Robert-François Damiens

Robert-François Damiens

Robert-François Damiens ( La Thieuloye , January 9 , 1715 - Paris , March 28, 1757 ) was the author of an assassination attempt against King Louis XV of France

On Wednesday, January 5 , 1757 , when the court was in the Trianon , Louis XV visited his daughter, Madame Victoria , who was in bed in the main palace of Versailles . As he was returning to his carriage, Damiens, covering his face with a hat, pushed through the guard, seized the king, and wounded him. Louis XV thought, at first, that he had received a punch, but immediately saw that he was bleeding from one side. The guard seized Damiens and the king then exclaimed: " Catch him, but do not kill him! ». The king was taken to his rooms and was attended to by his surgeon who was in Versailles.

The weapon used was a double-edged razor found in Damiens' pocket, measuring 81 mm. The wound was between the fourth and fifth ribs on the right side. The many layers of clothing the king wore, necessary because of the harsh winter, had dampened the penetration of the razor. Martiniere, first surgeon, examined the wound. No major organs were affected. It was, therefore, a minor wound, unless the edge had been previously poisoned. As a precaution, and since this was the universal remedy of the time, the king was bled twice. A courtier, approaching the prisoner who was in the guard room, questioned him. Damiens cried: " No, I swear on my soul that I was not "

When Damiens was seized by the guard, he shouted: " Let M. the Dauphin be seized " in order to divert attention. It was thought, however, that there were accomplices or a conspiracy. The Minister of Justice, Machaut d'Arnouville , arrived at Versailles a short time later and ordered Damiens to be tortured. Red-hot forceps were applied to his feet, which burned his Achilles tendon , without making him speak. The next day Damiens was taken to jail.

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