An act of dragoons harassing or persecuting people; forcible conscription or coercive military action; oppression by soldiers.
From 'dragoon' (mounted soldier/to coerce) + '-ade' (French suffix for action or collection). Related to the historical dragonnades of persecution.
The distinction between 'dragonnade' and 'dragoonade' shows how closely military oppression and mythology intertwined—mounted soldiers called 'dragoons' (possibly named after dragons) committed so many brutal acts that their name became synonymous with violent persecution.
Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.