The French Revolution
The French Revolution and the ensuing Reign of Terror was responsible
for the public execution of thousands of people.
Some such as the pretty 'Manette', also known as La Fille Bonhourt were
murderers. Manette likes to dress in mens' clothing and killed several
lovers. On the day of her execution she submitted quietly to having
her long blonde curls cut off and her hands strapped together behind her
back. Before a massive crowd she was beheaded - her last words were
'Don't you think it's a pity to cut off a head as beautiful as mine?'
It was held up to the crowd after her death for almost a minute.
Most deaths were, however, pureluy political. In just over five years,
over three thousand were guillotined, four hundred of the women of which
150 were aged under 25 (15 were under 18yrs old). Many of these were
maidservants or young reletives of the aristocracy. On one occasion
16 young Carmelite nuns were guillotined one after the other. Other
famous female victims include the sister of the king, Elizabeth,
the acress Maria Grandmaison and her 18-yr old maidservant Nicole Bouchard.
The following is an account of Jeanne Becu Gomard's execution (as a mistress
to the king), by her executioner.
"Her teeth were hattering, her voice came from her throat, hoarse,
gasping. Like many others, I was moved to tears. In spite of
all my efforts to control my emotions, never had a journey (to the scaffold)
seemed so long."
It took three men to hold her so that her hands could be bound
and her hair cut, the woman wrtestled with her aides, screaming that she
was innocent, eventually sobbing "No, no, it can't be. You're not
going to let me die".
An account from the memoirs of Madame Vigee-Lebrun:
"She could not stand the sight of the scaffold. She screamed
- she begged for mercy of the horrible crowd."
Her severed head was later recovered and modelled in wax by the
uncle of Marie Grosholtz, better known as Madame Tussaud, and was
their first work.
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