in the Mist shrouded streets of early 17th Century Paris along the narrow Rous sanjan de latron where the city’s outcasts made their homes the sonon family’s remarkable journey into France’s most feared and reviled profession began not with ambition but with a twist of fate that would forever alter their Destiny the streets they walked were the same ones where years later novelist Victor Hugo would find inspiration for his dark tales writing in the last day of a condemned man the Executioner that word stands alone a
fearsome word that contains within it an entire system of Terror The Story begins in 1675 when Charles Sanson a young nobleman from abille in picy found himself stripped of his privileged status after his father’s involvement in a political Scandal supporting the frond Rebellion against young king Lou I 14th with his family’s Fortunes in Ruins Charles faced an impossible Choice when he fell in love with margarite Jen the daughter of ruan’s executioner their courtship took place in secret meetings near the S Juan Abbey
where they could avoid the watchful eyes of society in that era marrying into an Executioner’s family meant automatically inheriting the profession a role that once accepted would Mark not only the individual but generations to come as contemporary chronicler Jean Baptist San Victor noted to touch the Executioner was to become the Executioner the position of executioner in pre-revolutionary France existed in a peculiar social limbo while it offered Financial Security through regular wages and additional fees for each execution
ranging from five leave for a simple hanging to 30 leave for breaking on the wheel it came with an almost unbearable social burden executioners were forbidden from living within City walls the song family’s first Paris residence was located near the notorious Mont fukong jibit where the decomposing bodies of criminals were displayed they were required to wear distinctive red or yellow clothing or marks identifying their profession and were barred from entering taverns or touching food in markets a famous incident in
1696 Saw Charles sanson’s wife being pelted with rotten vegetables when she attempted to purchase bread from a local Baker leading to a Royal Decree that specifically protected executioners families from such harassment despite these harsh conditions Charles sanson’s acceptance of the role marked the beginning of what would become France’s most notorious executioner Dynasty by 1688 he had secured the position of paris’s executioner following the retirement of Nicholas laaser whose family had held the position for three generations
the Paris position came with unique privileges a substantial salary of 3,600 lever annually equivalent to roughly $150,000 today free housing near the Piller of the Hal at n rud de cordelier and the right to collect additional fees for various punishments carried out their house which still stood until the 19th century Renovations of Paris was described by contemporary writer restif de laeton as a somber building with high walls and few Windows more resembling a prison than a home the Sanson rise to prominence coincided with significant
changes in French justice under Louis the 14th Reign when public executions became increasingly choreographed spectacles of state power in 1721 at the plast de grev Charles Jean Baptist s executed the notorious camcer and poisoner laisan in a spectacle that Drew over 30,000 Spectators the family adapted to these changes developing a reputation for professionalism and efficiency that set them apart from their contemporaries Char Jean Baptist sonon who inherited the position in 1726 notably introduced more Humane
execution methods and insisted on quick clean deaths when possible an unusual consideration for the time he was known to practice his technique on sheep deepened carves leading to the development of the Parisian drop method of hanging which caused near instant death by breaking The Condemned neck perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the sanson’s early years was their dual existence while officially shunned they maintained secret connections with paris’s Elite including the renowned surgeon George marishal who would
occasionally seek their expertise in anatomy their knowledge of anatomy gained through their Grim work made them unofficial Consultants to medical students and surgeons at the nearby faculty of medicine the family’s private library inventoried in 1737 contained 54 medical texts alongside execution manuals and philosophical Works including rare anatomical Studies by velus they were known to host clandestine Anatomy lessons in their Cellar attended by medical students who would arrive under cover of Darkness the
s of their profession manifested in Peculiar ways when Charles hry Sanson the most famous family member attended the College de graan in 1753 at age 14 he used the Alias Charles Henry longval to hide his identity however when a fellow student recognized him as The Executioner’s son after spotting him entering his father’s house he was expelled not for being an Executioner’s son but for having deceived the school about his background this incident illustrates the complex web of social codes that governed their existence the
school’s Headmaster reportedly told him mure your father kills legally but you have murdered truth the Sanson developed various coping mechanisms to deal with their social isolation at their residence near the CER Des inosan they created extensive Gardens spanning nearly an acre growing their own food to avoid the humiliation of Market restrictions their Garden became particularly known for its medicinal herbs which they used to treat the wounds of those subjected to non-lethal punishments Gabriel Sanson Charles H’s uncle was particularly
skilled in herbalism and developed a salv used to prevent infection in branded criminals they established their own Social Circles with other executioner families creating a parallel Society with its own customs and traditions the marriage register of s Laurent Church from 7 1926 to 1778 shows that out of 23 marriages involving execution of families in Paris 19 were between children of different executioner dynasties including the prominent Hector family of Ruan and the FES of Dijon their status as Royal executioners granted them certain unique
privileges that partially offset their social exclusion a royal Edict of 1707 explicitly confirmed their tax EX exempt status noting their essential service to the crown they could carry weapons within City Limits a significant privilege in an era when weapon possession was strictly regulated and had the right to claim the belongings of executed criminals this latter right led to some maab Commerce in 1734 Charles Jean Baptist Sanson sold the clothes of executed nobleman antoan franois deson for 120 lra to a theatrical costume
maker they also received hav the right to take a portion of goods from merchants in the markets without payment typically every Wednesday and Saturday by 1750 this privilege was typically commuted to a payment of 300 levers annually from the merchants Guild documented in the Guild’s ledgers preserved in the archives National the family’s professional duties extended far beyond mere executions in 1692 Charles sson was called upon to examine the bodies of 13 suspected plague victims demonstrating their role in public health matters they
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were responsible for carrying out all forms of corporal punishment from branding marking criminals with the Flur de Lee using a heated iron to breaking on the wheel a particularly gruesome punishment that could take hours and required considerable anatomical knowledge to perform correctly a surviving manual in Charles Henri’s handwriting details 178 different types of punishments and their proper execution including precise measurements for rope lengths in hanging and optimal angles for sword blows in decapitations
by the mid 18th century the Sansom family had transformed the position of executioner from a reviled necessity to a quasi professional office Charles HRI Sanson maintained a detailed Journal preserved in the bibliotek national recording two 9118 executions over his career with notations about The Condemned Behavior and the effectiveness of various execution methods the family even corresponded with anatomists and Physicians like Dr antoan Louie about more Humane execution methods leading to early discussions about what would
eventually become the guillotine a letter from 1757 shows Charles Henri arguing against the continued use of breaking on the wheel calling it an affront to human dignity and an unnecessary prolonging of suffering the sonon family’s influence extended into unexpected areas of French society they were often consulted on legal matters involving torture and execution with courts seeking their expertise on whether certain punishments were survivable in 1771 Charles HRI testified in a famous case involving a man who survived hanging arguing
successfully that Sur Revival of the punishment should be considered divine intervention and result in a pardon a position that became legal precedent as unofficial crime scene investigators they kept detailed records of wound patterns and death characteristics creating what some historians consider one of the earliest forms of forensic documentation by the eve of the French Revolution the sonon had executed over 9,000 people in Paris alone according to Municipal records their presence had become so institutionalized that they received
official invitations to certain Court functions though they were required to enter through separate doors and remain in designated areas the famous diarist Louise Sebastian Meier wrote in his Tableau de per the Executioner walks Among Us like death itself feared by all yet essential to the Machinery of Justice this paradoxical existence being both essential and Outcast would reach its climax During the Revolution when Charles HRI Sanson would face his most challenging test the execution of King Louis V 16th but that’s another chapter in their
extraordinary Story one that would further cement their place in French history and demonstrate how a family could maintain dignity and professionalism even while carrying out history’s most controversial executions the sonon family’s entrance into and Rise within the execution profession illuminates a fascinating Paradox of pre-revolutionary French society captured perfectly by philosopher Denny dero who wrote in 1765 the Executioner is both the pillar of society and its greatest shame needed by all welcomed by
none the science behind the guillotine the secrets of the sson executioners in the pre-dawn hours of Paris while the city still slept Charles Henry sonon and his son HRI would begin their meticulous preparation ritual at precisely 4:30 a.m. a process documented in Charles en’s Journal Des execu that would become even more crucial during the frenzied days of the Revolution the guillotine standing 14 ft tall with its ominous blade weighing 88 lb was housed in a dedicated workshop at three rud de laf feroni just steps away from where
Henry IV had been assassinated in 1610 Dr Joseph ignas guot who first proposed the machine to the National Assembly in 1789 would often visit the workshop to suggest improvements though he later came to regret his association with the device so much that his family changed their surname the sonon day would begin at their Workshop near the plast de grev renamed plast de la revolu in 1792 and now known as plast La con cord where they maintained their instruments with an almost religious dedication the primary blade forged from highquality
Steel by the renowned metal Smith Tobias Schmidt at his workshop on rud de laab cost 960 lever nearly half a Year’s wage for a skilled Craftsman Schmidt a German harpsicord maker turned Guillotine manufacturer would produce over 20 blades for the Sanson between 1792 and 1795 each marked with a distinctive maker Mark and serial number Charles Henri’s detailed notebooks reveal the painstaking process the blade was sharpened at a precise 45° angle tested on straw filled sacks and dead sheep to ensure a clean cut an entry from March
1793 notes third blade shows signs of where after 18 executions Edge requires additional honing with Belgian wet Stones the family developed their own specialized mixture of oils and abrasives for maintaining the Blade’s Edge a precise combination of rendered whale oil fine ground pmus and a mysterious third ingredient that Charles HRI referred to only as Lauda Rouge in his notes this formula was so closely guarded that when Henri’s younger brother Gabrielle attempted to sell it to a rival executioner in Leon in
1791 he was temporarily disowned from the family according to to Anan Louie the chief surgeon who helped design the guillotine the sanson’s blade maintenance regime produced the cleanest wounds I’ve ever examined in my medical career The Guillotines frame required equal attention each morning starting at precisely 5:15 a.m.
according to Henry’s log books the moving parts were oiled with a specific mixture of rendered animal fat and graphite powder sourced from a specialist Merchant in the Rue sandini the grooves in which the blade fell measured at exactly 8.4 CM wide had to be perfectly clean and aligned even the slightest deviation as little as 2 mm according to Charles hre’s calculations could result in a horrifically botched execution the release mechanism designed by antoan Louie and improved upon by the Sanson underwent at least 15 modifications
between 1792 and 1794 alone the famous Revolution journalist Camille Des mulas before his own execution in 1794 remarked with dark humor the Sanson maintain their machine better than the Committee of Public Safety maintains the Republic during the height of the terror this maintenance routine became even more critical at the peak of the terror between June 10th and July 27th 1794 the period known as the great Terror the machine might be called upon to execute dozens of people in a single day on June 17th 1794 at the plast dutron rers now PL
deason the Grim record of 54 executions in just under 3 hours was set averaging one death every 3 minutes and 20 seconds the Sanson developed a system of rotating multiple blades throughout the day keeping three sharpened ones ready at all times in a specially designed wooden cave lined with felt and leather their team of assistants including the notorious Jean franois de mores who had previously worked as a butcher operated in three shifts of 8 hours each the logistics of mass executions presented unprecedented challenges that
transformed the pl de la revolu into what one Observer the English tourist John Moore called a factory of death the scaffold originally designed to handle no more than 10 execu ions per day had to be reinforced with additional Oak beams sourced from the Fontan blow Forest a complex system of pulley and levers designed by engineer Jean Nicholas Guan was installed to help move bodies efficiently the sawdust spread around the scaffold typically 50 lb per day during normal times increased to over 300 lb daily during the height of
the terror a municipal Health Report from July 1794 noted that the smell of blood became so pervasive that residents as far as the Rue santon nor some 200 M away complained of the stench the famous parfumier Jean Lis Faron was eventually commissioned to develop a special mixture of lime and lavender to mask the odor the disposal of bodies presented a logistical nightmare that required military level organization the Sanson worked with a network of 17 grav diggers led by the veteran franois Doge at the cim deson and pakus Cemetery during Peak
periods they employed eight horsedrawn carts each capable of carrying six to eight bodies operated by the flamont family’s Transport company a surviving receipt from July 1794 shows a payment of 1,200 lra for a single month’s Cartage Services the Innovative use of quick lime suggested by the chemist antoan lavasier ironically before his own execution required a approximately 100 per dozen bodies Henry sanson’s records kept in a leatherbound ledger now housed in the carnavalet museum show that between 1793 and 1794 alone they
processed 2,831 bodies requiring over 12 tons of quick lime despite their expertise even the Sanson couldn’t prevent every mishap the Charlotte cord incident of July 17th 1793 became particular particularly notorious after her execution for assassinating morat assistant franois lro’s impulsive slap of her severed head created a sensation when Witnesses reported seeing her face blush and her eyes glare with indignation this incident sparked intense scientific debate leading Dr Jean Josef Su to publish his influential
study research on physical life which examined Consciousness after decapitation the renowned do jeorge cabanis conducted experiments on severed heads noting that facial movements could continue for up to 15 minutes postmortem the case of HRI desus in April 1777 represented one of the most horrific pre gillotin execution failures when the Rope broke during his hanging at the plaster grave desus fell 7 ft breaking his ankle but surviving the second attempt using a reinforced rope from the naval supplies store on Rue
santon succeeded but the incident haunted Charles HRI in his private correspondence with Dr antoan Louie dated 1784 he wrote the hanging of Desu remains my greatest professional shame no man should die twice this incident would later be cited in Dr guan’s famous speech to the National Assembly on December 1st 17789 advocating for mechanical execution methods female executions presented unique challenges that required special protocols the execution of Madame dubar Louis the 15’s former mistress on December 8th 1793 proved particularly problematic her
hysterical resistance famously crying en on M M Leo one more moment Mr executioner led to the development of specific restraint techniques the Sanson designed a modified leather strap system with addition restraints at the waist and shoulders costing 120 lra per set they also instituted a policy of having a female assistant Mary Lise Jiro present for women’s executions to help maintain dignity during final preparations technical failures though rare had devastating consequences on February 23rd 1794 a poorly maintained
blade jammed halfway through the execution of a counterrevolutionary named Jean Baptist leier at the plast revolu the horrific scene witnessed by hundreds including the painter jacqu Louie Davi required manual completion with an axe this incident LED Char HRI to Institute the protocol of 10 the blade would be dropped 10 times before each day’s executions with exact measurements taken of the drop speed using a pendulum chronometer borrowed from the Academy of Sciences the sanson’s handling of Nicolas Jac peler execution the first by
guillotine on April 25th 1792 demonstrated their ability to adapt to unexpected challenges Peltier standing at 6 and four exceeded the machine’s original specifications by nearly 5 in Charles hry and his team worked through the night to modify the frame height adding a custombuilt oak extension that would later become a standard feature the execution drew a crowd of over 20,000 people including Dr guoan himself who reportedly turned pale and left before the blade fell the Revolutionary journalist Lou Marie prudom wrote The Crowd seemed
disappointed by the brevity of the spectacle having been accustomed to the prolonged theater of hanging the execution of Louis the 16th on January 21st 1793 presented unprecedented security and Technical challenges the Sanson had to contend with both royalists sympathized and souvenir Hunters they developed a special mixture of sawdust and lime dyed dark brown with walnut husks to disguise the Royal Blood Charles en’s son HRI recorded in his diary that they positioned four assistants with Rees to immediately cover any blood spots despite these
precautions several handkerchiefs were dipped in the king’s blood one of which was later sold at auction in 1876 for 10,000 Franks the execution required Reed special modifications to the bascule the tilting board to accommodate the king’s unusual girth modifications that cost 123 levers and were detailed in a receipt still preserved in the archives National by 1796 the Sanson had refined their process to achieve remarkable efficiency working with a team of four assistants they could complete an execution in
precisely 21 seconds from the moment The Condemned mounted the scaffold a fact verified by multiple independent observers using pocket chronometers during the execution of the poet Andre shener on July 25th 1794 Witnesses noted that barely 2 minutes elapsed between his arrival in the tumbril and his death the architect Charles perer who observed several executions while designing the pl de la revolution’s layout wrote that the song moved with the Precision of a theatrical production and the gravity of a religious
ceremony the tools and methods of the Sanson family represented a unique intersection of Enlightenment precision and revolutionary brutality their workshop at three rud de laf feroni contained an impressive array of specialized equipment six different types of sharpening Stones imported from turkey and Belgium a collection of more than 30 measuring devices including calipers accurate to within 0.
5 mm and and a library of anatomical texts that rivaled those of many medical schools the famous scientist antoan lavasier before his own execution in 1794 noted with grim irony that the Sanson bring scientific Precision to the art of ending scientific inquiry their professional Legacy extended Beyond France between 1792 and 1800 the Sanson received visits from executioners from Prussia Spain and several Italian states all seeking to learn their methods the detailed instructions they provided to bavaria’s Chief executioner Johan Po
reichart in 1798 resulted in the adoption of similar techniques throughout German territories a Spanish document from 1799 preserved in Madrid’s National Archives references the method sonon as the gold standard for mechanical execution the psychological toll of their Prof profession became evident in private correspondence in a letter to his wife dated August 1794 hry Sanson wrote each morning I wash blood from my hands like pontious pilot yet unlike him I cannot absolve myself of responsibility Charles Henri’s Personal
Diary discovered in 1892 revealed that he kept meticulous count of his executions 2,918 in total and would reportedly wake in the night calculating blade trajectories and fall velocities the Sanson family’s methods transformed execution from a public spectacle into a grimly efficient process their work embodied the Paradox of the Age of Reason using scientific precision and enlightened principles to perfect the Machinery of death as Maximillion robespier himself observed shortly before becoming a victim of the system
he helped create the Sanson have made death as Swift as a Thunderbolt And as methodical as a clock this observation would prove Darkly prophetic when robespier faced the guillotine on July 28th 1794 Charles HRI Sanson ensured that his execution took exactly 21 seconds timed by multiple Witnesses the final drop how the sunson ended France’s monarchy in the gray dawn of January 21st 1793 Charles HRI Sanson faced what would become the most politically charged execution of his career as France’s fourth generation executioner approached
Louis the 16th in the temple prison the deposed King reportedly asked is it you m s to which he replied with professional courtesy yes sire this exchange documented in H’s Memoirs marked a surreal moment where centuries of divine monarchy met their end at the hands of a family who had had served the crown for Generations the Sanson had held the position of Royal executioner since 1688 when Charles sson I received his appointment from Louis theth an ironic historical thread that would culminate in his great grandson executing Louis
the 16’s descendant the execution of Louis 16th tested the sanson’s technical expertise and diplomatic skills in unprecedented ways the king standing five at 9 in and weighing approximately 200 lb required special modifications to The Guillotines bascule when Louie arrived at the plast de la Revolution he attempted to address the crowd of 20,000 Spectators the drums ordered by General Sant drowned out his words but charl enri recorded them in his journal I die innocent of all the crimes laid to my charge I pardon those
who have occasioned my death and I pray to God that the blood you are going to shed may never be visited on France the execution took place at 10:22 a.m. precisely timed by multiple Witnesses including the young painter jacqu Louie Davi who made several sketches of the scene that now reside in the louva the execution itself lasted 21 seconds from the moment Louie mounted the scaffold Charles Henry preserved the king’s hair in a Leather Pouch later sold at auction in 1815 for $5,000 Franks Witnesses reported that he and his assistants
worked with such Swift Precision that many in the crowd missed the actual moment of death leading the radical journalist Jac e to praise their Republican efficiency the executioners team included his son HRI his brother-in-law Francois Joseph desz Mor and four assistants who had trained specifically for this historic event they had rehearsed the procedure multiple times the previous night using weighted sacks as recorded in the workshop log book still preserved in the Carnaval Museum 9 months later on October 16th 1793 Marie anet’s execution
presented different challenges the queen described in HRI sanson’s notes as dignified to the last had aged considerably during her imprisonment in the conciergerie her hair had turned completely white which she had cut herself the night before unlike her husband she maintained Regal composure throughout the proceedings when she accidentally stepped on Charles Henri’s foot while mounting the scaffold she reportedly said pardon mure I did not mean to do it the execution occurred at 12:15 p.m. witnessed by painter Jac
Louie David who captured her final journey in his famous sketch Mar antoanet on the way to the guillotine the Queen’s last words recorded by multiple sources including the Revolutionary newspaper l moniter universel were farewell my children I go to join your father the sanson’s duties extended beyond the Royal executions during the height of the terror June 1793 to July 1794 they performed up to 300 executions per month requiring them to maintain three separate Guillotines in Paris at the plast La Revolution plast grev and
pl dutron rones notable cases included Charlotte cord who had assassinated Mara in his bathtub on July 13th 1793 and Madame dubar whose desperate cries for mercy onor on M M laboro so affected the typically stoic Charles HRI that he mentioned it specifically in his diary never have I suffered more in my duties than today the execution of the chemist antoan Lavoisier on May 8th 1794 prompted the mathematician Joseph Louie lrange to remark it took them only an instant to cut off that head and 100 years may not produce another like
it the Public’s reaction to these executions evolved over time while early revolutionary executions Drew massive crowds the plasa revolution often held 30,000 to 40,000 Spectators by late 1794 attendance had dwindled significantly Market women known as trioses would sit knitting by the guillotine Counting the Falls of the blade like Stitches the most famous of these women Mary antoanet NL kept a mab diary recording 2746 executions she had witnessed children played games mimicking the executions leading one Observer the
English diarist Grace Elliot to note the Sanson have made death so common that it has ceased to horrify local cafes near the execution sites particularly the Cafe de la Guillotine on Rue Sant nor serve drinks with names like Republican red and SRE DUI drawing criticism from even revolutionary hardliners like sjust the family’s professionalism never wavered despite the psychological toll Charles honry maintained detailed records of each execution including weather conditions blade maintenance and victim Behavior his leatherbound Ledger
now in the archives National reveals meticulous attention to detail even recording the exact number of steps 73 from the prison cart to the scaffold his son HRI later wrote we served Justice not Vengeance though private letters reveal their growing discomfort with the escalating Bloodshed after executing George donon on April 5th 1794 Charles Henry recorded the revolutionary leaders prophetic Last Words show my head to the people it is worth seeing the execution of camil de Mulan the same day particularly affected
hanri who had attended the same school as the Revolutionary journalist in his Memoir hry noted that Des mulas died clutching a lock of his wife’s hair perhaps the most dramatic sequence came during the fall of Robespierre on July 28th 1794 the Sanson executed 22 of his supporters including Robespierre himself the previous days failed attempt to take his own own life had shattered maximilan roeser’s jaw requiring special handling during his execution Charles hre’s report notes that when the bandage was removed from Robespierre’s face he
emitted a scream of such terrible pain that it was heard across the entire plasta Revolution the execution effectively ended the terror though the Sanson would continue their duties for another generation the family’s account books show they charged the convention 500 lra for this day’s work more than usual due to the complex Logistics of handling so many high-profile executions in quick succession among those executed with robespier was Louie de sanjust who maintained such composure that Charles HRI later described him as dying like an
ancient Roman their involvement in these historic executions transformed the Sanson family from Mere functionaries into reluctant celebrities they received visitors from across Europe seeking details of their famous victim’s final moments the German writer Johan wulfgang Von gerter attempted to interview Charles Henry in 1795 but was politely refused the Executioner workshop at n rude maray became an unofficial Museum of sorts with Charles HRI preserving various artifacts including the special acts used for Noble executions before The
Guillotines adoption he repeatedly refused large sums offered for Louis the 16’s blade stating in a letter to the convention that some things must remain Beyond price when asked years later about the king’s execution by the historian Augustine shalel he would only say I served the nation as I served the king with the same dedication to a Swift and painless death the revolutionary period left an indelible mark on the family Henry sson who assisted his father throughout this period and succeeded him in 1795 noted that the rhythm of the terror
had forever altered their profession before we were executioners who occasionally worked during the terror we became workers who occasionally slept this transformation from occasional executioners to managers of industrial scale death marked not only the family’s history but also the revolution’s descent from idealistic reform to systematic violence the family’s records show they executed 2,918 people during the terror alone requiring the maintenance of 23 blades and employment of 17 full-time assistants the famous artist Francisco
goer who visited Paris in 1799 captured this industrialization of death in his sketch the sleep of Reason produces monsters supposedly inspired by conversations with honry Sanson about the terror Psy olical impact on its practitioners the last cut the fall of France’s executioner Dynasty the sansen family’s grip on France’s apparatus of death began in 1688 when Charles Sanson I first received his Royal appointment under Louis the forth establishing a dynasty that would span six generations and witness France’s transformation from
absolute monarchy to modern Republic the family’s training methods were extraordinarily rigorous from age seven sonon children began their education in anatomy studying with medical students at the sbon under assumed names Charles HRI Sanson who would later execute Louis the 16th recalled in his Memoirs practicing blade techniques on cabbages and melons by age 12 graduating to sheep and cves by 14 his father Charles Jean Baptist insisted he Master the complex physics of the sour sword before touching a guillotine believing that
understanding the elegant violence of noble executions would instill both precision and gravity in his air young Charles HRI trained under the renowned swordmaster guom Dan who wrote in 1766 that the boy handles a blade as if death were a form of mathematics the family maintained a private library of over 700 volumes on Anatomy physics and engineering including rare texts from the Arab world on blade metalogy their decline began subtly during the restoration period 1814 to 1830 hry Clement sson Charles hungry’s grandson
inherited the position in 1840 but lacked his predecessors Financial Acumen while previous generations had supplemented their official salary of 10,000 Franks with careful Investments including profitable shares in the comp disendes Oriental hry CL developed expensive habits his passion for gambling and Fine Wines led him to sell family heirlooms including the leatherbound execution journals of his grandfather which were purchased by the bibliotech national for 3,000 Franks in 1842 his losses at the notorious pet
Royale gaming houses reached 50,000 Franks by 1845 nearly five times his annual salary the family’s fortunes suffered a decisive blow in 1847 when onry clemont’s debts forced him to sell their ancestral home at ninu de Mar where six generations of s had lived and maintained their workshop the building with its specialized execution equipment and historical artifacts was purchased by wealthy collector Alexandre Dumar fields for 75,000 Franks who later donated the contents to the carnavalet museum among the items sold was the
measuring rod used to size Louis V 16th for the guillotine which fetched 1,200 Franks at auction the workshop’s infamous black cabinet a room containing execution records dating to 1688 yielded documents now considered Priceless including Marie Antoinette’s last letter to Madame Elizabeth and a lock of Charlotte cord’s hair the modernization of France’s penal system further eroded the family’s prominence the law of 1832 abolishing public executions in smaller towns reduced their income significantly as they could no longer charge travel
expenses and per DMS for provincial work previously a single execution in maray could earn them up to 3,000 Franks in expenses alone the novelist Victor Hugo who interviewed hry clemont in 1848 at the cafe procope noted that the once proud executioner carried himself like a businessman facing bankruptcy rather than the air to a terrible tradition in his notes Hugo recorded that Henry Clement’s hands shook so badly he could barely hold his coffee cup a stark contrast to the surgical Precision his grandfather had been famous for
technology also played a role in their downfall the introduction of the winch for raising the guillotine blade in 1870 eliminated the need for skilled assistance many of whom had been Sanson relatives employed at Family wages the mechanical Innovation designed by engineer antoan Lis Fuko while more efficient removed much of the theatrical element that had made the Sanson masters of their craft the family had employed up to 12 assistants during the 1820s including four cousins who specialized in crowd control and three brothers in- law who
maintained the complex rope and pulley systems as one contemporary journalist from lefigaro observed the guillotine has become a machine that any mechanic could operate no longer requiring the hereditary Touch of a Sanson the final blow came with the third Republic’s bureaucratization of the execution office in 1874 the position was open to public competition rather than hereditary succession the last Sanson to apply Henry clemont’s son George HRI failed the newly instituted technical examination despite his
family’s centuries of practical experience the position went to Louie debler whose family would dominate the role until The Guillotines abolition in 1981 the exam designed by the ministry of Justice emphasized modern mechanical knowledge over traditional skills George honry scored particularly poorly on the section regarding the new hydraulic systems leading the examining committee to note that he seemed trapped in methods better suited to the previous Century the sanson’s exit from their hereditary profession coincided with
broader social changes in French society the rise of scientific rationalism diminished the Mystique surrounding The Executioner’s role while growing opposition to Capital Punishment reduced public appetite for hereditary death dealers the family’s attempts to maintain their social position through marriage alliances failed as their name became increasingly associated with an anacronismo families in 1875 alone despite her considerable education and a dowy of 20,000 Franks by 1889 when the last known sonon descendant died in poverty at the hotel
de Hospital the family’s fall was complete Mary antoan sonon great great granddaughter of Charles HRI passed away in Ward 23 recorded simply as seamstress their extensive library of execution manuals anatomical studies and personal correspondence was dispersed among various collectors and institutions the bibliotech de lenal acquired 147 volumes of their technical manuscripts for a mere 500 Franks while their prized first edition of Andreas vos’s deani corpor Fabrica used for generations to study anatomy was sold to an American
collector for 3,000 Franks the final Ledger entry in their family records written in a shaky Hand by Mar Anan reads simply the blade falls for the last time the Sanson Dynasty’s decline paralleled France’s complicated relationship with capital punishment as execution methods became more clinical and bureaucratic the need for hereditary executioners who combined technical skill with ceremon gravity disappeared the family that had once commanded respect as the dignified agents of Royal and revolutionary justice found
themselves obsolete in a world that preferred its violence administered by Anonymous civil servants rather than theatrical Specialists by 1870 the new state executioner earned just 6,000 Franks annually less than half what Charles HRI had earned in 1789 and was required to submit detailed expense reports for even minor equipment repairs the fall of the Sanson Dynasty marked the end of an era when capital punishment was considered both an art and a family tradition their decline reflected France’s transition from the
personal Justice of the Anan regime to the mechanical efficiency of the modern State the last public execution in Paris conducted by the dibler family in 1939 bore little resemblance to the carefully choreographed ceremonies the sonon had orchestrated where Charles HRI had insisted on testing blade sharpness with a feather and measuring neck thickness to the millimeter the new state executioners relied on standardized equipment and procedures in their passing something was lost not just a family tradition but a complex
understanding of death as both ceremony and science a perspective unique to those who had made execution their hereditary craft the famous writer alfons de lartin who had witnessed both Sanson and post Sanson executions remarked in 1851 under the Sanson death had dignity under the state it has mere efficiency the family’s personal effects sold at various auctions between 1847 and 1890 now reside in museums across Europe silent testimonies to a time when even death required its nobility the Executioner sword used for aristoc ratic
beheadings before the Revolution last wielded by Charles Henry Sanson hangs in the Muse caraval its blade still bearing the Latin inscription Ultima Rio regum the final argument of Kings as we delve into the shadows of History the song family’s Legacy remains etched in the dark corners of French memory six Generations who turned execution into an art form through Revolution and restoration they maintained their Grim ball with death executing over 3,000 Souls including a king a queen and countless revolutionaries who themselves would
later Mount the scaffold perhaps honor de Balzac captured their Essence best when he wrote in 1847 the sansor were Not Mere executioners they were the high Priests of a terrible ceremony passing down their dark Sacrament from father to son their story reminds us that even in death there was once ceremony d and a family who believed that if life must be taken it should be taken well as the last Light Fades on their story we’re left with Charles hungry’s haunting words to his son remember we don’t take lives we release Souls the
difference lies in how we do it until next time let the blade of History rest goodbye
