Charles-Henri Sanson, officially titled Chevalier Charles-Henri Sanson de Longval, served as the royal executioner of France during the reign of King Louis XVI. He later continued his duties under the First French Republic, serving as its high executioner. His career spanned one of the most transformative and violent eras in French history, during which the nation transitioned from a monarchy to a revolutionary republic.
Over a career that lasted more than forty years, Sanson was responsible for administering capital punishment in the city of Paris. During this extensive tenure, he executed nearly 3,000 individuals by his own hand. His duties brought him into contact with some of the period's most prominent figures, culminating in his execution of King Louis XVI.
Sanson's historical legacy is defined by these high-profile executions. In addition to the French monarch, he also executed Robert-François Damiens, the man who had famously attempted to assassinate King Louis XV. Through his decades of service, Sanson remained a constant, central figure in the administration of justice and state-sanctioned violence across multiple political regimes in France.
