Henry-Clément Sanson

Henry-Clément Sanson (27 May 1799 – 25 January 1889) was a French executioner. He held the position of Royal Executioner of the City of Paris, serving King Louis-Philippe I from 1840 to 1847.

Sanson was born into a long line of executioners. His father was Henri Sanson, the city's chief executioner for 47 years, and his grandfather was Charles-Henri Sanson, the storied executioner of royals and revolutionaries.

Personal history

Early in his career as executioner, Henry-Clément was described contemporaneously as being "in person a fine figure, with an elegant and noble countenance, and a very sweet and agreeable expression".[1] His pleasant demeanor belied a deep inner anguish: he simply could not reconcile himself to his family profession. His profound unhappiness led him to seek anaesthetic refuge in alcohol and other vices. Most unlike his rectitudinous forebears, Henry-Clément immersed himself in a dissolute and profligate lifestyle,[2] and his extravagance left him desperately in need of income. Among other unconventional methods of moneymaking, he established a musée des horreurs in his home, where for five francs the curious public could watch the famous Sanson family guillotine be used to decapitate a sheep.[3]

Career as executioner

Henry-Clement served less than eight years as the Monsieur de Paris, the shortest duration of any of the Sanson dynasty. The end of his career came in 1847, after he was compelled by debt to pawn his ancestral guillotine for 3,000 francs. He attempted to commence his next execution armed only with one of his ancestor's axes.[3] The French government bought the guillotine back, summoned Sanson back for the execution, and dismissed him immediately when it was complete.[4]

Henry-Clément was the last executioner of the Sanson family line. He was replaced by Charles-André Férey.

Memoirs

After his dismissal, Henry-Clement dictated his memoirs to a journalist, the six-volume Seven Generations of Executioners, 1688 - 1847.[5] Though often dismissed as fiction - like the spurious "memoirs" ascribed to his grandfather[6] - Henri-Clement's recollections are considered by some scholars to have at least a basis in fact. Admittedly ghostwritten (and probably embellished), Seven Generations is considered reasonably reliable and may even draw upon an actual diary written by his grandfather.[7]

References

  1. ^ Croker, John Wilson (1857); Essays on the early period of the French Revolution; John Murray, London; p.571. |"M. DuBois assures us that ... the present dignitary [Henri-Clement] is in person a fine figure, with ..."
  2. ^ Gerould, Daniel (1992); Guillotine: Its Legend and Lore, Blast, NY; p.68. |"Henri-Clement pursued expensive hobbies, indulging in gambling and sexual debauchery."
  3. ^ a b "France: The Heirs of the Widow", Time, 1951.
  4. ^ Gerould (1992). See pp.69-70.
  5. ^ See Google Books: Seven Generations of Executioners, 1688-1847.
  6. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sanson, Charles Henri" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 183. "The romantic tales told of C.H. Sanson have their origin in the apocryphal Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de la Révolution Française par Sanson (2 vols., 1829; another ed. 1831) ... Other memoirs of Sanson, edited by A. Grégoire in 1830, and by M. d'Olbreuze (6 vols., 1862-1863) are equally fictitious.
  7. ^ Gerould (1992). See p.70: "Destitute, Henri-Clement published the six-volume Seven Generations of Executioners, 1688 - 1847 family history in 1862 and 1863; although extensively rewritten by a journalist [M. d'Olbreuze], it is perhaps based on the original diary kept by his grandfather during the Revolution."

Further reading

  • Henri Sanson (ed.), Executioners All: Memoirs of the Sanson Family from Private Notes and Documents 1688-1847. London: Neville Spearman, 1962.

Read other articles:

Ardenno

Ardenno commune di Italia Ardenno (it) Tempat categoria:Articles mancats de coordenades Negara berdaulatItaliaRegion di ItaliaLombardyProvinsi di ItaliaProvinsi Sondrio NegaraItalia Ibu kotaArdenno PendudukTotal3.214  (2023 )GeografiLuas wilayah17,14 km² [convert: unit tak dikenal]Ketinggian266 m Berbatasan denganBuglio in Monte Civo Forcola Dazio Talamona Val Masino Berbenno di Valtellina SejarahSanto pelindungLaurensius Informasi tambahanKode pos23011 Zona waktuUTC+1 UTC+2 Kode t...

 

Föhrden-Barl

Föhrden-Barl Lambang kebesaranLetak Föhrden-Barl di Segeberg NegaraJermanNegara bagianSchleswig-HolsteinKreisSegeberg Municipal assoc.Bad Bramstedt-LandPemerintahan • MayorJürgen FeilLuas • Total9,23 km2 (356 sq mi)Ketinggian6 m (20 ft)Populasi (2013-12-31)[1] • Total295 • Kepadatan0,32/km2 (0,83/sq mi)Zona waktuWET/WMPET (UTC+1/+2)Kode pos25563Kode area telepon04822Pelat kendaraanSESitus webwww.amt-...

 

Cryptography

Practice and study of secure communication techniques Secret code redirects here. For the Aya Kamiki album, see Secret Code. Cryptology redirects here. For the David S. Ware album, see Cryptology (album). This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: Cryptography – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JST...

Sortir du nucléaire (France)

Anti-nuclear march from London to Geneva, 2008 Sortir du nucléaire (English Nuclear phase-out) is a French federation of anti-nuclear groups. Founded in 1997 as a result of the success of the struggle against the Superphénix, the organisation regularly campaigns against the use of nuclear power in France and in the world. In September 2007, Sortir du nucléaire declined taking part in the talks with the French government, dubbed Grenelle de l'environnement, in which major ecological organis...

 

National forest (United States)

Classification of federal lands in the United States This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: National forest United States – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message)Sierra Nevada in the Sequoia National Forest, California Rainforest in th...

 

St Salvator's College, St Andrews

56°20′29″N 2°47′41″W / 56.341424°N 2.794658°W / 56.341424; -2.794658 This article is missing information about identity of namesake saint. Please expand the article to include this information. Further details may exist on the talk page. (August 2020) St Salvator's CollegeCoat of arms of St Salvator's CollegeFormer namesThe College of the Holy SaviourTypeCollegeActive1450–1747LocationSt Andrews, Fife, ScotlandAffiliationsUniversity of St Andrews St Salva...

Seputih Kasih

Seputih KasihAlbum studio karya Ruth SahanayaDirilisSeptember 1987Direkam1986-1987GenrePopLabelAquarius MusikindoProduserIman.SKronologi Ruth Sahanaya Seputih Kasih (1987) Tak Kuduga (1989)Tak Kuduga1989 Seputih Kasih adalah album pertama dari Ruth Sahanaya. Hits singel album ini adalah lagu Astaga, Memori, dan Seputih Kasih yang diiringi permainan saksofon dari Udin Zach. Daftar lagu Astaga Memori Pesta Seputih Kasih Melepas Duka Semoga Hingga Disini Penuh Asmara Percayalah Tersinggung P...

 

國際調查記者同盟

此條目可参照英語維基百科相應條目来扩充。 (2021年10月13日)若您熟悉来源语言和主题，请协助参考外语维基百科扩充条目。请勿直接提交机械翻译，也不要翻译不可靠、低品质内容。依版权协议，译文需在编辑摘要注明来源，或于讨论页顶部标记{{Translated page}}标签。 国际调查记者同盟International Consortium of Investigative Journalists成立時間1997年總部华盛顿哥伦比亚特区 地址...

 

1994 United States Senate election in Florida

For related races, see 1994 United States Senate elections. 1994 United States Senate election in Florida ← 1988 November 8, 1994 2000 →   Nominee Connie Mack III Hugh Rodham Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 2,895,200 1,210,577 Percentage 70.50% 29.48% County results Precinct resultsMack:      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%  ...

لجنة المنح الجامعية (هونج كونج)

لجنة المنح الجامعية البلد الصين (–1 يوليو 1997)  المقر الرئيسي هونغ كونغ  تاريخ التأسيس 1965،  و1991[1]  الموقع الرسمي الموقع الرسمي  تعديل مصدري - تعديل   لجنة المنح الجامعية (UGC) هي لجنة استشارية مسؤولة عن تقديم المشورة إلى حكومة هونغ كونغ بشأن التمويل والتطوير ...

 

Columbus (Station spatiale internationale)

Pour les articles homonymes, voir COF et Columbus. ColumbusModule de la Station spatiale internationale Module de l'ISS Données générales Agence spatiale ESA Constructeur Airbus Defence and Space Thales Alenia Space Segment orbital américain Rôle principal Laboratoire européen Lancement 7 février 2008à 19 h 45 min 30 s TU Lanceur Navette spatiale américaine Atlantis Caractéristiques techniques Masse 10,275 tonnes(21 tonnes maximum) Volume pressurisé 75 m3 Volume habitable 75 m3 Lo...

 

Government of Tatarstan

Government of the Republic of TatarstanTatar: Татарстан Республикасы Министрлар КабинетыOverviewEstablished1991StateTatarstan, RussiaWebsiteprav.tatarstan.ru The Government of the Republic of Tatarstan (Tatar: Татарстан Республикасы Министрлар Кабинеты) under the purview of the Government of Russia[1] exercises executive power and administrative control over Tatarstan.[2] Members of government are He...

Newcastle, Washington

City in Washington, United States City in Washington, United StatesNewcastle, WashingtonCityNewcastle welcome sign on a snowy dayLocation of Newcastle in King County and WashingtonCoordinates: 47°32′00″N 122°10′20″W / 47.53333°N 122.17222°W / 47.53333; -122.17222CountryUnited StatesStateWashingtonCountyKingGovernment • TypeCouncil–manager[1] • MayorRobert Clark[2]Area[3] • Total4.46 sq ...

 

Carglumic acid

Chemical compound Carglumic acidClinical dataTrade namesCarbaglu, UcedaneOther names(S)-2-ureidopentanedioic acidAHFS/Drugs.comMonographLicense data US DailyMed: Carglumic acid Pregnancycategory AU: B1 Routes ofadministrationBy mouthATC codeA16AA05 (WHO) Legal statusLegal status AU: S4 (Prescription only)[1] CA: ℞-only[2] US: ℞-only[3] EU: Rx-only[4][5] Pharmacokinetic dataBioavailability30%Protein bindi...

 

Exploitation of natural resources

Use of natural resources for economic growth Exploitable and Economic exploitation redirect here. For other uses, see Exploitation (disambiguation). The exploitation of natural resources describes using natural resources, often non-renewable or limited, for economic growth[1] or development.[2] Environmental degradation, human insecurity, and social conflict frequently accompany natural resource exploitation. The impacts of the depletion of natural resources include the declin...

Darlington Nagbe

Darlington NagbeNazionalità Stati Uniti Altezza175 cm Peso70 kg Calcio RuoloCentrocampista Squadra Columbus Crew CarrieraGiovanili 2008-2010 Akron Zips Squadre di club1 2007-2010 Cleveland Int.18 (7)2010-2017 Portland Timbers214 (27)[1]2018-2019 Atlanta United56 (2)[2]2019- Columbus Crew107 (9) Nazionale 2015- Stati Uniti25 (1) Palmarès  Gold Cup OroUSA 2017 1 I due numeri indicano le presenze e le reti segnate, per le sole partite di ...

 

Maud, Iowa

Unincorporated community in Iowa, United StatesMaud, IowaUnincorporated communityMaud, IowaShow map of IowaMaud, IowaShow map of the United StatesCoordinates: 43°13′35″N 91°22′13″W / 43.22639°N 91.37028°W / 43.22639; -91.37028CountryUnited StatesStateIowaCountyAllamakeeElevation942 ft (287 m)Time zoneUTC-6 (Central (CST)) • Summer (DST)UTC-5 (CDT)Area code563GNIS feature ID464646 Maud is an unincorporated community in Allamakee County...

 

Patrice Halgand

Cet article est une ébauche concernant un coureur cycliste français. Vous pouvez partager vos connaissances en l’améliorant (comment ?). Pour plus d’informations, voyez le projet cyclisme. Patrice HalgandPatrice Halgand au prologue du Tour de Romandie 2007.InformationsNaissance 2 mars 1974 (50 ans)Saint-NazaireNationalité françaiseSpécialité GrimpeurÉquipes amateurs 01.1993-07.1995[n 1]VC AnnemasseÉquipes professionnelles 08.1995-12.1999[n 2]Festina-Lotus2000-2003Jean ...

Ahmed Adel

Questa voce sull'argomento calciatori emiratini è solo un abbozzo. Contribuisci a migliorarla secondo le convenzioni di Wikipedia. Segui i suggerimenti del progetto di riferimento. Ahmed AdelNazionalità Emirati Arabi Uniti Calcio RuoloCentrocampista Termine carriera2003 CarrieraSquadre di club1 1996-1997 Kuwait SC? (?)1997-1999 Ittihad Kalba? (?)1999-2000 Sharjah? (1)2000-2003 Ittihad Kalba? (6+) Nazionale 1997-1998 Emirati Arabi Uniti5 (0) 1 I due numeri indi...

 

Eddie Rosner

Pour les articles homonymes, voir Rosner. Eddie RosnerEddie Rosner.BiographieNaissance 26 mai 1910BerlinDécès 8 août 1976 (à 66 ans)Berlin-OuestSépulture BerlinNom dans la langue maternelle Adolf Rosner ou Адольф Ігнацьевіч РознерNom de naissance Adolf RosnerPseudonyme Ади Рознер — польск. Adi RosnerNationalités Berlin-OuestpolonaiseDeuxième République de PolognesoviétiqueallemandeFormation Conservatoire SternUniversité des arts de Berlin...