Category: History

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The Parisian Bluebeard is Guillotined

I suppose I gave away the ending of this story via the title of the blog. But don’t worry, I think you’ll enjoy the story (unfortunately, the victims and their relatives didn’t).

I previously introduced you to the infamous French serial killer, Dr. Marcel Petiot, in my blog Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (click here to read). I jokingly refer to him as “Jacques the Ripper.” Today, I’d like you to meet another serial killer who, in the early 20th century, became known as the “French Bluebeard.” Ironically, his beard was red and not blue. Despite different circumstances, he and Dr. Petiot met the same fate.

Did You Know?

Did you know we get the most hits on our blog posts when we use the word “guillotine” in the title?

Let’s Meet Henri Désiré Landru

Henri Désiré Landru (1869−1922) was born in Paris to working class parents. They were so overjoyed they bore a son that they gave him the middle name Désiré which means “much desired.” By all records, Henri’s mother and father provided a loving family atmosphere and did an exceptional job at parenting the boy. Henri was schooled by monks, served as an altar boy, and sang in the church choir. Henri was very intelligent and by the age of sixteen, he was studying mechanical engineering.

Henri Désiré Landru. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).
Henri Désiré Landru. Photo by anonymous (date unknown).

At the age of eighteen, Henri began his four-year service in the French army and eventually reached the rank of sergeant. After his discharge are when the problems began. Henri had been raised in relative poverty and he made the decision he would not return to that life style, whatever the cost.

Within two years of leaving the military, Henri had married his cousin and ultimately sired four children. Instead of finding gainful employment, Henri decided to pursue a life of crime and started with petty theft. He landed in jail many times and never showed any remorse for his actions. His father was so distraught over his son’s behavior that he hanged himself believing he had failed as a parent.

The Bluebeard Fairytale

The popular late-17th-century French fairytale of “Bluebeard” tells the story of a very violent but powerful man (with a blue beard because he was of the aristocracy—in other words, a blue blood) who murders his wives for disobeying him. After killing them, he would hang their bodies on hooks in a basement room of his large château. The French folk tale was inspired by the 15th-century Breton serial killer, Gilles de Rais (c. 1405−1440).

His last wife, the youngest daughter of a neighbor, was given a set of keys by Bluebeard with the admonishment that she could go anywhere in the château except for the locked basement room. Then he was off on a trip and left his wife all alone in the château.

Barbe Bleue (Bluebeard). Engraving by Gustave Doré (1862). Bibliothèque nationale de France. PD-100+. Wikimedia Commons.
Barbe Bleue (Bluebeard). Engraving by Gustave Doré (1862). Bibliothèque nationale de France. PD-100+. Wikimedia Commons.

After a while, she grew naturally curious about what was inside the locked room. One day, she took the keys, opened the door, and stepped into the room. There she was faced with the hideous remains of her husband’s previous wives. The floor was covered in blood and at one point, she dropped the keys and they became stained red.

When Bluebeard returned, he asked for the keys and became enraged when he saw the blood. He knew she had disobeyed his orders and had entered the room. Bluebeard became violent and threatened to kill her. As he dragged her to meet a similar fate as her predecessors, her brothers showed up in the nick of time and killed Bluebeard. The wife buried Bluebeard’s former wives’ remains and inherited his fortune along with the château.  Read More The Parisian Bluebeard is Guillotined

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“Non, je ne regrette rien”

I have to admit that Sandy and I have a grave addiction. We became cemetery enthusiasts as a result of writing the two volumes of Where Did They Put the Guillotine?  Part of our research required us finding various people in Paris cemeteries, past and present (we certainly didn’t want to tell you Jean-Paul Marat was buried somewhere and low and behold, he wasn’t there—we actually never did find him but I suspect he’s buried under the parking lot of Église Saint-Étienne-du-Mont).

Stew sitting next to the Sanson Family grave in Montmartre Cemetery. They were six generations of French executioners. Photo by Dan Owen (2013).
Stew sitting next to the Sanson Family grave in Montmartre Cemetery. They were six generations of French executioners. Photo by Dan Owen (2013).

Years ago, during one of our trips to Paris, we started by visiting some of the more well-known cemeteries (e.g., Père Lachaise, Montmartre, and Montparnasse) and then in subsequent trips, moved on to several lesser known cemeteries (e.g., Picpus and Versailles). At some point during our many visits to Paris, Sandy managed to find her way down into the Catacombs (I have claustrophobia so I didn’t go and if you suffer from it, you shouldn’t go). Once she ascended the stairs back to the living, we hopped on a Métro and visited several famous parish cemeteries—at one, we were hoping to find Louis XVII’s grave (like with Marat, we were unsuccessful).

Courtyard of the Sainte-Marguerite Cemetery. Reportedly, Louis XVII was buried here. Photo by Dan Owen (2013).
Courtyard of the Sainte-Marguerite Cemetery. Reportedly, Louis XVII was buried here. Photo by Dan Owen (2013).

While the permanent residents of these Paris cemeteries are the main draw for visitors, it is easy to become infatuated with the architecture and symbols of the memorials: from the simplest of markers to the most ornate structures you’ll ever see in a grave yard. It seems there are memorials built in architectural styles compatible to every conceivable era: Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Gothic, Romanesque, Classical, Egyptian, Italian Renaissance, Baroque, Modern, and others. Then there is a second overlapping theme to each memorial: the funerary architecture adorning the grave. Join me as I take you through a quick explanation of some of the most common symbols and icons used in cemeteries. Knowing what they mean can fill in a lot of information about the resident who lies below.

Did you Know?

I never met Mr. Louis Wilson but if I had, I think I would have liked him (for those of you who know me, I like people with a good sense of humor). Mr. Wilson passed away in 1991 at the age of sixty. He’s buried in Whiskeytown, California and his grave is marked with two tablets: a photograph of Mr. Wilson and his epitaph which reads, “Here Lies Louis Ovell Wilson. Wanted To Be Buried Face Down So The World Could Kiss His Ass.” I think Mr. Wilson was probably a curmudgeon but hey, at least he was a humorous one. Based on his epitaph, I suspect Mr. Wilson didn’t place any value on symbolism and it’s likely he is having the last laugh.

Tombs, Sculptures, Memorials

Besides the mausoleum, the oldest funerary monument is the sarcophagus. The remains of the deceased lie inside their sarcophagus. These are typically found in the large European churches. My favorite is Saint-Denis where the French kings, queens, and their relatives were laid to rest in beautiful sarcophagi with carved marble recumbent statues on top. It’s too bad they all got dumped out during the French Revolution and thrown in the river or a giant pit. Another famous example is Napoléon’s tomb in Paris. He lies inside six coffins. The first is made of tin, next is mahogany, then two lead coffins, an ebony one, and then the final coffin we all see—oak. Read More “Non, je ne regrette rien”