27 Messidor
An CCXXXIV
Charlotte Corday
Charlotte Corday, a young woman from the provinces, came to Paris in the summer of 1793, at the height of the Revolution. In the capital, the mob held sway, and the Montagnards were preparing the Reign of Terror. Jean Paul Marat, the fiery voice of the Parisian radicals, became her target. A committed Girondin, she resolved to kill him. Posing as someone ready to expose fugitive deputies, she gained entry to the home of the Ami du Peuple, who was bathing. As Marat leaned forward to take notes, she drew a knife and struck him dead. She offered no resistance when arrested, and walked to the scaffold with almost religious fervor. She had fulfilled her mission.
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1768 - 1793
- July 27, 1768 · Charlotte Corday is born in Les Champeaux. She is the daughter of Jacques-François de Corday d’Armont, a former lieutenant, and Charlotte-Jacqueline-Marie de Gautier.
- 1776 · The family moves to Caen.
- April 8, 1782 · Her mother dies. Charlotte is 13 years old. She is placed in the abbey of Sainte-Trinité.
- March 1, 1791 · After the dissolution of the abbey, Charlotte returns to her father.
- June 1791 · Charlotte becomes a companion to her aunt in Caen. Her two brothers have to leave France because they are royalists. She herself sympathizes with the Girondins.
- June 1793 · In Caen, she attends meetings of the Girondins who have fled Paris and are planning an uprising against the Jacobins. Charlotte decides to take action herself.
- July 9, 1793 · Charlotte boards a stagecoach to Paris. She arrives there two days later.
- July 13, 1793 · Charlotte Corday stabs Jean-Paul Marat in his apartment. She is arrested and imprisoned.
- July 17, 1793 · Trial before the Revolutionary Tribunal. On the same day, she is sentenced to death and executed on the Place de la Révolution in Paris.
Quotes
I come from Caen. Your love for the fatherland must make you eager to learn about the plots being woven there. I await your reply.
First message from Charlotte Corday to Marat, July 13, 1793
I killed one man to save hundreds of thousands.
Charlotte Corday after her arrest
I’ve never seen such a thing before. In my situation, one is naturally very curious.
Charlotte Corday to the executioner, upon seeing the guillotine
Le Moniteur
Charlotte Corday on her way to her execution, July 17, 1793.
The Interrogation of Charlotte Corday
· · · ledroitcriminel.fr · · ·
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