Within the history of France, there may have not been a single object more influential then the guillotine. It was a turning point because it became a huge cultural center in the cities in which it was used. It was also a substantial invention because of its longevity. The guillotine may have only been a machine, but it was a machine that influenced multiple countries. The idea of the guillotine was proposed by a Dr. Guillotin.
Dr. Guillotin was a doctor who was a politician. On the tenth of October, 1789, Dr. Guillotin released 6 articles concerning the execution of convicted criminals.
The articles read as this: 1. Offences of the same kind will be punished by the same kind of penalty. 2. In all cases where the law imposes the death penalty on an accused person, the punishment shall be the same, whatever the nature of the offence of which he is guilty; the criminal shall be decapitated; this will be done solely by means of a simple mechanism.
3. In view of the personal character of crime, no punishment of a guilty person shall involve and discredit to his family. The honour of those belonging to him shall be in no way soiled, and they shall continue to be no less admissible to any kind of profession, employment and public function. 4.
No one shall reproach a citizen with any punishment imposed on one of his relatives. Whosoever ventures to do so shall be publicly reprimanded by the judge. The sentence imposed on him shall be written up on the offender’s door. Moreover, it shall be written up on the pillory and remain there for a period of three months. 5.
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Confiscation of the condemned person’s property shall in no case be imposed. 6. The corpse of an executed man shall be handed over to his family on their request. In every case, he shall be allowed normal burial and no reference shall be made on the register to the nature of his death. These were placed on all executions.
In 1791, a committee stated that every execution should be done by decapitation. This was a huge landmark in French history because these laws were going to affect every execution and all the people in france by fear of decapitation. Within months of the guillotine’s debut as a tool of execution, the country of france knew it’s name and purpose. Known criminals adorned themselves with the guillotine. People from around the globe saw the guillotine do it’s job at least once during their stay in france.
A Lord Byron sent a correspondent to France, this correspondent documented his view of the guillotine “The day before I left, I saw three robbers guillotined. The ceremony – including the masque d priests; the half naked executioners; the bandaged criminals; the black Christ and his banner; the Scaffold; the soldiery; the slow procession, and the quick rattle and heavy fall of the axe; the splash of the blood, and the ghastliness of the exposed heads – is altogether more impressive than the vulgar and ungentlemanly new drop and dog-like agony of infliction upon the sufferers of the English sentence… .” His experience at the guillotine shows what the general reaction to the disgusting executions were. The influence by the guillotine on many people grew.
It was brought everywhere the revolutionary army went, Including the West Indies and Belgium. It was later brought to germany and italy where it was used by the Third Reich. In paris, the guillotine became a cultural part of the city. A restaurant was built around the scaffold and many people gathered around it to watch the executions. Programs were handed out to the spectators, containing the executions to be performed for the rest of the day.
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To many it was a daily outing and they brought their children. The impact of this was huge due to the fact that almost every was in some way affected by the guillotine. Even Executioners were called the avengers of the people. They called the executioners this, because the people liked them and executioner was a derogatory word back then. The biggest event involving the guillotine occurred on the 21 st of January 1793. On this day, King Louis XVI was executed by means of decapitation.
Accused of conspiring against liberty and calling all of the citizens of France rebels, Louis was not given a trial. He was not given a trial due to the fact that he was king and was responsible for his actions. He was found as the sole rebel and was condemned. He was executed at the guillotine to insult his divine right of royalty. Many made out the guillotine to represent justice.
It’s swift and simple design awed all who watched it. Louis tried to appeal for himself at the scaffold. But was not able to get his words out. He said a few words to make his death seem more unnecessary and wrong, and then he was killed.
His wife, Marie Antoinette was killed on the 16 th of October in the same year. These two events, may have been the most dramatic and important events of the last 250 years within the country of France. With a more painful and torturous execution, the people of france may have not wanted to see him in that much pain and gotten Louis off. The Execution of Louis, may have been the deciding factor leading into the French revolution. The Guillotine at this time, reached it’s peak use and popularity. The founding of the republic and the Death of Louis contained “sacral overtones” and for this the guillotine was the altar.
There was a cult, with the guillotine as the center and a song about the guillotine “Saint Guillotine, protectress or patriots, pray for us. Saint Guillotine, terror of the aristocrats, protect us; Kindly machine, have pity on us, Admirable Machine, have pity on us, Saint Guillotine, deliver us from our enemies/Oh heavenly guillotine, you cut short kings and queens. Through your celestial might, we have reconquered all our rights. Defend our nations law. May you, O proud device, Exist for evermore. The guillotine was used last in 1977.
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It began to decline shortly after the revolutionary when the whole spectacle of the Guillotine was gone. The use of it became only senseless killing and murdering. The idea of the guillotine came from a man who only wanted to see the death penalty changed, to make it more humane. He probably wouldn’t have envisioned that a whole society revolving around the guillotine would ever exist. The guillotine itself did nothing but move up and down and all around. The guillotine was very important because it was something around which the culture of the French citizens revolved.
1. Kershaw, Alister. A History of the Guillotine London: John Calder, 1958 2. Lenore, G. The Guillotine and it’s servants London: Hutchinson & Co. Ltd, 1929 3.
Aras se, Daniel. The Guillotine and the Terror Britain: Butler & Tanner, 1987 4. Ger ould Daniel. Guillotine, It’s Legend and Lore New York: Blast Books, 1992 5. web > 6.
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