May 27, 1799 - Henry-Clément Sanson
The Sanson family held the office of Paris executioner across multiple generations, and Henry-Clément represented its final chapter — a dynasty of state-sanctioned death that had witnessed the guillotining of Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, and thousands during the Terror. His place on this site reflects less individual malice than institutional complicity: the execution trade ran in his blood by profession, inheritance, and social expectation. What distinguished his branch of the family was also its undoing — he pawned the family guillotine to cover gambling debts, forcing the state to intervene and ultimately ending the Sanson legacy.
From Wikipedia
Henri-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 seven executioners. His father was Henri Sanson, the city's chief executioner for 45 years, and his grandfather was Charles-Henri Sanson, the storied executioner of royals and revolutionaries.
According to Henri-Clément Sanson, following the death of his grandfather and the sale of the family's ancestral property at Brie-Comte-Robert, the family settled at Brunoy in a house purchased under the name "de Longval". There he attended a local school until he was 12 years old, later he was a pupil of the Lycée Charlemagne.
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