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Birth of Alfred Dreyfus
Alfred Dreyfus is born in Mülhausen, Alsace, France. -
Dreyfus enrolls in Military College
At the age of 18, Dreyfus enrolls in the elite École Polytechnique military school in Paris. He will face strong discrimination due to his Jewish heritage, but still graduate in 1880 and be comissioned as a sub-lieutenant. -
Admitted to the École Supérieure de Guerre
Three days after he is married to Lucie Eugénie Hadamard, Dreyfus is admitted to "War College,". He graduates 9th in his class. He is expected to do well with his after examinations which will determine his placement in the military afterwards, however one of his commanding officers remarks that "Jews were not desired" in the service and deeply affects his markings and his placement. -
Dreyfus Arrested for Alleged Treason
Earlier in the year, the French Army's counter intelligence branch becomes aware that highly classified information pertaining to French artillery has been leaked to the Germans. As it could only come from a high-ranking official on the General Staff, Dreyfus immediatly comes under suspicion. Although this is thought to be the product of anti-Semitism, Dreyfus is arrested regardless. -
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In Exile
Dreyfus spends five years on the prison colony île du Diable, otherwise known as Devil's Island. -
Dreyfus Sentenced to Life
Dreyfus is publically stripped of his rankings in the military and sentenced to life imprisionment on Devils's Island in French Guiana. His sword was broken and his braids cut off his uniform, as natural for the fashion of the time, and he was reported to have said before being escorted out of the court, "I swear that I am innocent. I remain worthy of serving in the Army. Long live France! Long live the Army" -
The Real Culprit
After new evidence surfaces, the actual traitor is revealed to be Major Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy. Although sufficent enough evidence existed to convict Esterhazy, he walks free. Unlike Dreyfus, Esterhazy was allowed a closed door trial in order to keep his name. -
Dreyfus Pardoned
After Esterhazy is found not guilty, he flees France, leaving Dreyfus in jail. After many demonstrations and protests, pertaining to the apparent and clear anti-Semitism surrounding the trial, Dreyfus is released. He is not reinstated his military rank until much later. He was cited as saying upon his release: "The government of the Republic has given me back my freedom. It is nothing for me without my honor." -
Dreyfus Exonerated
Dreyfus is given back his military rankings. The next day he is brought back into the military and rewarded as a Chef d'Escadron (major) and a week later he was promoted to the ranking of Knight of the Legion of Honour. -
Assassination Attempt
Dreyfus is wounded when Louis Gregori, an angered journalist, shoots him in the arm in an assassination attempt. This takes place at the reburial of one of Dreyfus' friend and supporter, Emile Zola, funeral, moving him from Montparnasse to the Panthéon. Present day, Zola shares a crypt with Victor Hugo. -
Alfred Dreyfus Dies
Dreyfus dies at 75 years old, 29 years to the day after his exoneration. Prior to his death, his health had suffered horrifically due to his time on Devil's Island. He retired from the military at the young age of 48 only to be reinstated with the happening of World War I, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
