The rise and fall

The rise to power

King Carl Johan and Queen Desiree

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King Carl Johan (1763-1844)

Carl III Johan (Carl XIV Johan of Sweden), the son of a lawyer from Pau, France, became king of Norway and Sweden in 1818. He took the motto "Folkets kjærlighet - min belønning", meaning “The people’s love is my reward.”

Portrait of King Carl XIV Johan, painted by Caroline Cathinca Engelhart, 1875 (Photo: Kjartan Hauglid, The Royal Court)


He married Désirée Clary (1777-1860), and their only child, a son, became Oscar I of Norway and Sweden.

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Queen Desirée (1777-1860), wife of King Carl Johan (Photo: Kjartan Hauglid, The Royal Court)

Marshal of France

Carl Johan was christened Jean Baptiste Bernadotte and originally intended to become a lawyer like his father. However, when his father died he broke off his studies and joined the army as a non-commissioned officer. He became known for his courage and leadership and during the French revolution he rose rapidly through the ranks. The revolution made it possible for those who were not members of the nobility to become officers, and in 1794 Bernadotte was made brigadier-general.

Napoleon was proclaimed Emperor of France in 1804 and King of Italy in 1805. He appointed Bernadotte Marshal of France, and in 1805 Bernadotte took part in the battle of Austerlitz. Napoleon later gave Bernadotte the title Prince of Ponte-Corvo, a small principality in Italy, in recognition of the part he had played at Austerlitz.

Swedish crown prince

In 1809 Carl XIII succeeded his nephew as king of Sweden. The new king was childless and his adopted son, Crown Prince Christian August, died in 1810.

Sweden needed a new crown prince, and a number of Swedes conceived the idea of offering this position to one of Napoleon’s marshals. Bernadotte was the most well known of the marshals and was related to Napoleon through his wife (although relations between Bernadotte and the emperor were not good at this point). Furthermore he already had a son to ensure the succession. In 1810 Count Carl Otto Mörner travelled to Paris and offered Bernadotte the position of crown prince. He acted partly on his own initiative, since King Carl had a different candidate in mind.

On 21 August 1810 Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was elected Crown Prince of Sweden by the Riksdag of the Estates. Bernadotte’s son, his contacts and not least his personal wealth had made him the most favoured candidate. The new crown prince took the name of Carl Johan.

Carl Johan rapidly took a leading role in Swedish foreign policy. Many of those who had supported his candidature had done so for military reasons; they wanted him to reconquer Finland, which had been ceded to Russia in 1809. There was another faction, however, that believed it would be better to compensate for the loss of Finland by expanding westwards, to Norway, and this was the course Carl Johan decided to follow.

A new union

Carl Johan was heavily involved in the process leading up to the Treaty of Kiel in 1814, under which Denmark, which had been on the losing side in the Napoleonic Wars, was forced to cede Norway to Sweden. At first Norway refused to accept the treaty, but was obliged to give way to pressure from the great powers and Crown Prince Carl Johan’s superior military power. He invaded Norway in July 1814 and rapidly suppressed the Norwegian forces. In mid-August the two parties signed the Convention of Moss, under which Norway became united with Sweden. However, unlike the previous union with Denmark, this was a personal union under a single king, and Norway participated as an independent state with its own constitution.

King of Norway and Sweden

Although Carl Johan’s adopted father, King Carl XIII, also became king of Norway, he was never actually crowned there, since he was too ill to make the journey. He died four years later, and in 1818 Carl Johan succeeded him as king of Norway and Sweden. Carl Johan was crowned in Norway on 7 September 1818, the first coronation to be held in Norway for more than 300 years.

At coronations in Sweden the monarch wore the traditional, magnificent coronation dress. Since Norway was a much less wealthy country, Carl Johan chose to be crowned in the uniform he wore as Marshal of France, thereby founding a Norwegian tradition. All kings of Norway since then have been crowned or consecrated in uniform.

Carl Johan was never very popular in Norway. This was due both to his role in the events of 1814 and to his repeated attempts to amend the Constitution so as to give the king greater powers. He also actively opposed the celebration of the Norwegian national day, the 17th of May, an action that strengthened rather than weakened the Norwegians’ sense of nationality.

The Royal Palace

Carl Johan often visited Norway, and it was he who initiated the building of the Norwegian Royal Palace in Oslo. He chose the hill of Bellevue as the site, and on 1 October 1825 he laid the foundation stone, over which the altar in the Royal Chapel was later raised. However, he died in 1844, four years before the palace was completed.

100+ Interesting And Controversial Facts About Napoleon Bonaparte

1.) Napoleon Bonaparte was born on August 15, 1769 in the island of Corsica and died in May 5, 1821 at the age of 51.

2.) Autopsy report concluded that Napoleon died of stomach cancer but some scientists believed he was poisoned with arsenic.

3.) Forensic samples of Napoleon’s hair did show high levels which is 13 times the normal amount of the element.

4.) Napoleon was one of the greatest military commanders in history. Oftentimes portrayed as a power hungry conqueror, this strong and ambitious man is indeed one of the greatest.

5.) Before going any further, maybe you would like to know one of the darkest secrets of Napoleon Bonaparte – this great man sufferedfrom hemorrhoids – a condition which is highly considered disgusting during his days.

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6.) Napoleon’s legal reform, the Napoleonic Code, was influential on many civil laws jurisdictions worldwide.

7.) His military campaigns are studied extensively at military academies from all over the world.

8.) Napoleon’s father, Carlo Maria Buonaparte or Charles-Marie Bonaparte, was a Corsican politician and lawyer.

9.) Napoleon had 12 siblings, 7 of them survived until adulthood.

10.) His elder brother, Joseph-Napoleon Bonaparte was King of Naples and Sicily for two years from 1806 to 1808 and King of Spain and the Indies as Joseph I of Spain from 1808 to1813.

11.) Napoleon’s sister, Elisa Bonaparte – princess of Piombino and Lucca, then Grand Duchess of Tuscany, was his only sister to possess real political power.

12.) Lucien Bonaparte, Napoleon’s younger brother reigned as Prince of Canino from 1814 to 1840 and Prince of Musignano 1824 to 1840.

13.) His brother, Louis Bonaparte reigned as King of Holland for 4 years from 1806 to 1810. He was the father of Napoleon III, the last emperor of France.

14.) Napoleon III, who was born Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was napoleon’s nephew and was the President of the French Second Republic and as Napoleon III, the ruler of the Second French Empire.

15.) Napoleon’s nephew by sister Elisa, Camerata-Passionei di Mazzoleni, one of the maitres des requetes au Conseil d’Etat, committed suicide at the age of 26 after being prevented from marrying an actress.

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16.) Napoleon’s nephew by Lucien, Louis Lucien Bonaparte, served two brief terms in the Assembly as representative for Corsica in 1848 and for the Seine departments in 1849.

17.) Pauline Bonaparte, Napoleon’s sister who reigned as Duchess of Guastalla, was the only Bonaparte sibling to visit Napoleon on his principality at Elba.

18.) Prince Achille Murat or Achille Charles Louis Napoleon, Crown Prince of Naples, Hereditary Prince of Berg, 2nd Prince Murat was a nephew of Napoleon to her sister who became mayor of Tallahassee in the United States.

19.) Jerome Bonaparte, the youngest brother of Napoleon, reigned asFrench Prince, King of Westphalia and1st Prince of Monfort.

20.) Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte, Napoleon’s nephew by his brother Jerome was elected to the National Assembly as a representative of Corsica.

21.) Napoleon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte was buried at Les Invalides, Paris – the capital of France.

22.) Napoleon’s grandnephew to his brother Jerome Charles Joseph Bonaparte served as US State Secretary of the Navy and US Attorney General. Jerome Joseph Charles founded the precursor of the FBI or Federal Bureau Investigation in 1908.

23.) Charles Napoleon who was born in 1950 as Charles Marie Jerome Victor Napoleon Bonaparte or Charles, Prince Napoleon, is the great-great-grand-nephew of Napoleon, is a French politician. He considers himself as male heir to the rights and legacy established by Napoleon, his great-great-grand-uncle.

24.) Napoleon’s great-great-great-grand-nephew Jean Christophe, Prince Napoleon, titular 7th Prince of Montfort (Jean Christophe Louis Ferdinand Alberic Napoleon Bonaparte; 11 July 1986) is a claimant to headship of the House of Bonaparte.

25.) Napoleon’s father was a gambler and when he died of stomach cancer in 1785, left his surviving wife and eight children penniless.

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26.) Napoleon’s mother Letizia, whose father was a Captain of Corse Regiments of Chivalry and Infantry in the Army of the Republic of Genoa, was not formally educated.

27.) Napoleon’s mother died in 1836 at the age of 85 in Rome just 3 weeks before the 50^th anniversary of her husband’s death.

28.) Napoleon’s mother was nearly blind when she died and had outlived him by 15 years.

29.) Maria Letizia Ramolino, Napoleon’s mother, was only 14 when she married Carlo Buonaparte.

30.) Napoleon’s eldest brother was also named Napoleon. The former did not survive adulthood.

31.) Napoleon was a Roman Catholic but did not believe in the existence of a living God.

32.) Napoleon spoke with a marked Corsican accent and was teased by other students for this and he never learned to spell properly.

33.) Bonaparte was good in mathematics and was fairly well acquainted with history and geography.

34.) Napoleon took the pride and honor for being the first Corsican to graduate from the Ecole Militaire.

35.) His capture of the City of Toulon led to his promotion to Brigadier General at the age of 24 and was put in charge of the artillery of France's Army of Italy.

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36.) Napoleon was engaged to Desiree in April 1795. She was presented to him by his brother Joseph.

37.) Her complete name is Bernardine Eugenie Desiree Clary a Frenchwoman who became Queen of Sweden and Norway as the consort of King Charles XIV John.

38.) Napoleon was also a writer; he wrote a romantic novella entitled Clisson et Eugenie. The story was about a soldier and his lover, in a clear parallel to his own relationship with Desiree.

39.) Napoleon Bonaparte marched to Venice and forced its surrender and ending its 1,100 years of independence. Napoleon also authorized the French to loot treasures such as the Horses of Saint Mark.

40.) On 15 September, Bonaparte was removed from the list of generals in regular service for his refusal to serve in the Vendee campaign. He then faced a difficult financial situation and reduced career prospects

41.) In Bonaparte’s Italian campaign, his army captured 150,000 prisoners, 540 cannons and 170 standards.

42.) The French army fought 67 actions and won 18 pitched battles through superior artillery technology and Bonaparte’s tactics.

43.) Napoleon’s Egyptian expedition of 1798 included a group of 167 scientists: chemists, geodesists, mathematicians and naturalists and their discoveries included the Rosetta Stones.

44.) The ‘attack of Jaffa’ on March 3-7, 1799 was brutal; Bonaparte, ordered the garrison and 1,400 prisoners were executed by bayonet or drowning to save bullets. Men, women and children were robbed and murdered for three days

45.) As the most powerful man in France, Napoleon used the title ‘First Consul’. This title lapsed when in December 1804 had himself crowned as emperor.

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(Carlo Bounaparte)

46.) One of Napoleon’s greatest achievements was the establishment of the Banque de France or central bank.

47.) The story that Napoleon seized the crown out of the hands of Pope Pius VII during his coronation as emperor to avoid his subjugation to the authority of the pontiff is absolutely false.

48.) Napoleon sold to the United States their French possession – the so-called Louisiana Purchase for less than three cents per acre or $7.40 per km².

49.) Bonaparte was a military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.

50.) Napoleon Bonaparte’s first wife was Josephine de Beauharnais. She was the first Empress of the French.

51.) Josephine and Napoleon were married in 1796 but she did not bear Napoleon any children which resulted to a divorced in 1810.

52.) Before Josephine became the wife of Napoleon, she was the mistress of several leading political figures in France.

53.) Josephine was beautiful but his mouth is always shut so as not to reveal her halitosis or ‘bad breath’.

54.) Many of Napoleon’s letters to his wife Josephine are still intact today.

55.) When Napoleon left Josephine for a military campaign in 1796, Josephine started an affair with a handsome Hussar lieutenant named Hyppolyte Charles.

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56.) Before Napoleon met her first wife, she had been known as “Rose”. He doesn’t like it and called her “Josephine”.

57.) Josephine was known to have many lovers and was reputedly well practiced in the arts of lovemaking.

58.) Having learned of his wife’s infidelity, during the Egyptian campaign of 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte started an affair of his own with Pauline Bellisle Foures, the wife of a junior officer who became known as "Napoleon's Cleopatra."

59.) Napoleon also had an affair with Elisabeth le Michaud d'Arcon de Vaudey, a very pretty woman and was the cause of a violent scene between the Emperor and his wife shortly before their coronation.

60.) In March 1810, Napoleon married Marie-Louise of Austria by proxy; the formal ceremony took place at the Louvre on April 1, 1810

61.) Marie-Louise was 18 years of age when she married Napoleon.

62.) Marie-Louise baptismal name was Maria Ludovica Leopoldina Francisca Theresa Josepha Lucia….whew… that’s quite long.

63.) Napoleon’s 2^nd wife was a polyglot being fluent in many languages such as English, French, Italian, Latin and Spanish aside from her native German.

64.) After Napoleon and Marie-Louise wedding ceremony, 13 cardinals were imprisoned for non-attendance at the marriage ceremony.

65.) Napoleon also intended and tried to marry the Grand Duchess Anna of the House of Romanov, younger sister of Tsar Alexander I of Russia but his proposal was rejected.

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66.) Napoleon abdicated his throne in April 1814 and was exiled to Elba, Marie Louise returned to Austria and never seen her husband again.

67.) As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from May 18, 1804 to April 11, 1814 for a period of 9 years, 328 days.

68.) Napoleon Bonaparte was crowned emperor on December 2, 1804.

69.) He was Emperor of the French again on March 20, 1815 up to June 22, 1815 which lasted for 94 days only. And his full title was His Imperial Majesty Napoleon the First, By the Grace of God and the Constitutions of the Republic, Emperor of the French.

70.) As King of Italy, he reigned from March 17, 1805 to April 11, 1814. He was crowned king on May 26, 1805.

71.) Napoleon’s full title from 1804 to 1805 was His Imperial and Royal Majesty Napoleon the First, By the Grace of God and the Constitutions of the Republic, Emperor of the French.

72.) From 1805 to 1806, his full title was His Imperial and Royal Majesty Napoleon the First, By the Grace of God and the Constitutions of the Republic, Emperor of the French, King of Italy.

73.) Napoleon’s full title from 1806 to 1809 was His Imperial and Royal Majesty Napoleon the First, By the Grace of God and the Constitutions of the Republic, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine.

74.) From 1809 to 1814, his full title was His Imperial and Royal Majesty Napoleon the First, By the Grace of God and the Constitutions of the Republic, Emperor of the French, King of Italy, Protector of the Confederation of the Rhine, Mediator of the Helvetic Confederation.

75.) Napoleon II, his son, reigned as Emperor of the French from June 22, 1815 to July 7, 1815 for a period of 15 days only.

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76.) Napoleon II was never aware at the time that he had been proclaimed Emperor in his father’s abdication.

77.) The complete name of Napoleon’s eldest legitimate son is Napoleon François Joseph Charles (Bonaparte), Duke of Reichstadt. He was born on March 20, 1811.

78.) Napoleon II was Prince Imperial, but he was also known from birth as the King of Rome.

79.) Franz died of tuberculosis at a very young age on July 22, 1832.

80.) The famous German composer and pianist Ludwig van Beethoven was Napoleon’s long-time admirer but when he gets disappointed at Napoleon’s turn towards imperialism, Beethoven scratched his dedication to Napoleon from his 3^rd Symphony.

81.) Napoleon had two illegitimate children that he acknowledged; Charles Leon by Eleonore Denuelle de la Plaigne and Count Alexandre Joseph Colonna Walewski by Countess Marie Walewska.

82.) Maria Countess Walewska was a Polish noblewoman and a well-known mistress of Napoleon who later married one of the influential Napoleonic officers.

83.) Count Alexandre Joseph Colonna Walewski, who was born in 1810 and died in 1868, became a Polish and French politician and diplomat.

84.) His other illegitimate children were Karl Eugin von Muhlfeld by Victoria Kraus, Helene Napoleone Bonaparte by Albine de Montholon; and Jules Barthelemy-Saint-Hilaire whose mother is still unknown.

85.) Albine de Montholon was Napoleon’s reputed mistress who stayed with him during his final years of exile on Saint Helena.

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(The nose of the Sphinx was severely damage because French soldiers made it a target for shooting.)

86.) His illegitimate son Jules Barthelemy-Saint-Hilaire became a philosopher, journalist and statesman.

87.) Stories telling that Napoleon was a very small guy are absolutely false. The British Tory press sometimes depicted Napoleon as much smaller than average height, and this image persists.

88.) Napoleon Bonaparte was about 1.7 meters or 5 ft 7 in tall, an average height during his period.

89.) The construction of the Arc de Triomphe, a popular tourist attraction in Paris, was commissioned by Napoleon to commemorate his victory over the combined forces of Austria and Russia at Austerlitz putting an end to the “Third Coalition”.

90.) The Battle of Borodino is the bloodiest day of battle in history which resulted in approximately 44,000 Russian and 35,000 French dead, wounded or captured.

91.) During the French Invasion of Russia, Napoleon’s Grand Army had begun as over 400,000 frontline troops, but in the end fewer than 40,000 crossed the Berezina River in November 1812. The Russians had lost 150,000 in battle and hundreds of thousands of civilians.

92.) The Battle of Leipzig was the largest battle of the Napoleonic Wars and cost more than 90,000 casualties in total

93.) Napoleon was forced to abdicate unconditionally on April 11, 1814.

94.) Napoleon attempted suicide with a pill he had carried since a near-capture by Russians on the retreat from Moscow. Its potency had weakened with age, and he survived to be exiled.

95.) Napoleon’s defeat at the Battle of Waterloo on June 18, 1815 put an end to his rule as Emperor of the French and marked the end of his Hundred Day’s return from exile.

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96.) Napoleon died in St. Helena on May 5, 1821. Napoleon’s last words were, “France, armee, tete d'armee, Josephine - "France, army, head of the army, Josephine."

97.) The alleged poisoner of Napoleon was Charles Tristan, marquis de Montholon.

98.) In Napoleon’s will, he have asked to be buried on the banks of the Seine, but the British governor said he should be buried on St. Helena, in the Valley of the Willows. Napoleon’s tomb at St. Helena was nameless.

99.) After 19 years, Napoleon’s remains were return to France in 1840 upon the request of Louis Phillip to the British government and a state funeral was held in on December 15, 1840.

100.) In 1861, his remains were entombed in a porphyry sarcophagus in the crypt under the dome at Les Invalides.

101.) Napoleon’s body was found to be remarkably well-preserved when moved in 1840. Experts say that arsenic is a strong preservative and therefore this supported the poisoning hypothesis.

102.) The type of arsenic found in Napoleon’s hair shafts is the most toxic and according to toxicologist this supported the conclusion Napoleon’s death was murder.

103.) In 2008, researchers studied and analyzed samples of Napoleon’s hair from throughout his life, and from his family and other contemporaries. All samples had high levels of arsenic, approximately 100 times higher than the current average.

104.) Based on the above-mentioned researched, Napoleon's body was already heavily contaminated with arsenic as a boy, and the high arsenic concentration in his hair was not caused by intentional poisoning.

105.) The 2007 and 2008 studies dismissed evidence of arsenic poisoning and confirmed evidence of peptic ulcer and gastric cancer as the cause of death of Napoleon.

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Gold 20 Franc Coin of Napoleon I, struck 1808

106.) Numerous towns, streets, ships, and even cartoon characters have been named after Napoleon since he died.

107.) Napoleon is said to be the world’s most portrayed person in films. He has been portrayed in hundreds of films and discussed in hundreds of thousands of books and articles.

108.) Napoleon is regarded as a genius in the operational art of war and historians rank him as a great military commander. He was never defeated in a battlefield without being heavily outnumbered.

109.) The Duke of Wellington, when asked who was the greatest general of the day, he replied; "In this age, in past ages, in any age, Napoleon”.

110.) Because of Napoleon’s favorable statements to the Jews, the Russian Orthodox Church condemned him as “Antichrist and the Enemy of God”.

111.) Napoleon’s nephew, Louis, became Napoleon III, Emperor of the Second French Empire and was the First France’s President.

112.) Napoleon’s decision to reinstate slavery in France’s oversea colonies is controversial and had badly affected his reputation.

113.) Paris is the most visited city in the world. Major attractions on this French city are museums, museums that contain art stolen by Napoleon’s forces from across Europe.

114.) On Napoleon’s comparison to Hitler, Napoleon’s historian, David G. Chandler wrote that, “Nothing could be more degrading to the former and more flattering to the latter”.

115.) By Napoleon’s critics and opponents, he is considered a tyrant and a usurper.

Read more: http://www.bukisa.com/articles/481959_100-interesting-and-controversial-facts-about-napoleon-bonaparte#ixzz1ydCpBymE

The Tsar

Tsar of Russia
1777-1825

An on-off supporter of Napoleon Bonaparte, Tsar Alexander ended by being one of the French Emperor's most implaccable foes.

His disenchantment with Bonaparte began with the death of the Duc d'Énghien and led to Russia joining the Third Coalition against France.

His forces took the field in the campaigns that led to the battles ofAusterlitz, Eylau and the humiliating defeat at Friedland but his anti-French feelings were changed at the personal meeting with Bonaparte at Tilsit.

Initially drawn into the Continental System of trade, his attitudes began to change when the Russian economy was hurt by the blockade of British goods.

Refusing to be cowed by the appearance of a French army on his borders in 1812, Alexander showed remarkable strength of character to refuse to hold talks with his invader even after the capture and burning of Moscow.

Following Bonaparte's disastrous retreat from his country, Alexander sent army after army to defeat his foe.

When Bonaparte abdicated, the tsar's affection for France returned and he was an important influence on limiting Prussia's demands for vengeance.

Even after the 100 Days' Campaign he was determined to keep the balance of power level in Europe by maintaining France as a political force.

Desiree by Annemarie Selinko: A review

JOHN CHEERAN

FIGURING OUT LIFE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2010

By John Cheeran

23 years later, I re-read Desiree, the historical novel by Annemarie Selinko. Desiree – Citizeness Bernadine Eugenie D

esiree Clary-, daughter of a Marseille silk merchant, was the first love of emperor Napoleon Bonaparte. 

Regarded as the most fascinating historical novel since Gone With the 

Wind, Desiree is an engaging and powerful read but, I guess, largely remains faithful to historical facts. 

Emperor Napoleon and his rival marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte played huge roles in the making of European history in the 18th and 19th century. But this spunky and loyal girl played an equally important role in the lives of these two men and, eventually, became the queen of Sweden.

Everyone who knows about Napoleon also knows about queen Josephine. But not many know about Desiree, who as a 14-year-old, emptied her piggybank and gave a bankrupt, 24-year-old general Napoleon 98 francs to make his journey to Paris to plead his cause with army top brass. Before the world bet on Napoleon, Desiree had the first pick. 

Successful men are opportunists and Napoleon did not shy when opportunities beckoned him in Paris. He married Josephine to make his forays in the Parisian labyrinth and further his grand strategy. 

Annemarie Selinko writes the novel as a diary kept by Desiree. Its tone is intimate and direct. The simple, unaffected and short sentences convey the romance and breathlessness of, first the French revolution and then that of vaulting ambition of generals. In Desiree, Selinko gets quite closer to a woman’s heart, if such a thing is ever possible.

The events that Desiree is privileged to witness are highly political but this is not a political novel. It’s a novel about trust, love and honour and how we react when confronted by events bigger than ourselves. It’s a must-read for you.

POSTED BY JOHNCHEERAN AT 6:39 PM 

The Guillotine

"Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible" Maximilien Robespierre



The Guillotine http://www.historywiz.com/guillotine.htm
Although the guillotine's fame dates from its extensive use during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution, the first guillotine-like instrument was used as early as 1307. It may have been used earlier but the first solid evidence is its use in Ireland in 1307. It was not used much until it became the official instrument of execution for the French revolution. It was named for Dr. Louis Guillotin, who proposed that such a machine be used for official executions. It was actually constructed by others, though his name was forever associated with the machine. 
It was adopted because it was an egalitarian and humanitarian form of capital punishment. Previously the form of execution depended in part on a person's class. A noble might merit a quick blow from the headsman's axe (the custom was to offer a tip to the executioner to ensure a swift death), but if you were a commoner, you might suffer the torture of a drawing and quartering or some equally painful death. 
The official executioner of the French Revolution, Charles-Louis Sanson, said on April 25, 1792:

Today the machine invented for the purpose of decapitating criminals sentenced to death will be put to work for the first time. Relative to the methods of execution practised heretofore, this machine has several advantages. It is less repugnant: no man's hands will be tainted with the blood of his fellow being, and the worst of the ordeal for the condemned man will be his own fear of death, a fear more painful to him than the stroke which deprives him of life.

Some have speculated that these very virtues made it easier and more efficient to use it as an instrument to kill in large numbers. Would Maximilien Robespierre and his followers have been so quick to remove those citizens who failed to measure up in order to create his perfect "republic of virtue" if it were not so efficient and humane? It certainly would have been more difficult.
In spite of its efficiency, an execution by guillotine was still a sickening spectacle. When the head was severed, blood poured from the body as the heart continued to pump. When it was used frequently (as it was during the revolution), the stench from the place of execution was horrible. There is also some evidence to suggest that the head retained some life for a moment after the head was severed and so the death might not be as quick as has been supposed.


Although the guillotine is most closely associated with the French, the Nazis guillotined more people than were killed during the French Revolution. Hitler considered it a demeaning form of punishment and used it for political executions. 20,000 had a date with Madame la Guillotine in 1942 and 1943. 


The last use of the guillotine was in 1977. Capital punishment has been abolished in France.