Concombre, Septidi, 7 Messidor, An CCXIV
Jun. 25th, 2006 08:58 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
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.
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.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-26 10:54 pm (UTC)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.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-27 10:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-02 07:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-07-02 07:31 pm (UTC)