Between 1764 and 1767, the remote French province of Gévaudan was terrorized by a mysterious predator that parish records called La Bête—“The Beast.” More than 100 people were killed in daylight attacks that witnesses insisted were “like a wolf, yet not a wolf.” Royal hunters claimed victory, yet the killings continued until a local farmer brought down a creature whose proportions defied easy explanation.
This episode explores the attacks, the hunt, and the leading theories—from wolves to hybrids to possible human involvement—and why the legend endures as one of Europe’s strangest historical mysteries.
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Sources:
- Smithsonian Magazine — Lorraine Boissoneault, When the Beast of Gévaudan Terrorized France (June 26, 2017). Overview; attack range; “nearly 100 dead”; context of royal intervention and Chastel. Smithsonian Magazine
- Wikipedia (EN) — Beast of Gévaudan (last updated recently). Consolidated chronology with citations; Boulet entry; Chastel/Marin details; Bishop’s mandement; competing identity theories. Wikipedia
- Wikipedia (FR) — Bête du Gévaudan and Marie-Jeanne Vallet. Vallet’s 11 Aug 1765 counter-attack with bayonet on a staff; Antoine’s follow-up and blood on the blade (≈3 pouces); dated timeline; Chazes and Chastel entries. Wikipedia
- Wikimedia Commons (French National Archives image) — Procès-verbal d’examen du corps de la “bête du Gévaudan”, AE/II/2927, 20 June 1767 (notary Roch-Étienne Marin; post-mortem by Dr. Boulanger). Wikimedia Commons
- Wikipedia (FR) — François Antoine. Royal gun-bearer; the Chazes kill (21 Sept 1765); Versailles presentation; contested finality as attacks resumed. Wikipedia
- Margeride en Gévaudan (official tourism/history) — concise parish-based geography of early attacks (Les Hubacs, Mercoire, Langogne). Margeride en Gevaudan
