Marie Antoinette exiting the revolutionary tribunal

The trial of the deposed queen Marie-Antoinette lasted almost 24 hours on 16 October 1793. The Queen’s two lawyers improvised her defence with such panache that it exasperated Fouquier-Tinville, the president of the Revolutionary Tribunal. He silenced them and finally delivered two fierce closing speeches, on the basis of which the former queen was found guilty of collusion with the enemy and of taking part in a conspiracy against the Republic.
He then sentenced “the said Marie-Antoinette, known as Lorraine of Austria, widow of Louis Capet, to death. This judgement shall be carried out on the Place de la Révolution, printed and posted throughout the entire Republic”. At 4 o’clock in the morning on 16 October 1793, Marie-Antoinette left the courtroom of the Revolutionary Tribunal. The execution of the judgement took place eight hours later.