4. The Swift-killing Guillotine Remained a Legal Form of Execution in France Until 1981
While many have heard of the guillotine in general, it was the French Revolution that marked the dawning of this new form of torture. In fact, even after the Revolution had ceased, the brutality of the guillotine remained popular. Over 40,000 people were executed in this fashion during a period now remembered as the Reign of Terror – the beheading of King Louis XVI included. Beheadings on the guillotine were actually considered a legal form of execution through 1981.
3. Marie Antoinette was Beheaded Just Like Her Husband, the King.
Marie Antoinette met the same fate as her husband, the King. Viewed as a public figure who flaunted her wealth and prestige over the less fortunate made her a target of anger and hostility, and her death was called for swiftly after the King. According to many experts, Antoinette may have paid her executioner in gold coins to bribe him into giving her a sharpened blade that would providing her with a quick and painless death.
2. It Was Illegal to Worship as a Protestant or a Jew Before The Revolution
Certain religions were illegal to practice throughout France before the Revolution. If you were a Protestant or a Jew, you could be arrested for treason. However, once the Revolution had begun, and the rights of all people became a strict guideline for the rioting, people were freely allowed to practice their own beliefs.
1. It is Believed That Marie Antoinette Didn’t Utter the Words – Qu’ils Mangent De La Brioche.
“Let them eat cake” has become a widely-used phrase when referencing the Revolution, as purportedly spoken by Marie Antoinette herself, in response to the French peasants having no bread during the days of starvation. However, many historians now speculate that she may never have said this at all, as she wasn’t prone to feeling sympathy for the masses below her station.