Ah, Paris… the city of lights, romance, croissants and wine that flows like water. But beneath the elegant façade lies a dark, bloody and insanely fascinating history. Forget about the Eiffel Tower or shopping on the Champs-Élysées for a moment. In my virtual lecture, “See Paris and Die,” we’re going to dive into the Paris of the Hangmen – a six-generation family business that became a favorite pastime for Parisians long before they invented Netflix.
If you have an innate fondness for black humor with a refined French flavor, you are welcome to join me on an extremely entertaining and gruesome historical journey, where we will discover all the secrets that no standard tour guide will tell you.
What topics will we talk about in the lecture? 🎤
The lecture is structured as a fast-paced virtual tour, rich in historical anecdotes, authentic paintings, and fascinating stories behind the gallows. Here are some of the key questions answered during the meeting:
- Why was it so rewarding to be an executioner in the 17th and 18th centuries? We will discover how this ostracized and isolated profession came to have huge CEO salaries, a complete and tempting exemption from taxes, rights to take free products in markets, and even a rather dubious "medical" income supplement from the bodies of the condemned.
- How do they become executioners and what do their children do? We will learn the story of the famous Sanson dynasty and how a romantic love story gave birth to a complete monopoly of death. We will talk about the extreme social ostracism and the children who grew up in a bubble and only discovered in adolescence what their father really does at work.
- Where in Paris could the guillotine be found? We will map the dark geography of the city – from today’s prestigious Place de la Concorde to the pastoral square where Emily drinks coffee in the series “Emily in Paris,” and understand how these arenas shaped the City of Lights we know today.
- How did the guillotine become the star of the French Revolution? We will shatter the myths surrounding its invention, see how it was presented as an egalitarian and humane tool, and follow the last moments of the celebrities of the era: from Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette to Robespierre.
- How do you mortgage the state's official guillotine to cover gambling debts? We will hear the tragicomic story of the last scion of the dynasty, who became seriously addicted to cards and caused the biggest scandal in the history of the French Ministry of Justice.
How can I watch the lecture? 🎟️
Want to enjoy this unique Francophile experience (and ensure your head stays firmly on your shoulders)? Right now you have two great options to do so:
- Invite me to your place: You can contact me directly to book the lecture for a home group, social event, cultural institution, college, or any other private gathering.
📧 To contact us by email: info@francophilesanonymes.com
💬 To contact us on WhatsApp: + 972547100035 - Subscribe to my newsletter: Join the site's official newsletter and you'll be the first to know which open lectures I give, when and where they take place, and you won't miss a single event or new article. Newsletter subscription.