Charlotte Corday: The Unconventional Assassin

Charlotte Corday was a French woman who is most famously known for her assassination of Jean-Paul Marat during the French Revolution. But don’t let her serious crime fool you, she was a funny gal.

Born on July 27, 1768, Corday was raised in a wealthy family in Normandy. She was known for being well-read and quite the scholar, even teaching herself English just for fun. Corday was also known for her love of practical jokes, which she used to play on her friends and family.

But what led Corday to murder one of the most notorious revolutionaries in history? Marat was infamous for calling for the execution of anyone who opposed the revolution, and Corday believed that he was responsible for the violence and chaos that had engulfed France at the time. So, she made the unconventional decision to take matters into her own hands and kill him.

On July 13, 1793, Corday visited Marat at his home, claiming that she had information about a group of royalists who were planning to overthrow the revolution. As he invited her in, she pulled out a knife and stabbed him in the chest.

Despite the gravity of her crime, Corday never lost her sense of humor. When she was brought to trial, she famously quipped, “I have killed one man to save a hundred thousand.”

Corday was sentenced to death by guillotine just four days after the assassination, but even in her final moments, she didn’t lose her wit. As she mounted the scaffold, she accidentally stepped on the executioner’s foot and exclaimed, “Pardon me, sir. I meant not to do it.”

Though Corday’s actions were undeniably serious, her lighthearted personality and clever wit have made her a legendary figure in French history.