12 Interesting Facts About Charles de Gaulle

Do you want to know some interesting facts about Charles de Gaulle?

Born Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle in Lille, in northern France, on November 22, 1980, Charles de Gaulle is the last President of the Fourth Republic of France.

If there was one leader that is best associated with France, it would be Charles de Gaulle. For many people all over the world, the name name “Charles de Gaulle” is synonymous with France. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest and most influential French leaders in history.

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Read to know more interesting facts about Charles de Gaulle.

12 Interesting Facts About Charles de Gaulle

1. The largest and busiest airport in France is named after him

Aéroport de Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle or Paris Charles De Gaulle International Airport is recognized as the largest and busiest airport in the country.

Located in Roissy-en-France, 23 kilometers northeast of the French capital, the Charles de Gaulle Airport also goes by the names Roissy Airport and Paris CDG. It opened in 1974 and spans 32.38 square kilometres of land.

The Charles de Gaulle Airport is the world’s 9th busiest airport. In Europe, it is second only to London’s Heathrow. Within the EU, it is on the number one spot in terms of passenger numbers.

2. He is known in France simply as “le Général” or “the General”

Gen. Charles de Gaulle was a statesman and officer in the French army who headed the Free French movement that fought the Nazis during the Second World War.

De Gaulle’s interest in the military started when he was a boy. It was not surprising that he decided to attend the Saint-Cyr Military Academy in Guer, France.

In 1913, de Gaulle, who was then a young second lieutenant, became a member of an infantry regiment that Colonel Philippe Pétain commanded. Pétain who fought in the First World War would later be imprisoned for treason.

As a soldier, de Gaulle was brilliant, hardworking, and passionate. Throughout his military career that spanned from 1912 to 1944, he had been known to possess outstanding courge and great self-assurance. His rank was brigadier general.

3. He had fought in 8 battles

General de Gaulle had fought in a total of 8 battles, which were the following: Battle of Verdun, Battle of the Somme, Polish – Soviet War, Battle of France, Battle of Montcornet, Battle of Abbeville, Battle of Dakar, and the Liberation of Paris.

4. Charles de Gaulle saved France from several crises

Gen. de Gaulle had saved his country from several deep crises.

First, he was hugely responsible for the liberation of France from the Nazis during the Second World War. This made “le Général” a war and national hero.

When World War II was over, de Gaulle became the leader of the nation during some of France’s tensest periods – from 1944 through 1946 and from 1958 until 1969.

He is also linked with the founding of the most recent Fifth French Republic as well as the making of a new constitution which strengthened the institution of the presidency.

As president, Charles de Gaulle worked hard for the French politics to be more nationalist, which reinforced its position in the international scene.

5. Charles de Gaulle married on April 6, 1921

Charles de Gaulle was a military captain who was recently home from a mission in Poland when he met young Yvonne Vendroux.

A year later, on 6 April 1921, the two were married in the Notre-Dame de Calais Church in Calais on the Opal Coast, where the Vendroux family was from.

6. Charles de Gaulle had a daughter with Down syndrome

The union of Charles de Gaulle and Yvonne Vendroux produced three children: Philippe (born in 1921), Élisabeth (born in 1924), and Anne (born in 1928).

The youngest child, Anne de Gaulle, was born in the German city of Trier where her soldier father was stationed. She was born with Down syndome, a genetic disorder that is usually associated with distinct facial features, intellectual disability which can be mild to moderate, and delays in physical growth.

Suffice it to say, Anne was his father’s favorite. He would often sing and dance with her, or do pantomimes to entertain her.

In 1945, the de Gaulles established the Fondation Anne de Gaulle at the Château de Vert-Cœur at Milon-la-Chapelle, in north-central France. It was a private hospital for handicapped girls like Anne, who succumbed to bronchial pneumonia in 1948.

7. Charles de Gaulles was a devout Catholic

Charles de Gaulle was raised in a strictly Catholic family. Henri de Gaulle, Charles’ father, taught history and literature at a Jesuit high school in Paris.

It was Charles de Gaulle’s religious parents who were responsible for his spiritual and intellectual formation in the Catholic faith. Prior to the military academy, he attended Catholic schools.

When he was 16, Charles de Gaulle volunteered to be a stretcher-bearer at Lourdes. There he witnessed a miracle: a paralyzed Italian girl cured during the holy procession.

De Gaulle frequently attended the Mass and as a student he was one of the few who joined Congregation of the Holy Virgin, a religious organization devoted to prayer and spiritual meditation.

8. De Gaulle became President of the French Republic on 21 December 1958

De Gaulle was elected President by an electoral college. He was reelected for a second term in 1965. He resigned from presidency in 1969, following the failure of his referendum in which he proposed more decentralization.

9. His First Lady was also a conservative Catholic

Yvonne de Gaulle was strictly Catholic just like her husband. Mrs. de Gaulle fought against prostitution, pornography and its sale in newsstands, and the display of sex and nudity on TV.

For her conservative Catholic views, Yvonne de Gaulle garned the famous nickname “Tante Yvonne,” or “Auntie Yvonne.”

10. Charles de Gaulle survived 30 attempts on his life

If cats had nine lives, Charles de Gaulle had 30!

The most prominent of all these attempts was led by Jean Bastien-Thiry, a lieutenant-colonel in the French Air Force and also a military air-weaponry engineer.

Bastien-Thiry belonged to the Organisation Armée Secrète, a right-wing organization that opposed President de Gaulle’s decision to sign the independence of Algeria.

He was the last man in France to be executed by firing squad for his foiled assassination attempt on the president on August 22, 1962.

11. His daughter Anne’s picture saved General de Gaulle’s life

The 22 August 1962 failed assassination attempt on Charles de Gaulle took place as he was riding his limousine with his wife at Petit-Clamart, a suburb of Paris.

A potentially fatal bullet from the machine gun that ambushed the couple hit the frame of Anne de Gaulle’s picture that her father always carried with him.

That day, the picture frame was placed on the rear shelf of the de Gaulle’s limo, saving President de Gaulle’s life by stopping the bullet that would have otherwise hit him.

12. Charles de Gaulle died a natural death two weeks shy of his 80th birthday

After so many foiled attempts on Charles de Gaulle’s life, he enjoyed a very healthy life until November 9, 1970 – just a couple of weeks shy of his 80th birthday.

He died of aneurysm in his home in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises, watching TV and playing cards.

Then French President Georges Pompidou announced General de Gaulle’s death the following morning with a simple statement: “Le général de Gaulle est mort; la France est veuve.” Translated to English, it means: “General de Gaulle is dead. France is a widow.”