Concombre, Septidi, 7 Messidor, An CCXIV

[cachecache.livejournal.com]

Group discussion time!

So...we all know that sometime between 9 Thermidor and 10 Thermidor, Robespierre obtained a not-so-pleasant bullet wound to his jaw. Some people said he tried (and obviously failed) to commit suicide before he could be guillotined while others said he was shot by someone (either a guard, someone who tried to save him but missed really horrible, or just someone who wasn't a big Robesy fan). Which account do you believe?

Something else I've heard is that right before the blade came down on his head, the executioner reached down and ripped of Robespierre's bandage, making so that his last few seconds on earth were spent screaming in pain. That wasn't very nice.

Comments

[jonahmama.livejournal.com]

From the research I have done, the guard shooting Robespierre is the more likely of the two scenarios. Actually what is most likely is that a number of guards, expecting armed resistance, stormed into the main hall of the Hotel de Ville guns blazing (as trigger-happy self-important policemen have a tendency to do). Most likely several rounds were fired at random, and one of them happened to hit Robespierre. Merda was probably just taking credit for something he or another guard might have done basically accidentally. The suicide story is suspect in part because it serves conveniently to mar Robespierre's reputation, which is precisely what subsequent historians wanted to do. He had never handled a weapon in his entire life, would not have carried one on his person, and it is highly unlikely that he was prepared to use one on himself or anyone else. The angle and nature of the wound also suggest a longer range, since a shot at close range (self-inflicted) would have likely penetrated through bone and either lodged in the skull or exited through the back of the head/neck. The bullet lodged in Robespierre's jaw, in a place shallow enough to be later extracted by a surgeon (without the benefit of anesthetic), along with several teeth. The only piece of evidence lending credence to the suicide theory is that two small (personal) guns were found beside LeBas, both his, and reportedly Robespierre had been sitting beside LeBas, who may have handed him one of the guns before using the other one to shoot himself. Since people in such situations react entirely instinctively (having only seconds to act), if indeed Robespierre picked up the gun and decided to use it on himself, how likely do you think it would be that he would be signing his name on a decree with his right hand (his signature is unfinished and smeared due to the scuffle) while shooting himself with his left?

Incidentally, I believe Augustin didn't try to off himself by jumping out the window - he was trying to escape. The design of the building might have made jumping down in stages possible (in a move right out of an action movie), however it was raining that night and everything was quite slick, so he slipped, and fell to his death.

And finally, the executioner was actually trying to do Robespierre a favor by ripping off his bandages, as difficult as that might be to believe. The wound was bandaged several times around with gauze, a fairly sticky and resistant material, and the blade was known to get caught on things like that (hence the fact that they took off people's cravats, pulled back shirts and even cut their hair). Supposedly the executioner was heard saying that if the bandage were left on, it would take several hits of the blade to execute Robespierre. As much as I'd take that piece with a huge helping of salt, I'm inclined to believe that the executioner simply wanted to get this execution over with as quickly and easily as possible.

Sorry for the long-winded answer... these little details are sometimes the most interesting. Most of the time I find the most prosaic, relatable scenario is the correct one.

[trf-chan.livejournal.com]

Ah...totally blows me out of the water. :P Yeah, I think what you've laid out here is much more believable. Thanks!

[kurotoshi.livejournal.com]

Holy fuck! (pardon the language) but that was actually a bit what I was thinking, but the executioner thing, wow, you have obviously done your homework! That is quite amazing, I'm highly impressed! You are really well informed!

[kurotoshi.livejournal.com]

and don't apologise for the long winded answer, it's the details that make the explanation more possible!