stuffed and dispatched to the court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, in December, reports of animal attacks resurfaced although the behavior of the beast seemed different this time. Earlier, it was scared of cattle, but this time around, it was fearless. It made people think that perhaps another beast was on the loose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The royal court ignored the reports and insisted that Antoine had shot the beast. But in June 1767, a string of killings made the Marquis d\u2019Apcher, a local nobleman, lead a hunt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n On June 19, Jean Chastel, a local hunter, killed a wolf on Mount Mouchet. The animal\u2019s autopsy showed remains of a human being inside and traits that were unlike a wolf. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nonetheless, people assumed that it was the beast of G\u00e9vaudan. Although they didn\u2019t know what to make of the creature, they doubted that it was a wolf. Meanwhile, the attacks came to an end, restoring peace and quiet in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eyewitnesses often described the beast of G\u00e9vaudan as a creature that didn\u2019t look like a regular wolf. A few described it as being as large as a horse or a calf. It had a reddish gray coat and a long and tough tail that resembled a panther\u2019s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition, it had a short-haired, deer-colored head and legs. Meanwhile, its back featured a black stripe with taloned feet. Many of its depictions showed it to have wolf-like features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People also described the creature as an ambush predator that followed its victims and caught them by their throats. Its victims\u2019 bodies usually had wounds on the head and limb. This pattern was found on the decapitated remains of 16 victims. The beast hunted in the mornings and the evenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Scientists, historians, and conspiracy theorists have speculated extensively about the beast\u2019s nature. Some thought it was a Eurasian wolf, a lion, or a striped hyena. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, others believed it to be a prehistoric predator, a werewolf, an armored war dog (which probably explained its bullet-proof body), a dog-wolf hybrid, and a human serial killer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The reason why many hypothesized that the beast was a human being wearing a wolf\u2019s disguise is that most of its victims were decapitated. This was not something that many animals could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After all these years, the true nature of the beast is still shrouded in mystery and continues to capture people\u2019s imaginations even centuries after its death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.history.com\/news\/beast-gevaudan-france-theories<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.thecollector.com\/beast-of-gevaudan\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Hunt for the Beast Begins<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
King Louis XV Gets Involved<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The King\u2019s Gunbearer Shoots a Big Wolf<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Reports of the Beast\u2019s Looks and Behavior<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Unsolved Mystery of the Beast\u2019s Nature<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Sources<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n