Assassination attempt on Louis XV and execution of Damiens
- When
- 1757
- Where
- Palace of Versailles; France
- Episodes
- 2
On January 5, 1757, Robert-François Damiens stabbed King Louis XV at Versailles. The monarch sustained a slight wound. Damiens was subsequently tortured and executed by dismemberment on March 28, 1757, marking the final instance of this specific regicide punishment in France.
Episodes
- Assassination Attempt at Versailles
Damiens stabbed Louis XV with a penknife as the king entered his carriage at the Palace of Versailles.
- Torture and Execution
Damiens was tortured with red-hot pincers and sulphur, then executed by dismemberment on March 28, 1757.
Background and detail
The Attack. On January 5, 1757, at 4:00 pm, Damiens rushed past bodyguards as Louis XV entered his carriage at the Palace of Versailles. He stabbed the king with a penknife. The monarch was slightly wounded, and the assassination attempt was unsuccessful.
Punishment and Execution. Damiens was tortured with red-hot pincers, and the hand used to hold the knife was burned with sulphur. He was then executed by dismemberment on March 28, 1757. This made him the last person in France to suffer this traditional penalty reserved for regicides.
Historical Legacy. The execution became a cause célèbre exemplifying the barbarism of the Ancien Régime. It was cited by Cesare Beccaria in his condemnation of torture and discussed by Michel Foucault regarding shifts in punishment views. Voltaire also included a veiled account in Candide.
People involved
- Robert-François Damiens · Assassin
- Louis XV · Victim
Sources
- Robert-François Damiens Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-26
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.