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Votes on the death of Louis XVI

A series of votes were held at the end of the trial of Louis XVI to determine his guilt and the appropriate punishment. After voting on two initial questions on Tuesday 15 January 1793, the députés considered sentencing over 37 uninterrupted hours of debate on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 January. Pierre Victurnien Vergniaud was president during these sessions.

Questions

The debate on Monday 14 January was occupied with determining the wording of the resolutions to be voted on.

On Tuesday 15 January 1793, at the National Convention, a roll call vote took place on the first two questions:

  • 1 "Is Louis Capet guilty of conspiracy against public liberty and attacks against the general security of the State, yes or no?"
  • 2 "Should the judgment of the National Convention against Louis Capet be submitted to the ratification of the people, yes or no?"

The members from each département were called in turn, beginning with the letter G, with each announcing their votes from the podium.

Next, from 10:30 am on Wednesday 16 January until the evening of Thursday 17 January, without interruption, a roll-call vote was conducted on the third question, starting with the département of Haute-Garonne:

  • 3 "What punishment should be imposed on Louis?"

It was then that Jean-Baptiste Mailhe, the first to speak, declared:

"As a natural consequence of the opinion that I have already expressed on the first question, I vote for the death of Louis. I will make only one observation. If death has the majority, I think that it would be worthwhile for the National Convention to examine whether it would not be politic and useful to hasten, or to delay, the moment of execution. This proposition is independent of my vote. I return to the first question and I vote for death."

Some members of the Convention complained that there had been irregularity in the voting in the third question. Following a debate, the Convention agreed that there would be a second roll-call vote on the third question, where each member would be asked to confirm their vote. This meant that there were a total of five votes on four substantive questions.

Mailhe's suggestion raised the question of whether, for any reason, the death sentence ought to be stayed. At the session on Saturday 19 January, despite fierce opposition from Jean-Paul Marat, on the motion of , the Convention decreed that it would immediately discuss the question of a reprieve, and that the question would be put as follows:

  • 4 "Should there be a reprieve of the judgment against Louis Capet?" and that the answer was to be "yes" or "no".

The roll call vote was held in alphabetical order by département, starting with Gers.

Votes

The result of the votes on the four questions were as follows:

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Summary by département

Ain&nbsp;– Aisne&nbsp;– Allier&nbsp;– Basses-Alpes&nbsp;– Hautes-Alpes&nbsp;– Ardèche&nbsp;– Ardennes&nbsp;– Ariège&nbsp;– Aube&nbsp;– Aude&nbsp;– Aveyron&nbsp;– Bouches-du-Rhône&nbsp;– Calvados&nbsp;– Cantal&nbsp;– Charente&nbsp;– Charente-Inférieure&nbsp;– Cher&nbsp;– Corrèze&nbsp;– Corse&nbsp;– Côte-d'Or&nbsp;– Côtes-du-Nord&nbsp;– Creuse&nbsp;– Dordogne&nbsp;– Doubs&nbsp;– Drôme&nbsp;– Eure&nbsp;– Eure-et-Loir&nbsp;– Finistère&nbsp;– Gard&nbsp;– Haute-Garonne&nbsp;– Gers&nbsp;– Gironde&nbsp;– Hérault&nbsp;– Ille-et-Vilaine&nbsp;– Indre&nbsp;– Indre-et-Loire&nbsp;– Isère&nbsp;– Jura&nbsp;– Landes&nbsp;– Loir-et-Cher&nbsp;– Loire&nbsp;– Haute-Loire&nbsp;– Loire-Inférieure&nbsp;– Loiret&nbsp;– Lot&nbsp;– Lot-et-Garonne&nbsp;–Lozère&nbsp;- Maine-et-Loire&nbsp;– Manche&nbsp;– Marne&nbsp;– Haute-Marne&nbsp;– Mayenne&nbsp;– Meurthe&nbsp;– Meuse&nbsp;– Morbihan&nbsp;– Moselle&nbsp;– Nièvre&nbsp;– Nord&nbsp;– Oise&nbsp;– Orne&nbsp;– Paris&nbsp;– Pas-de-Calais&nbsp;– Puy-de-Dôme&nbsp;– Basses-Pyrénées&nbsp;– Hautes-Pyrénées&nbsp;– Pyrénées-Orientales&nbsp;– Bas-Rhin&nbsp;– Haut-Rhin&nbsp;– Rhône-et-Loire&nbsp;– Haute-Saône&nbsp;– Saône-et-Loire&nbsp;– Sarthe&nbsp;– Seine-Inférieure&nbsp;– Seine-et-Marne&nbsp;– Seine-et-Oise&nbsp;– Deux-Sèvres&nbsp;– Somme&nbsp;– Tarn&nbsp;– Var&nbsp;– Vendée&nbsp;– Vienne&nbsp;– Haute-Vienne&nbsp;– Vosges&nbsp;– Yonne</div>

Députés are listed by département in the order in which they were elected.

Ain

6 députés and 2 substitutes

Aisne

12 députés and 4 substitutes

Allier

7 députés and 4 substitutes

Basses-Alpes

6 députés and 2 substitutes

Hautes-Alpes

5 députés and 4 substitutes

Ardèche

7 députés and 3 substitutes.

Ardennes

8 députés and 4 substitutes.

Ariège

6 députés and 2 substitutes.

Aube

9 députés and 3 substitutes.

Aude

8 députés and 3 substitutes.

Aveyron

9 députés and 3 substitutes.

Bouches-du-Rhône

12 députés and 7 substitutes.

Calvados

13 députés and 5 substitutes

Cantal

8 députés and 3 substitutes

(*-In late 1792 Joseph Mailhes declared himself unable to accept the position of député owing to illness, and resigned. On 13 December 1792 the General Council of the Cantal department appointed to replace him. Malhes had been elected as the first substitute member in the elections to the Convention in September 1792. Malhes arrived in Paris on 17 January 17, 1793 and was promptly admitted to the Convention as Mailhes' replacement. However, as neither Mailhes nor Malhes was able to participate in the roll call votes, it is Mailhes' name that appears in the register for those votes, followed by the words "absent due to illness" and "absent without cause").

Charente

9 députés and 4 substitutes

Charente-Inférieure

11 députés and 4 substitutes

Cher

6 députés and 2 substitutes

Corrèze

7 députés and 3 substitutes

=== === 6 députés and 2 substitutes

Côte-d'Or

10 députés and 4 substitutes

Côtes-du-Nord

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Creuse

7 députés and 3 substitutes

Dordogne

10 députés and 3 substitutes

Doubs

6 députés and 2 substitutes

Drôme

9 députés and 3 substitutes

Eure

11 députés and 4 substitutes

Eure-et-Loir

9 députés and 4 substitutes

Finistère

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Gard

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Haute-Garonne

12 députés and 4 substitutes

Gers

9 députés and 3 substitutes

Gironde

12 députés and 6 substitutes

Hérault

9 députés and 3 substitutes

Ille-et-Vilaine

10 députés and 5 substitutes

Indre

6 députés and 2 substitutes

Indre-et-Loire

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Isère

9 députés and 3 substitutes

Jura

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Landes

6 députés and 2 substitutes

Loir-et-Cher

7 députés and 5 substitutes

Loire

Département not created until November 1793.

Haute-Loire

7 députés and 4 substitutes

Loire-Inférieure

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Loiret

9 députés and 4 substitutes

Lot

10 députés and 3 substitutes

Lot-et-Garonne

9 députés and 3 substitutes

Lozère

5 députés and 2 substitutes

Maine-et-Loire

11 députés and 4 substitutes

Manche

13 députés and 5 substitutes

Marne

10 députés and 4 substitutes

Haute-Marne

7 députés and 3 substitutes

Mayenne

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Meurthe

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Meuse

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Morbihan

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Moselle

8 députés and 3 substitutes

Nièvre

7 députés and 3 substitutes

Nord

12 députés and 4 substitutes

Oise

12 députés and 5 substitutes

Orne

10 députés and 7 substitutes

Paris

24 députés and 8 substitutes

Pas-de-Calais

11 députés and 5 substitutes

Puy-de-Dôme

12 députés and 4 substitutes

Basses-Pyrénées

6 députés and 3 substitutes

Hautes-Pyrénées

6 députés and 2 substitutes

Pyrénées-Orientales

5 députés and 2 substitutes

Bas-Rhin

9 députés and 4 substitutes

Haut-Rhin

7 députés and 3 substitutes

Rhône-et-Loire

15 députés and 5 substitutes

Note: In November 1793 this département was divided into Loire and Rhône.

Haute-Saône

7 députés and 3 substitutes

Saône-et-Loire

11 députés and 6 substitutes

Sarthe

10 députés and 4 substitutes

Seine-Inférieure

16 députés and 6 substitutes

Seine-et-Marne

11 députés and 11 substitutes

Seine-et-Oise

14 députés and 6 substitutes

Deux-Sèvres

7 députés and 3 substitutes

Somme

13 députés and 4 substitutes

Tarn

9 députés and 3 substitutes

Var

8 députés and 4 substitutes

Vendée

9 députés and 3 substitutes

Vienne

8 députés and 2 substitutes

Haute-Vienne

7 députés and 3 substitutes

Vosges

8 députés and 4 substitutes

Yonne

9 députés and 3 substitutes

Results

First question

  • Is Louis Capet guilty of conspiracy against public liberty and attacks against the general security of the State, yes or no?
  • Number of députés in the Convention: 749

Second question

  • Should the judgment of the National Convention against Louis Capet be submitted for ratification by the people, yes or no?
  • Number of députés in the Convention = 749; absolute majority of those voting (not absent, abstaining or recusing themselves) = 355

Third question

  • What punishment should be imposed on Louis?
  • Number of députés in the Convention = 749; absolute majority of those voting (not absent, abstaining or recusing themselves) = 361

Note: During the session on Friday January 18, Gasparin and Delacroix reported errors “in the statement of the decree issued yesterday”. After checking, it turned out that the number of voters and the absolute majority remained the same, but that the votes of the 26 deputies who had voted for death with the Mailhe amendment ought to have been counted as voting unconditionally for death. The number of deputies who voted for unconditional death was therefore 387.

Fourth question

  • Should there be a reprieve of the judgment against Louis Capet, yes or no?
  • Number of députés in the Convention = 749; absolute majority of those voting (not absent, abstaining or recusing themselves) = 347

References