Resolution of the Dreyfus affair

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Part of a series on the
Dreyfus affair
Investigation and arrest Trial and conviction Georges Picquart's investigations Other investigations J'Accuse...! Resolution Bibliography
People Alfred Dreyfus Alphonse Bertillon Armand du Paty de Clam Auguste Mercier Émile Zola Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy Georges Picquart Georges-Gabriel de Pellieux Hubert-Joseph Henry Jean Sandherr Lucie Dreyfus Ludovic Trarieux Maximilian von Schwartzkoppen
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The resolution of the Dreyfus affair began with the decision of the Court of Cassation to annul the original 1894 conviction of Alfred Dreyfus and order a new trial. This decision was based on two "new facts": the attribution of the bordereau to Ferdinand Walsin Esterhazy and the secret communication of the "canaille de D..." document to Dreyfus' judges. The case was sent to a new court-martial in Rennes for retrial.

The Rennes trial, which began on 7 August 1899, was marked by intense public interest and military pressure. Despite evidence supporting Dreyfus' innocence, including Émile Zola's famous "J'Accuse…!" and the exposure of forged documents by Colonel Hubert-Joseph Henry, the court-martial again found Dreyfus guilty of treason. However, in a controversial decision, they cited "extenuating circumstances" and sentenced him to ten years' detention.

The verdict was met with international outrage and domestic turmoil. To quell the unrest, French President Émile Loubet pardoned Dreyfus on 19 September 1899, though this did not clear his name. The French government, led by Prime Minister Pierre Waldeck-Rousseau, passed an amnesty law in December 1900 to prevent further legal actions related to the affair. It wasn't until 1906 that Dreyfus was fully exonerated by the Court of Cassation, reinstated in the army, and awarded the Legion of Honour.