Today in History: Marie Antoinette beheaded (10/16/1793)

...At two o'clock in the morning of 2 August 1793 Marie Antoinette was awoken by guards and told to get dressed. She was taken away from her daughter and sister-in-law and transferred across Paris to the Conciergerie Prison.

She was re-named "the Widow Capet," after Hugh Capet, founder of the Capetian Dynasty. She was no longer to be referred to as "Marie Antoinette" but simply "Antoinette Capet" or "Prisoner No. 280."

A young peasant girl, Rosalie Lamorlière, was entrusted to take care of Marie Antoinette's needs, but these were few since the queen did not ask for much.

On 2 September the republican journalist and politician, Jacques Hébert told the Committee of Public Safety, "I have promised [my readers] the head of Antoinette. I will go and cut it off myself if there is any delay in giving it to me."

Most republicans now felt an intense hatred for her and they were determined to see her dead.

When she entered the courtroom, most people were shocked at her appearance. She was emaciated, prematurely aged, exhausted and care-worn. Forty witnesses were called by the prosecution. They returned to the Affair of the Necklace or alleged that the queen had plied the Swiss Guard with alcohol during the siege of the palace.

The most horrific charges came whenever Hébert accused her of having sexually abused her own son.

When the queen was pressed to answer this charge she replied, "If I have not replied it is because Nature itself refuses to respond to such a charge laid against a mother."

The following questions were actually put to the jury:
-Is it established that manoeuvres and communications have existed with foreign powers and either external enemies of the republic, the said manoeuvres, &c., tending to furnish them with assistance in money, give them an entry into French territory, and facilitate the progress of their armies?
- Is Marie Antoinette of Austria, the widow Capet, convicted of having co-operated in these maneuvres and maintained these communications?
- Is it established that a plot and conspiracy has existed tending to kindle civil war within the republic, by arming the citizens against one another?
- Is Marie Antoinette, the widow Capet, convicted of having participated in this plot and conspiracy?

The jury decided unanimously in the affirmative, and she was condemned to death for treason on 15 October and escorted back to the Conciergerie. She wrote her final letter known as her "Testament", to her sister-in-law Elisabeth. She expressed her love for her friends and family and begged that her children would not seek to avenge her murder.

On the morning of 16 October a guard arrived to cut her hair and bind her hands behind her back. She was forced into a common, slow-moving cart and paraded through the streets of Paris for over an hour before reaching the Place de la Révolution where the guillotine stood.

The priest who had accompanied her whispered, "This is the moment, Madame, to arm yourself with courage."

Marie Antoinette turned to look at him and smiled, "Courage? The moment when my troubles are going to end is not the moment when my courage is going to fail me."

Legend states that her last words were "Monsieur, I ask your pardon. I did not do it on purpose," spoken after she had stepped on the executioner's foot.

At 12:15 on Wednesday 16 October 1793, Marie Antoinette was executed. Her head was exhibited to a cheering crowd. Her body was then taken and dumped in an unmarked mass grave in the Rue d'Anjou.

Your statement seems to be that one form of religious persecution acceptable. In mocking the Roman Catholic Church, raising up "La Deite de Raison" in her place, Christianity itself was being mocked.

"La Deite de Raison"--the goddess of reason as a whore persecuted Catholics...many a fundamentalist would role his eyes in the strong irony. In any event, I never said that any form of persecution is acceptable in my original post. Your comment suggests you view humor such as mockery as a form of religious persecution? On the contrary, mockery is great sport amongst every religious sect as a form of teaching--read Elijah's taunt of the priests of Baal or Jesus' taunts of the religious caste systems of his day.

Yet, your comment is not really connected to my original post. Regardless of your formed bias, iconoclastic behavior is not persecution. It's actually protected by the US constitution as free speech (unless in your ideal theocracy, you will revoke such freedoms). Iconoclastic views may be unpopular with a certain group taunted; however, it is not the same as the massacre of Beziers. Mockery is not the same as the Albigenses Crusade which was a church-state mandated persecution. The double cross of the Knights Templar was persecution. Krystalnacht was persecution. Anti-catholic laws in northern Europe was persecution. Sunday laws forcing Jews and Muslims to miss two days of work were subtle forms of persecution. Killing all Druids was persecution. Banning the use of the Celtic language in England was persecution. Killing Armenian Christians was persecution. Making Mithra ism illegal was persecution. Destroying the Library of Alexandria/Pergamon was unthinkable stupidity and a calculated persecution of the world of the "pagan"...Do you see the vast differences? As per my original post, allowing freedom of thought built up the USA on the idea of Enlightenment. Allowing freedoms is good although an icon may get mocked once in a while...at least no one loses their rights, private property, and/or life by the cold hand of the state.

Protestants also condemned heretics to die, so your point about the Inquisition misses the mark.

Perhaps you should study the Inquisition closer, particularly as it involves the French government duties toward Rome. The French Republic's foreign and domestic policies were no longer led by the nose by the Office of Inquisition out of Rome after 1787. My point is that Protestant sects, nonconformists, and all other non-christians were technically outlawed in pre-revolution France. And Saint Bart's Day proved that a monarch's word could be revoked by royal-ecclestistical whimsy at any time. That meant they could be subject to capital punishment. That meant that all their substance could be confiscated. That meant they were subject to constant harassment from the state (see the history of double jeopardy in American law) on grounds of conscious. My point was that these sects along with other religions were freed from being "illegal" during the Revolution ...so your point is a non sequitur.

The US Constitution allowed for state churches, just none on the Federal level.

May I suggest you purchase a copy of the Constitution. US Constitution does not allow a mandated state-religion on the federal or state level. The state of Maryland does not grant the Catholic Church sole custody of ecclesiastical authority. The state of Oklahoma does not grant the Southern Baptist Convention the rights granted to the Church of England in the UK. The state of Delaware does not force children to attend Lutheran-only schools. The tax monies of the citizens of Utah are not tithed to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. There is no state church in the USA.

You would do well to read my comments carefully as it relates to the post I was reacting to.

Rush--"Bastille Day"

There's no bread, let them eat cake
There's no end to what they'll take
Flaunt the fruits of noble birth
Wash the salt into the earth

But they're marching to Bastille Day
La guillotine will claim her bloody prize
Free the dungeons of the innocent
The king will kneel and let his kingdom rise

Bloodstained velvet, dirty lace
Naked fear on every face
See them bow their heads to die
As we would bow as they rode by

And we're marching to Bastille Day
La guillotine will claim her bloody prize
Sing, oh choirs of cacophony
The king has kneeled, to let his kingdom rise

Lessons taught but never learned
All around us anger burns
Guide the future by the past
Long ago the mould was cast

For they marched up to Bastille Day
La guillotine claimed her bloody prize
Hear the echoes of the centuries
Power isn't all that money buys

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