Clément Duval

Clément Duval (1850-1935) was a French anarchist. He is best known as a proponent of propaganda of the deed and the principal founder of illegalism, an anarchist tendency that he extensively inspired, practiced, and theorized.

Born into a modest socialist family, he fought in the Franco-Prussian War and was severely wounded; after years of bedridden suffering, he was left impoverished and unfit for work. He began stealing to support his family. Duval was arrested and imprisoned for a year, during which time he became an anarchist and was politicized. Upon his release, he became actively involved in anarchist militancy and was imprisoned again, this time for a few weeks. After his release, the anarchist began a series of arson attacks targeting the properties of business owners. He also prepared explosives to launch a series of bombings in the capital but was arrested after burglarizing and setting fire to the home of Madeleine Lemaire, alongside his group, The Panther of Batignolles.

During his trial, which influenced many contemporary or later anarchists such as Louise Michel, Vittorio Pini or the Bonnot Gang, Duval notably theorized the idea of individual reclamation—stealing from bourgeois targets to redistribute wealth. His positions and defenses have led many to consider him the father of illegalism, a particularly significant tendency of anarchism in Western Europe.

Sentenced to death, his punishment was commuted to life at hard labor, and he was deported to the penal colony of the Salvation Islands, where he remained for 13 years until he managed to escape—on his eighteenth attempt. Duval then fled to the United States, where he died in 1935. His life and legend inspired cultural works, such as Papillon by Henri Charrière, a depoliticized version of his life in the penal colony.