Execution of Louis XVI

• Louis XVI is tried for treason by the National Convention.
• Louis XVI is found guilty of conspiracy and high treason.
• Louis XVI is sentenced to death by guillotine.
• Louis XVI is executed in the Place de la Révolution in Paris.

The execution of Louis XVI on 21 January 1793 was a significant event in the French Revolution. Following the insurrection of 10 August 1792, which led to the fall of the monarchy, Louis XVI was arrested and imprisoned. The National Convention (France's revolutionary government) put Louis XVI on trial in December 1792. Louis XVI faced charges of high treason and crimes against the state. The trial concluded with a vote: 361 deputies voted for execution, 26 for a reprieve, 286 for detention or conditional reprieve, and 72 called for the death penalty but with some conditions. This outcome demonstrated the rift between the revolutionary factions but solidified the path forward without a monarchy.

Public executions during the French Revolution were often carried out using the guillotine, a method intended to be more humane and egalitarian compared to prior execution methods. On the morning of 21 January 1793, Louis XVI was taken to the Place de la Révolution (formerly Place Louis XV, later Place de la Concorde) for his execution. Eyewitness accounts describe Louis XVI making a brief attempt to address the crowd but being largely unheard due to the noise and his own emotional state. He was executed around 10:00 AM by the guillotine. The executioner, Charles-Henri Sanson, later recounted that it took mere moments for the act to be completed.

Louis XVI's execution had profound implications for the French political landscape. It decisively ended the ancien régime and sent a clear message to European monarchies about the revolution's resolve. The act also triggered the War of the First Coalition, as several European nations (including Austria, Prussia, and Great Britain) banded together to quell the revolutionary fervor that threatened their own monarchies. Domestically, the execution led to increased radicalization and intensified internal conflicts among revolutionary factions, setting the stage for the Reign of Terror.

The execution of Louis XVI remains one of the most starkly symbolic events of the French Revolution. It encapsulates the shift from monarchical rule to republican governance and highlights the severe measures taken to secure revolutionary ideals. The decision to execute a monarch was unprecedented and illustrated the revolutionaries' commitment to a new political order.

• Louis XVI was executed on 21 January 1793; his execution marked a definitive turn towards radicalism in the French Revolution.
• His trial was highly controversial: Louis was found guilty of treason by the National Convention, with a vote of 387 to 334, highlighting deep political divides.
• On the day of his execution, Louis XVI famously donned a blue frock coat and white trousers; his choice of outfit was intended to project a sense of calm and dignity.
• The device used for his execution was the guillotine, which became a symbol of the Revolution; its use was initially touted as a humane method of capital punishment.
• Louis XVI's last words reportedly included an apology to the executioner, inquiring for forgiveness and expressing regret for the role he played in France's troubles; this reflects his complex legacy.
• His death sparked a wave of retaliatory violence, leading to the Reign of Terror, which resulted in thousands of executions across France.