The first thing that comes to mind when the modern world hears about the French Revolution is the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte. However, for the thousands of French residents who were executed during the Reign of Terror, there was one particular machine that drove fear straight to their spines – the Guillotine. This device had one main job: to slice off the head of anyone found guilty. Even though it may seem absurd compared to modern execution methods, the Guillotine was considered a more human execution method. Journey with us as we explore the bizarre history of the Guillotine.
How The Idea of Using the Guillotine for Executions Started
Everything about the Guillotine is horrific, starting from its invention. During the early days of the French Revolution, Dr Joseph-Ignace Guillotin asked for the audience of the National Assembly in 1789. The funny bit is that Dr Guillotin proposed a fairer execution method equal to common criminals and aristocrats.
Apparently, the aristocrats had a habit of paying off executioners to pull off a smoother beheading. According to Dr Guillotin, his method was a fairer form of capital punishment where beheadings would be “equal” to both rich and poor.
Two years later, beheading was passed by the French National Assembly as the recommended form of capital punishment. However, Charles-Henri Sanson, a state executioner whose family had invested heavily in capital punishment, perceived certain problems with beheading. He complemented Dr Guillotin’s argument that beheading by sword was an inexact form of punishment. Therefore, the National Assembly embraced one of Dr Guillotin’s ideas, which involve using a beheading machine.
Did Dr Joseph-Ignace Guillotin Invent the Guillotine?
Contrary to popular belief, Dr Joseph-Ignace Guillotin did not invent the Guillotine. He only proposed this idea – Antoine Louis built the actual machine. In the initial stages, this device was named the Louisette.
While the prototype was inferior, the Bicetre Hospital in France put in efforts that saw a more refined machine delivered to Henri Sanson, a state executioner at the time. He first tested it on animals like sheep and goats before advancing to the corpses of children and women.
At one point, Swanson discovered cuts on male corpses weren’t very neat, so the machine had to be remodeled again. This was achieved by changing the shape of the convex blade and increasing the height from which the blade would drop from.
The First Person to Be Executed Using the Guillotine
After months of refining the Guillotine, it was ready for public use, with Nicolas Jacques Pelletier being the first victim. He was a French highwayman who had been sentenced to death under robbery and murder charges. After a significant wait for Swanson to refine the Guillotine, the device was finally ready. On April 25, 1792, Nicolas Pelletier was executed in front of the Place de l’Hotel de Ville, which is currently the City Hall of Paris.
After the ordeal, the crowd was not thrilled and demanded wooden gallows. The National Assembly did not care about this. Instead, they saw this as a move in the right direction. Days after the execution, the National Assembly ordered the speedy manufacture of guillotines, which were then transported to different cities in France.
Manufacturers even started making toy guillotines that would be used to decapitate the figures of politicians or state enemies. To further put into perspective how sick this invention was, there were toy guillotines that kids would use to behead dolls or live mice.
How the Use of Guillotines Impacted Executions
Because of the effectiveness of the Guillotine, executions were more efficient. Swanson and his team could easily decapitate more than ten criminals in less than 15 minutes. It is for this reason that the executioner holds the record of beheading 300 men and women in just three days.
Over time, historians have argued that this machine may have single-handedly ushered in the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. This might be true because, after Nicolas, thousands of men were beheaded using the Guillotine, the majority of whom hadn’t even stood trial or been found guilty.
The Guillotine was used for seven straight years up until 1797 when executions were halted. During this time, it painted France red. This machine even took the life of King Louis XVI, who, at one point during his reign, had requested specific changes to the Guillotine. The original proposer of this idea, Dr Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, grew afraid of what his invention had turned into. Even when capital punishment was disbanded in 1781, Dr Guillotin was still disgusted with this device because his legacy was and will always remain attached to the Guillotine.
The Guillotine Was Not a New Invention
Looking further back in history, we see that the Guillotine has always existed in Europe but went by other names. For instance, a version of the Guillotine known as the Halifax Gibbet was used in Europe in the 1200s.
From the 1500s to the 1700s, there was a guillotine-like machine called the Maiden in Scotland. In both these versions, death was almost instant because the devices would feature a weighted blade that would be released on the neck of a victim’s head.
As we take a trip down memory lane, it’s important to note that beheading by Guillotine was not the only form of capital punishment. Before that, the French authorities permitted hanging, burning to the stake, and tearing a victim apart by tying their four limbs to different horses and having them move in different directions. Therefore, though bizarre, the Guillotine seems to have been a better option.