Émile Chanoux

Aosta’s main square bears his name. Émile Chanoux defended the French language, the Aosta Valley’s identity and the idea of self-government against fascism. It cost him his life, at 38.

Émile Chanoux, a son of Valsavarenche

Émile Chanoux was born on 9 January 1906 in Rovenaud, a hamlet of Valsavarenche. In 1922, still very young, he joined the Ligue valdôtaine for the protection of the French language. He left it two years later and founded the Jeune Vallée d’Aoste, chaired by Abbé Joseph-Marie Trèves.

In 1927 he graduated in law, with a thesis on ethnic minorities in international law. From 1926 he was already thinking about a federal model inspired by Switzerland.

Chanoux, political heir of Abbé Trèves

When Abbé Trèves died in 1941, Chanoux took up his political legacy. On 8 September 1943 he left Chambéry, where he lived, and returned to Aosta. He became the leader of the Aosta Valley Resistance.

On 19 December 1943, with Ernest Page, he took part in the secret meeting at Chivasso. Representatives of the Alpine valleys drew up a declaration there in favour of self-government and linguistic minorities.

Arrested on 18 May 1944 with Lino Binel

On 18 May 1944 Chanoux was arrested together with Lino Binel. He died that night as a result of torture. The fascist claim that he took his own life has been disproved.

His book Federalismo e autonomie was published after his death, in 1944. His writings were later collected in the Écrits (1994). Today the Émile Chanoux Foundation in Aosta studies federalism and linguistic minorities.

Sources: Fondation Émile Chanoux; Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley.