The guillotine
So if there’s one thing to know about French history (which you probably already know), is that that it’s very, very bloody.
One of the main ways of methods of execution during the French Revolution was with the guillotine. It’s essentially a machine that can very easily can decapitate someone with a very high success rate.
Death by guillotine isn’t as far back in history as you’d like to think - in France the last time it was used was in 1977 (think of all the people you know that were alive then!). The death penalty in France was finally abolished four years after the last time it was used, in 1981.
the blade of a guillotine on display from a previous exhibition, Paris 1793-1794 Une année révolutionnaire, at the Carnavalet museum
There are many myths surrounding the guillotine, most of which are wrongly repeated by tour guides. Here are some of the most common misconceptions:
The origin of the name
Any guesses where the name guillotine comes from? You’d be thinking along the right lines if you said it’s named after someone. However, it’s not named after the person who invented it. It’s named after Joseph-Ignace Guillotin who was the person who proposed using the guillotine during the French Revolution.
Prior to this, decapitation was usually done with an axe, with which the success rate on the first swing was not always 100%. If you were of the upper class and executed, you might have the privilege of being decapitated using a sword instead.
The guillotine hasn’t always gone by this name, some of the other names include le Rasoir national, (the national razor) or la Monte-à-regret (the regretful climb).
Guillotin
Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738 – 1814) was a French physician, politician, and freemason who proposed the guillotine as a more humane method of execution. Believe it or not, he was actually against capital punishment and the death penalty.
Another myth surrounding Guillotin himself is that he was beheaded, but fortunately that’s not true. He died of natural causes at the age of 75. He is buried in the famous Père Lachaise cemetery.
The lasting legacy
I think it’s somewhat unfortunate that Guillotin has the lasting legacy of the guillotine considering he was against the death penalty. At least for me, I have always associated the guillotine with the French Revolution, but it’s not the only time and place that it has been used (remember, the last time it was used in France was in the 20th century!).
Book a tour
I’m currently finalising a tour talking about different myths and legends and how much of their story is based on true events. If you want to find out when the tour is launching, you can find details on Instagram at @abiguides, or check out the other tours that I have already launched! Or if you have any questions you can reach me via Instagram.