Charles-henri sanson biography of albert

1. Biography of Charles Henri Sanson
2. The Sanson Dynasty
3. Early Life and Education
4. Contributions to the Guillotine
5. Personal Life and Legacy

Biography of Charles Henri Sanson

Charles Henri Sanson, the last executioner from the Sanson family, served as the Royal Executioner of France during the reign of King Louis XVI, and later as the Chief Executioner of the First French Republic. He led and carried out the sentences of the French court for over 40 years, personally executing nearly 3,000 people, including King Louis XVI himself.

The Sanson Dynasty

Charles Henri was the fourth in the family dynasty, which spanned over six generations of executioners. His great-grandfather, Charles Sanson, served as a simple soldier in the French royal army before being appointed as the Executioner of Paris in 1684. After his death in 1695, his son, also named Charles, took over the position. When he passed away, the regency took over until the third young Charles, Charles Jean Baptiste Sanson, reached adulthood. Charles Jean Baptiste served as the Chief Executioner for his entire life and left behind ten children. His eldest son, Charles Henri, also known as the Great Sanson, apprenticed under his father for 20 years before assuming the position on December 26, 1778.

Early Life and Education

Charles Henri was born in Paris to Charles Jean Baptiste Sanson and his first wife, Madeleine Tronson. Initially, he received education at a school affiliated with a women's monastery in Rouen. However, in 1753, the father of one of his fellow students discovered that Charles' father was an executioner. Consequently, to protect the school's reputation, Charles had to leave. He continued his education privately and later enrolled at the University of Leiden. Although he had a strong aversion to the family business and desired to become a doctor, he had to set aside his dreams due to the insistence of his ailing father and paternal grandmother. He took on the responsibilities of an executioner to support his family.

Contributions to the Guillotine

After the revolution, Sanson played a significant role in advocating for the adoption of the guillotine as the standard method of execution. When Joseph-Ignace Guillotin presented his new machine for beheading to the public trial, Sanson sought to convey its essence and benefits to the Legislative Assembly. Sanson, who not only owned but also operated his own execution equipment, argued that the mass executions, which had become the norm, were too demanding for the old execution methods. The traditional instruments were too fragile with frequent use, repairs were costly, and the exorbitant prices of new equipment were a major concern. As Sanson stated in his speech, "All of this is an unjust burden that the executioner himself must bear." Moreover, the physical effort required during the execution often led to accidents and caused unimaginable suffering to the condemned during prolonged procedures.

On April 17, 1792, Sanson personally tested and approved a prototype of the guillotine in one of the hospitals in Paris. The swift and efficient beheading of straw dolls was followed by live sheep and, eventually, human corpses. By the end of this experiment, Charles Henri managed to convince the most skeptical individuals, leading to the widespread acceptance and use of the new device within a week. Thus, on April 25, 1792, Charles Henri Sanson ushered in the era of the guillotine by executing Nicolas Jacques Pelletier, a robber, on Place de Grève.

Personal Life and Legacy

Despite never being a supporter of monarchy, Charles Henri initially refused to execute King Louis XVI. However, eventually, he had to carry out the execution. Queen Marie Antoinette was executed by his son, Henri, who succeeded him in 1795. Using the guillotine, the Sanson dynasty executed prominent revolutionaries such as Danton, Robespierre, Saint-Just, Hébert, and Desmoulins. Charles Henri, the fourth generation executioner from the Sanson family, passed away on July 4, 1806, and was buried in the family vault at the Montmartre Cemetery in Paris.

In addition to his professional duties, Charles Henri could not completely abandon his medical interests. He conducted autopsies on his victims' bodies and produced medicines using herbs he grew in his own garden. In his free time, he enjoyed playing the violin and cello, listening to Christoph Willibald Gluck, and frequently spent time with his good friend Tobias Schmidt, a renowned German musical instrument manufacturer who later built a guillotine for Charles Henri. One amusing incident involved Charles Henri, after his retirement, meeting Napoleon Bonaparte, who asked him if he could sleep peacefully after executing nearly 3,000 people. Sanson replied to the emperor, "If kings, dictators, and emperors can sleep peacefully, why shouldn't an executioner?"