Damiens was born on 9 January 1715 in La Thieuloye, a village near Arras in northern France. He enlisted in the army at an early age. After his discharge, he became a domestic servant at the college of the Jesuits See more

Fetched from his prison cell on the morning of 28 March 1757, Damiens allegedly said "La journée sera rude" ("The day will be hard"). He was first subjected to a torture in which his legs were painfully compressed by devices called "boots". He was then tortured … See more

• François Ravaillac, another French regicide executed in the same manner and location See more

• Boeglin, Edouard (6 January 1999). "On a voulu tuer le Bien-Aimé" (in French). Journal L'Alsace / Le Pays. Archived from the original on … See more

On 5 January 1757 at 4:00 pm, as the King was entering his carriage at the Palace of Versailles, Damiens rushed past the King's bodyguards and stabbed him with a penknife, … See more

After his death, the remains of Damiens's corpse were reduced to ashes and scattered in the wind. His house was razed, his brothers … See more

The execution was witnessed by 18th-century adventurer Giacomo Casanova, who included an account in his memoirs:
We had the courage to watch the dreadful sight for four hours ... Damiens was a fanatic, who, with the idea of doing a good work and obtaining … See more