The Trial and Execution of Louis XVI

With the monarchy abolished, the Convention had to decide what to do with 'Louis Capet', as the former king was now called. The discovery in November 1792 of a hidden iron safe in the Tuileries containing secret correspondence strengthened the case that he had conspired against the nation. Some argued he should not be tried at all: Saint-Just claimed that no one could reign innocently and that the king was simply an enemy to be eliminated.

Most Girondins wanted to spare him or let the people decide by referendum. In January 1793 the Convention found him guilty almost unanimously, rejected an appeal to the people and, by a narrow majority, voted for death without delay. Louis was guillotined on 21 January 1793. His execution shocked European monarchs, helped widen the war, and permanently divided French opinion about the Revolution.