By: HISTORY.com Editors

1814

Funeral held for the man behind the guillotine

HISTORY.com Editors

Published: November 13, 2009Last Updated: May 27, 2025

The funeral of Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, the namesake of the infamous execution device, takes place outside of Paris, France.

The Guillotine

See why this device was a preferred form of legal execution.

Guillotin had what he felt were the purest motives for inventing the guillotine and was deeply distressed at how his reputation had become besmirched in the aftermath. Guillotin had bestowed the deadly contraption on the French as a “philanthropic gesture” for the systematic criminal justice reform that was taking place in 1789. The machine was intended to show the intellectual and social progress of the French Revolution; by killing aristocrats and journeymen the same way, equality in death was ensured.

The first use of the guillotine was on April 25, 1792, when Nicolas Pelletier was put to death for armed robbery and assault in Place de Greve. The newspapers reported that guillotine was not an immediate sensation. The crowds seemed to miss the gallows at first. However, it quickly caught on with the public and many thought it brought dignity back to the executioner.

However, the prestige of the guillotine fell precipitously due to its frequent use in the French Terror following the Revolution. It became the focal point of the awful political executions and was so closely identified with the terrible abuses of the time that it was perceived as partially responsible for the excesses itself. Still, it was used sporadically in France into the 20th century.

8 Things You May Not Know About the Guillotine

Learn eight surprising facts about the execution device once dubbed the “National Razor” of France.

Depiction of the guillotine at Paris, 1791-1792. Found in the Collection of Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Artist Anonymous.

Learn eight surprising facts about the execution device once dubbed the “National Razor” of France.

By: Evan Andrews

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Citation Information

Article title: Funeral held for the man behind the guillotine
Author: HISTORY.com Editors
Website Name: History
URL: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/march-28/funeral-held-for-the-man-behind-the-guillotine

Date Accessed: September 11, 2025
Publisher: A&E Television Networks
Last Updated: May 27, 2025
Original Published Date: November 13, 2009

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