The French government is astonished by the…
July 1887 CE
The French government is astonished by the revelation that Boulanger had received around one hundred thousand votes for the partial election in Seine, without him even being a candidate.
He is removed from the Paris region and sent to the provinces, appointed commander of the troops stationed in Clermont-Ferrand.
Upon his departure on July 8, a crowd of ten thousand takes the Gare de Lyon by storm, covering his train with posters titled Il reviendra ("He will come back"), and blocking the railway, but he is smuggled through on a switch engine.
The general decides to gather support for his own movement, an eclectic one that capitalizes on the frustrations of French conservatism, advocating the three principles of Revanche (Revenge on Germany), Révision (Revision of the Constitution), Restoration (the return to monarchy).
The common reference to it has become Boulangisme, a term used by its partisans and adversaries alike.
Immediately, the option is backed by notable conservative figures such as Henri Rochefort, Count Arthur Dillon, Alfred Joseph Naquet, Anne de Mortemart-Rochechouart (Duchess of Uzès, who finances him with immense sums), Arthur Meyer, and Paul Déroulède (and his Ligue des Patriotes).