Mademoiselle Guillotine

"Mademoiselle Guillotine"

During the course of the French Revolution, the persistent rebels finally achieved their goal and overthrew the tyrannical monarchy. However, even after this initial struggle came even greater bloodshed, for the rebels proved they could be just as brutal as their old oppressors. Yet, this brutality would never have been as extreme as it was were it not for the invention of the infamous guillotine. A dark machine designed for decapitation, it consists of a tall, wooden frame in which a heavy, sharp blade is suspended. Through the use of rope, this blade could be raised to its peak and then, upon releasing the rope, would be allowed to fall freely so that it swiftly crashes down upon its victims' soft necks. While similar methods of execution had existed for many centuries, the guillotine easily stands out among the rest due to the incredible number of heads it has so efficiently sliced off.

In Ireland, during the year 1307, there is a record of a machine known as the Scottish maiden, which was used to take a man's life through the method of decapitation. This device is perhaps one of the most primitive forms of the guillotine seen in the revolution. The maiden, along with the Halifax gibbet, a similar invention, gradually gained popularity, being used in places such as Italy and Switzerland during the 15th century. However, it was not until the 1700's that these machines were altered and improved to become the modern guillotine. Named for Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, a French doctor and member of the Revolutionary National Assembly, he believed that the guillotine provided a previously unseen humane manner of execution. Prior to its usage, criminals typically hoped to be executed by an axe man or swordsman, which, in contrast to torturous deaths like being set on fire or broken on the wheel, gave relatively quick deaths. Yet, there was always the unlucky convict who received a deep chop in the shoulder because his executioner had bad aim or the convict who needed two hacks to break through his neck because the axe was not sharp enough. Because this was perceived by some as unjustifiably brutal, the guillotine was favored for its constant precision and heavy blade, which succeeded in severing the neck on its first fall. Soon enough, it became France's most popular manner of execution, also admired for the fact that it provided equal deaths for members of all different classes.

Following the overthrow of the monarchy came what would be come to known as the Reign of Terror, lasting from June of 1793 to July of 1794. It was a time of great paranoia in which there was a constant fear of invasion by foreign monarchies as well as a counterrevolution by pro-monarchy parties. In overly cautious attempts at maintaining control, such leaders as Maximilien Robespierre ordered the execution of anyone suspected of "crimes against liberty." Thousands and thousands of people apparently committed this crime, for the guillotine's blade killed almost continually during the year. An estimated 15,000 to 40,000 people, ranging from commoners to nobility, lost their heads to the machine.

Also during this time, there arose a strange and sudden "worship" of "Mademoiselle Guillotine," as it fondly became known, as a device of both majesty and justice. Woman could purchase guillotine-related jewelry and children were given their very own mini-guillotines to play with. In addition, public executions became a grand event that no one would dare miss. Clearly a time of family bonding, parents would bring their children to the daily spectacle as others tried desperately to attain good seats. Appointed men would walk through the excited crowds selling programs that contained neatly written lists of all those who were scheduled to die that day. Finally, as the moment