The history of many European powers is extremely interesting and informative, as many events have taken place in those parts over the centuries: from curious to tragic. The latter include the execution of Louis 16. Perhaps, from this moment begins the history of France as the Fifth Republic. The death of this king marked the end of the French bourgeois republic forever.
Arrest of the King
As you know, Louis was a rather compliant king. In particular, he submitted to the demands of the revolutionaries, abandoned the absolute nature of the monarchy, agreeing to the establishment of a constitutional form of government. But at the same time, he tried to put pressure on the revolutionaries, resisting the most radical reforms. It soon became obvious that this could not continue for long.
Of course, at that time no one thought that the execution of Louis 16 was possible. Its date (January 21, 1793) was the day after which European monarchs finally realized that they were also mortal.
The royal family decided to escape fromcountries. Several of the closest people were initiated into the conspiracy, who for several days made up the most preferable flight plan. At X-hour, the monarch's family had dinner, without violating the protocol, talked with the courtiers, and then they all went to bed … But it was only an appearance, since the monarch's household with him at the head, using secret passages, left the palace and got into the carriage.
At first, the flight went strictly according to plan, but because of the king's love for comfort (which was worth at least abandoning carriages), his procession was identified, and in the city of Varenna the whole family was captured and arrested. Shortly after this, the execution of Louis 16 took place. The date of this event in modern France is revered as the day of the final transition to the republican form of government.
How it all began
On January 16, 1793, the French Convention discussed three very interesting questions:
- First, is the king guilty. 683 members of the convention voted in favor, the decision was made almost unanimously.
- Secondly, why not put the decision of his fate in the hands of the people? As in the previous case, the decision was unanimous. No majority vote.
- Finally, what punishment should be chosen for the king… This is the only question on which opinions are divided. 387 people voted for the execution of Louis 16, 334 people voted for imprisonment.
Thus, the opinion of 53 people became decisive, Louis and Marie Antoinette were sentenced toof death. Despite this, the heated debate continued for several more days. But on January 19, the final decision was made - to carry out the execution of Louis 16 within a day. The usual method was chosen, guillotining. Thus, only a few days separated the arrest and execution of Louis 16.
How did the king react to this?
At that time, the king himself was imprisoned in the Temple. Upon learning of the decision of the Convention, he asked that Abbot Edgeworth de Fremont be admitted to his cell. As the priest himself later recalled, they were both alone for several hours, since the king had a severe nervous shock. At first they both burst into tears, but soon Ludovic found the strength to calm down.
He asked the priest to forgive him for such an indelicate display of his own weakness. The king admitted that he had been living among enemies for so long that the sight of almost the only loyal subject simply touched him. After that, Louis invited the abbot to follow him into the next room. The clergyman was unpleasantly struck by the asceticism of the office: there were no wallpapers on its walls, a poor faience stove was responsible for heating, and all the furniture consisted of a couple of chairs and a small sofa. Louis 16, King of France (whose arrest and execution are described in the article) seated the abbot across from him.
Regret…
Ludovik confessed that he had only one single case left, which required an immediate solution. The abbot said that at the mention of the Duke of Orleans, the king sighed understandingly and bitterly. He lamentedthat his cousin is persecuting him and wishing him harm. Louis forgave his relative and said that he would not want to be in his position, as "he will inevitably be betrayed."
But this conversation was interrupted by the revolutionary commissars. They descended from the upper floors of the prison and announced that the king was allowed to visit his family.
Meeting the family
The first was the queen, leading by the hand of her son. Behind her is the king's sister Elizabeth. They all threw themselves into the arms of the autocrat, and for the next few minutes only sobs were heard. After that, the king called for everyone to proceed to the dining room.
There they hardly spoke, all family members only cried and hugged each other. Soon it was time to say goodbye. The queen, leaving, asked Louis to see them tomorrow as well. To this the king replied with ardent assurances of his immense love for his household and asked to pray for himself and for him.
Shortly after that, Louis returned to the abbot, and the latter noticed that the king was in a state of severe nervous shock. The priest stayed with him until late at night, and then invited the king to rest, as he noticed his deep fatigue. Clery's servant remained awake at the bedside of the monarch, while the abbot himself went to rest in the closet in which the servant usually slept. Thus ended the last day. The next morning, the execution of Louis 16 was to take place…
Morning of the last day
The servant woke the king at exactly five o'clock in the morning. The valet began combing his hair, and Louis XIV, King of France, at the same time tried to put on that wedding ring, which he usually hid in his pocket watch. After this he again sent for the abbe, with whom he spoke for another hour or so. Having finished with this, the priest celebrated mass, the king all this time knelt on the bare floor.
Ludovik seemed completely calm. The abbot leaves the king for a while, and when he returns, he sees how he is kneeling near the stove and his body is shaking in a severe chill. At the same time, dawn was rising more and more clearly in the morning sky, and drums were beating all over Paris. In the period from seven to eight in the morning, the jailers increasingly knocked on the cell doors, finding various pretexts for this. What did Louis 16 feel at that time? The king's execution was due in just a couple of hours, so he must have been nervous.
Be on the road soon…
To this, Louis remarked with a smile that his guards, apparently, were afraid that their former king would take poison or commit suicide in some other way. At eight o'clock, members of the local municipality arrived at the autocrat. The king gave them his official will and his last 125 louis, which he asked to give to one of the creditors. Some visitors at first behaved arrogantly, but then nevertheless agreed to fulfill all the petty requests of the king. So Louis 16, whose execution was to take place soon, behaved surprisingly dignified and calm.
After that, he asked his guards to "be patient for a few minutes" and again retired with the priest. Hethrew himself on his knees and asked to bless him, as he feels that he will soon stand before the Lord…
A few minutes later, a resolute voice came from behind the door, reminding Ludovic to go. "Well, let's go," the king agreed. Incredible silence reigned when the carriage with the sentenced drove into Revolution Square. The scaffold was fenced in a circle with cannons, the muzzles of which were directed directly into the crowd. There were reasons for such an approach, since many of the onlookers themselves were armed to the teeth. Very soon, the execution of King Louis 16 in France was to take place…
The last minutes of the king's life
When the carriage stopped, the monarch, turning to the priest, said: "I believe we have arrived." The carriage door was opened by one of the executioners. The king slightly restrained the gendarmes, who were the first to leave, and told them to look after the abbot after his death and not allow anyone to harm him.
The king ascended the scaffold himself, his gait was firm. At this time, the drums were beating so loudly that Ludovic screamed for silence. His self-control was such that he undressed himself, leaving himself in an undershirt, trousers and stockings. The executioners approached the king with the intention of binding him, but he recoiled from them and said that he would not interfere with the execution, but they seemed about to decide to use force.
Seeking support, he turned to the priest. The abbot replied that the martyr king Louis 16 should not resist, for humility makes him like Christ. In response, the monarch beganhis speech, in which he forgave everyone and urged to take care of the good of France. But the execution of King Louis 16 happened faster than he could say everything.
How it ended
At this time, General Santer, who commanded the execution, jumped forward on his horse. He shouted out an order, the drums began to beat again, and the executioners attacked the monarch, trying to tie him to the board. Since there were six of them, the fight quickly ended. The board with Ludovic tied to it was placed under the fixed guillotine knife.
The priest leaned towards him and whispered, "Son of Saint Louis, ascend to heaven." At this time, the executioner lowered the guillotine knife, the dull thud of which echoed in the square. A moment later, the crowd screamed, someone roared "Glory to the Republic!" One of the executioners raised the severed head and showed it to the raging people. This is how the execution of Louis 16 took place in France. It was 9:10 am on January 21, 1793.
