This is why the French beheaded the father of chemistry during the "Reign of Terror."
In the midst of the era of revolution that broke out in 1789, France lived between September 5, 1793 and July 28, 1794, the date of the fall and execution of Robespierre, in the wake of the horrors of the Reign of Terror, which represented one of the bloodiest periods in the country’s history.
Based on the desire of the Public Safety Committee and the decisions of the Revolutionary Court, France sent dozens daily to the guillotine to behead them after they were often charged with fabricated charges of collaborating with foreign parties, espionage against the Republic, and conspiring to restore the monarchy.
Public executions in the Place de la Revolution, now Place de la Concorde, were not limited to politicians only. Despite devouring many of the sons of the revolution, such as Georges Danton, Camille Demoulin, and Jacques-René Hébert, the blade of the guillotine tended to cut off the heads of many of the greatest scientists of that period, perhaps the most prominent of whom was Antoine Lavoisier, called the father of contemporary chemistry, and classified at the time as one of the most important scientists of his time thanks to his immortal achievements.
After excelling in his studies and presenting wonderful research, Lavoisier was elected in 1768, at the age of twenty-five, as a member of the Royal Academy of Sciences. Thanks to his father's money and what he earned during his participation in one of the royal tax collection programs and his work as a general comptroller in one of the country's administrations, Lavoisier achieved huge wealth that enabled him to own a large laboratory that contained all the equipment. According to many sources in that period, Lavoisier spent long daily periods conducting research. He went to his laboratory every morning between six and eight o’clock before heading to perform his official duties and returning again with the arrival of the evening to his research center and settling there for three hours between seven and ten.
Thanks to his scientific research, he was able to address the night lighting crisis in Paris, conducted studies on oxygen, contributed to giving it that name, discovered its essential role in the combustion process, opposed the phlogiston theory that had been prevalent for centuries, and, in 1783, coined the name for the chemical element hydrogen. Lavoisier also contributed to establishing many of the foundations of quantitative analysis and provided one of the first lists that collected chemical elements, confirming that sulfur is a chemical element and refuting the prevailing theory that considered it a chemical compound.
Lavoisier was also classified as the spark of the chemical revolution, which reformulated many theories, making this French scientist called the father of modern chemistry. In addition to this rich scientific record, he faced a number of problems, the most important of which was the issue of moistening tobacco while working for the Metric Standards Committee. This issue pursued him during the period of the French Revolution.
Because of his work in the field of tax collection, his previous collection of huge wealth, and his enjoyment of privileges during the royal era, the French authorities pursued Lavoisier during the Reign of Terror and put him behind bars on November 24, 1793, ignoring all the services he provided to the country throughout his life and his valuable writings in the fields of chemistry, geology, and economics. .
Later, the court ruled that Lavoisier be executed by guillotine. With the issuance of the ruling, the scientist demanded that the implementation of the death penalty be postponed for 15 days in order to complete his work on an important chemical experiment. The response of one of the officials in the courtroom went down in history and remains a stain on the French Revolution. He replied, “The Republic has no need for scientists or chemists. The court’s decision cannot be postponed.”
On May 8, 1794, the blade of the guillotine fell, decapitating the father of modern chemistry, who was restored to fame months later, following the fall of Robespierre and the end of the reign of terror.
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