CHARLOTTE CORDAY
CHARLOTTE CORDAY WAS A FRENCH ARISTOCRAT.
HER FULL NAME WAS MARIE-ANNE CHARLOTTE DE CORDAY D'ARMONT.
SHE WAS BORN IN THE YEAR 1768 IN THE TOWN OF SAINT SATURNIN DES LIGNERIES IN NORMANDY.
THE NORMANDY HOUSE IN WHICH CHARLOTTE CORDAY WAS BORN
WHEN CHARLOTTE WAS A YOUNG GIRL, HER MOTHER AND OLDER SISTER DIED AND HER FATHER, SEIGNEUR D'ARMONT, SENT HER AND HER YOUNGER SISTER TO LIVE IN A CONVENT WHERE SHE GREW UP A VORACIOUS READER, STUDYING THE BOOKS IN THE CONVENT LIBRARY, ESPECIALLY THE WRITINGS OF PLUTARCH, ROUSSEAU AND VOLTAIRE.
AT THE AGE OF 23 YEARS, SHE LEFT THE CONVENT AND WENT TO LIVE WITH HER COUSIN, MADAME DE COUSETELLIER DE BREVETTEVILLE-GOUVILLE IN THE TOWN OF CAEN.
THE TWO COUSINS HAD A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP AND MADAME DE COUSETELLIER MADE CHARLOTTE THE SOLE HEIR OF HER ESTATE.
WHEN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION AROSE, THERE WERE TWO OPPOSING FACTIONS WITHIN THE FRENCH PARLIAMENT.
THE MODERATE JACOBINS WERE BEING PERSECUTED BY THE RADICAL GIRONDINS, HEADED BY A PHYSICIAN AND JOURNALIST NAMED JEAN PAUL MARAT.
DR. JEAN PAUL MARAT
DR. JEAN PAUL MARAT WAS A CRUEL AND RADICAL POLITICIAN WHO BELIEVED THAT THE WAY TO SAVE FRANCE WAS TO KILL AS MANY OF HIS POLITICAL OPPONENTS AS POSSIBLE BY CONDEMNING THEM TO THE GUILLOTINE.
CHARLOTTE'S SYMPATHY WAS WITH THE PERSECUTED GIRONDINS AND SHE IN TURN FELT COMPELLED TO ASSASSINATE JEAN PAUL MARAT.
IN THE YEAR 1793, AFTER HAVING LIVED WITH HER COUSIN FOR ONLY 2 YEARS, SHE LEFT CAEN FOR PARIS, CARRYING WITH HER THE BOOK PARALLEL LIVES OF THE GREEK HISTORIAN PLUTARCH.
IN A ROOM AT THE HOTEL DE PROVIDENCE, SHE COMPOSED AN ARTICLE TITLED
"ADDRESS TO THE FRENCH PEOPLE, FRIENDS OF LAW AND PEACE"
IN WHICH SHE EXPLAINED HER REASON FOR HER INTENDED ASSASSINATION OF JEAN PAUL MARAT.
SHE ALSO BOUGHT A LONG KNIFE.
SHE WENT TO THE HOME OF MARAT ON JULY 13, 1793 AND ASKED TO SEE HIM, CLAIMING TO
KNOW ABOUT AN UPRISING PLOT BY THE GIRONDINS IN CAEN.
SHE WAS TURNED AWAY BY HIS WIFE.
CHARLOTTE RETURNED THE SAME EVENING AND WAS ALLOWED TO SEE MARAT.
JEAN PAUL MARAT WAS AT THE TIME SUFFERING FROM A SEVERE SKIN CONDITION WHICH HE TREATED BY IMMERSING HIMSELF IN TUB WATER MOST OF THE DAY.
CHARLOTTE CORDAY CONFRONTED HIM WHILE HE WAS STILL IN THE BATHTUB WRITING THE NAMES OF THE GIRONDINS HE INTENDED TO SEND TO THE GUILLOTINE.
SHE IMMEDIATELY PLUNGED HER LONG KNIFE INTO HIS CHEST.
MARAT CRIED OUT TO HIS WIFE " HELP ME, MY DEAR FRIEND" AND DIED.
MARAT DEAD IN HIS BATH TUB
CHARLOTTE DID NOT TRY TO ESCAPE. SHE SIMPLY STAYED IN PLACE AND ALLOWED HERSELF TO BE CAPTURED, SAYING
" I KILLED ONE MAN TO SAVE ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND."
CHARLOTTE CORDAY WAS IMPRISONED AND PUT IMMEDIATELY ON TRIAL.
FOUR DAYS LATER SHE WAS EXECUTED BY GUILLOTINE. SHE WAS ONLY 25 YEARS OF AGE.
AT THE TIME OF HER EXECUTION, HER LONG HAIR HAD TO BE REARRANGED SO THAT HER NECK WOULD BE EXPOSED TO THE GUILLOTINE BLADE.
FOLLOWING DECAPITATION, A MAN NAMED LEGROS PICKED UP HER HEAD AND SLAPPED HER CHEEK. IT WAS REPORTED THAT THERE WAS AN EXPRESSION OF INDIGNATION ON HER FACE WHEN HER CHEEK WAS SLAPPED AND LEGROS, A CARPENTER FOR THE GUILLOTINE, WAS SUBSEQUENTLY IMPRISONED FOR THREE MONTHS BECAUSE OF HIS INAPPROPRIATE ACTION.
CHARLOTTE CORDAY BECAME REKNOWN IN FRANCE AS "L'ANGE DE L'ASSASSINAT"
OR ANGEL OF ASSASSINATION.
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