FLOURENS, GUSTAVE (1838-1871), French revolution ary and one of the most romantic figures of the Commune, was born on Aug. 4, son of Pierre Flourens (see below) . Gustave was trained by his father to succeed him, and had a brilliant scientific career up till his father's death in 1867, when the Col lege de France, to which his evolutionary theories and his repub lican opinions were equally objectionable, abruptly signified that it had no further use for his services. Flourens indignantly left the country and went to Crete, where he joined the ranks of the insurrection against Turkey. In this hard guerrilla warfare he gained his chief military experience, and acquired such prestige among the Cretans that he was chosen president of the delegation elected by Crete in 1868 to sit in the Hellenic parliament. Had it- been admitted (see TURKEY : History), war between Greece and Turkey might well have resulted; the Greek government solved their difficulties by kidnapping Flourens and sending him to France, while they turned his colleagues back to Crete. He then carried on republican propaganda in Naples till he was im prisoned, and in France, where he was dangerously wounded in a duel with Paul de Cassagnac. At the funeral of Victor Noir (Jan. 12, 187o) he attempted with his usual impetuosity, to lead an insurrection, but was thwarted by Rochefort, Deiescluze, and Blanqui (qq.v.) : he did in fact attempt a rising on Feb. 7, which collapsed at once, and he was condemned to imprisonment in a fortified place. During the siege of Paris he was ardently patriotic and commanded, first five battalions raised in Belleville, then a corps of tirailleurs. Together with 23 other chefs de bat taillon he overturned the government on Oct. 31, charging it with treachery, but as he received support from no politician but Blanqui, withdrew from the hotel de ville after negotiation. On the outbreak of the Commune (March 18, 1871) Flourens was elected for the 19th and loth arrondissements and made a colonel. He attempted by a personal example of bravery and devotion to diminish the incoherence and disorder around him : he exposed himself too rashly at Rueil in the sortie of April 3, was captured, and killed while a prisoner by a sabre cut from an officer.
See the Grand Dictionnaire, etc., Larousse (5869 etc.) s.v.
(R. W. P.)