Guillotine
The guillotine, sometimes referred to as the "National Razor" because it was the official method of execution in France during the late 18th century, was a machine designed to quickly and humanely execute criminals by decapitation. It was very popular during the French Revolution and the Reign of Terror for use by various factions to eliminate their enemies.[1]
History
The guillotine was proposed and co-invented by Joseph-Ignace Guillotin and bears his name. Tobias Schmidt helped its development by suggesting that the blade be angled, resulting in a quicker kill.[2] In 1789, Dr. Guillotin came under fire with journals written that harshly criticized the creation of the guillotine, he employed the help of the Assassin Arno Dorian to discreetly replace them with more positive journals.[3]
Around 1792, Schmidt began construction of one of the machines with the Royal Executioner Charles-Henri Sanson.[4] However, after Sanson had executed two tax collectors, their men stole parts of the guillotine in order to lure him into a trap and seek revenge. Sanson later recruited Arno Dorian to retrieve the parts. Once Schmidt and Sanson had all the necessary components for the machine, they tested it before being ambushed by more of the tax collectors' henchmen seeking revenge. With the help of Arno, they managed to fend off the henchmen.[5]
Known victims
- Louis XVI (21 January 1793), deposed King of France.[1][6]
- Marie Antoinette (16 October 1793), wife of Louis XVI and Queen of France.[7]
- Georges Danton (5 April 1794), lawyer and member of the Jacobins who opposed their leader Maximilien de Robespierre.[8]
- Maximilien de Robespierre (28 July 1794), Templar and leader of the Jacobins.[9]
Gallery
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King Louis XVI in the guillotine, moments before his execution
Appearances
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: The Guillotine
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Headlining the Guillotine
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Charles-Henri Sanson
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Constructing a "Close Shave"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – The Execution
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Database: Marie Antoinette
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – Danton's Sacrifice
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Unity – The Fall of Robespierre