Guillotine
Overview
The guillotine (ˈɡɪlətiːn or /ˈɡiː.ətiːn/; ɡijɔtin) is a device used for carrying out :executions by decapitation
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...

. It consists of a tall upright frame from which an angled blade
Blade
A blade is that portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with a cutting edge and/or a pointed tip that is designed to cut and/or puncture, stab, slash, chop, slice, thrust, or scrape animate or inanimate surfaces or materials...

 is suspended. This blade is raised with a rope and then allowed to drop, severing the head from the body. The device is noted for long being the main method of execution in France and, more particularly, for its use during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

, when it "became a part of popular culture, celebrated as the people's avenger by supporters of the Revolution and vilified as the pre-eminent symbol of the Reign of Terror
Reign of Terror
The Reign of Terror , also known simply as The Terror , was a period of violence that occurred after the onset of the French Revolution, incited by conflict between rival political factions, the Girondins and the Jacobins, and marked by mass executions of "enemies of...

 by opponents." Nevertheless, the guillotine continued to be used long after the French Revolution in several countries, including France, where it was the sole method of execution until the abolition of capital punishment in 1981.
On 10 October 1789, Doctor Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin was a French physician who proposed on 10 October 1789 the use of a device to carry out death penalties in France. While he did not invent the guillotine, and in fact opposed the death penalty, his name became an eponym for it...

, a French physician, stood before the National Assembly
National Assembly (French Revolution)
During the French Revolution, the National Assembly , which existed from June 17 to July 9, 1789, was a transitional body between the Estates-General and the National Constituent Assembly.-Background:...

 and proposed the following six articles in favour of the reformation of capital punishment:
  • Article 1: All offenses of the same kind will be punished by the same type of punishment irrespective of the rank of status of the guilty party.
  • Article 2: Whenever the Law imposes the death penalty, irrespective of the nature of the offense, the punishment shall be the same: decapitation, effected by means of a simple mechanism.
  • Article 3: The punishment of the guilty party shall not bring discredit upon or discrimination against his family.
  • Article 4: No one shall reproach a citizen with any punishment imposed on one of his relatives.
Timeline

1792    Highwayman Nicolas J. Pelletier becomes the first person executed by guillotine.

1793    After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, Louis XVI of France is executed by guillotine.

1793    Jean-Paul Marat recites the names of 29 people to the French National Convention. Almost all of these people are guillotined, followed by 17,000 more over the course of the next year during the Reign of Terror.

1793    Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, is guillotined at the height of the French Revolution.

1793    French playwright, journalist and feminist Olympe de Gouges is guillotined.

1793    Jean Sylvain Bailly, the first Mayor of Paris, is guillotined.

1794    Branded a traitor during the Reign of Terror by revolutionists, French chemist Antoine Lavoisier, who was also a tax collector with the ''Ferme Générale'', is tried, convicted, and guillotined all on the same day in Paris.

1794    Maximilien Robespierre is executed by guillotine in Paris during the French Revolution.

1977    Hamida Djandoubi, convicted of torture and murder, is the last person to be executed by guillotine in France.

Quotations

And if my thought-dreams could be seen, they'd probably put my head in a guillotine.

Bob Dylan, "It's Alright, Ma"

 
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