thumb|Jules Bonnot in 1912
Jules Joseph Bonnot (14 October 1876 – 28 April 1912) was a French soldier, illegalist anarchist, bank robber, and murderer. He is notorious for his role in the French anarchist band "The Bonnot Gang" that committed many crimes in early 20th-century Paris.
Born in Pont-de-Roide, Bonnot experienced many hardships in his youth, such as his mother dying when he was a child. Before his gang affiliation and time serving in the army, he had several run-ins with the law as a teenager. In 1887, he joined the French army as a mechanic, which resulted in an expertise in motor vehicles. After leaving the army, Bonnot adopted anarchist ideas in response to his frustration with the bourgeois society and followed a philosophy called illegalism.
Soon after, Bonnot formed the notorious "Bonnot Gang" in Paris, France with several fellow anarchists. They specialized in bank robberies utilizing motor vehicles to escape. From 1911 to 1912, the gang went on to commit many crimes around France that resulted in the deaths of many, including Bonnot's.
Early life
thumb|Bonnot and his family
Jules Bonnot was born on 14 October 1876 in Pont-de-Roide, France, a small commune in eastern France. His father labored as a smelter at a factory close to his childhood home. His father also struggled with alcoholism. When he was five years old, his mother died, leaving his grandmother to raise him throughout his entire childhood. In school, Bonnot was very intelligent; however, he lacked work ethic and was described as "lazy" and "insolent" by one of his teachers. When Bonnot reached his adolescence, his father remarried. Bonnot's early life took a turn for the worse when his brother Justin drowned himself in the waters of a nearby river due to heartbreak. As he got older, Bonnot developed a short temper and got in several fights at a local bar when he would go out into town. He even spent several days in prison after severely beating another person. Like his father, he also worked in a local factory but was promptly let go after robbing from the worksite, so he left for the town of Nancy, France in search of employment. When he was residing there, he was placed in jail for a period of three months after striking a member of the local police. As a result, Bonnot's father ceased all communication with him for he had disappointed him.
At the age of twenty-one, Bonnot was conscripted into the French army for a mandatory three years. He served in the 133rd Line regiment that was stationed near Lyon, France. During his time serving, Bonnot behaved himself and gained experience with the intricacies of the motor vehicles within the unit. When he finished his three years, he became engaged to a seamstress from Vouvray, France in 1900, named Sophie Burdet. They were married in August 1901, and they left to Bellegrade, France where Bonnot was employed at another factory. As a theme that was common in Bonnot's life, more tragic events unfolded. Bonnot's wife, Sophie, gave birth to a daughter in 1902 that only lived for four days. At the same time, Bonnot bounced around three different jobs but was fired for being violent and unruly towards his superiors. In 1903, Sophie gave birth to a son, who they named Justin after Bonnot's late brother. Later in 1903, when Bonnot contracted a case of tuberculosis, his wife Sophie left him to live in Dijon, France with a lover. Despite his calls for the custody of their son, Sophie refused every attempt and ceased all communication. Together with other local anarchists, they formed "The Bonnot Gang," an act of rebellion against their society. The group consisted of Edouard Carouy, André Soudy, Stephen Monier, René Valet, Raymond Callemin, Octave Garnier, and others, all whom were local anarchists of French and Belgian descent.
When Bonnot's frustration with capitalistic society grew to a breaking point, he decided that bank robberies were the most suitable expression of the sentiments of the Illegalists. The Bonnot Gang began by robbing a rare luxury car, a Delaunay-Belleville, to serve as the getaway vehicle for their crimes. Instead of laying low, Bonnot and Garnier continued their bouts of crime, venturing into Belgium and southern France at times.