Execution of Louis XVI
The execution of Louis XVI by guillotine, a major event of the French Revolution, took place publicly on 21 January 1793 at the "Place de la Révolution" ("Revolution Square", formerly "Place Louis XV", and renamed "Place de la Concorde" in 1795) in Paris. At a trial on 17 January 1793, the National Convention had convicted the king of high treason in a near-unanimous vote; while no one voted "not guilty", several deputies abstained. Ultimately, they condemned him to death by a simple majority. The execution was performed four days later by Charles-Henri Sanson, then High Executioner of the French First Republic and previously royal executioner under Louis.