Methods of Execution During the French Revolution

Investigation of Death Apart From the Guillotine

The French Revolution (1789-1795), an era of political and social turmoil, accompanied by drastic and radical transformation, changed the face of French history. The pinnacle of this upheaval in the revolution was a period of mass violence and bloodshed, of fear and suspicion and of political conflict and rivalry, this period is known as ‘The Reign of Terror’. The ‘Reign of Terror’ is famously symbolised by the guillotine and is marked by the mass execution of those who were seen to be “enemies of the revolution” with the numbers of casualties ranging from 20,000 to 40,000. However not always did the ‘enemies’ succumb to their fates of the loss of life under the ‘blade of justice’ and sometimes, though infrequently died through other methods which provided a parallel result. This investigation will examine some of the ways in which the ‘enemies’ were killed without the application of the guillotine.

The attack on the Tuileries is a vibrant example of the seldom alternative to the guillotine. After a proclamation of attempted intimidation of Paris from the Duke of Brunswick gave the impression of Louis to be conspiring with the enemies of France, the sans-culottes set out for an insurrection upon the Tuileries on the 10th of August 1792. The sans-culottes during their exhibition of revolt massacred the numerous Swiss Guards that were defending the Tuileries deeming them to be the aforementioned ‘enemies’ to the revolution and who held the intentions of counter-revolutionary operations.

Another good example of killing apart from the guillotines is the September Massacres. After the insurrection on the Tuileries, the sans-culottes entered into a mass killing binge, seeking out whomever they considered to be ‘bad citizens’ and executing them on the spot. The first attacks were made on priests being transported into prisons. Crowds broke into prisons and following attacks were made on prisoners who were sent to prison...