1793 Death of Phillippe Joseph Égalite, France.

[elverno]

1793 Death of Phillippe Joseph Égalite, France.

31mm

Hennin 550

 

Philippe Joseph was the Duke D'Orleans at the time of the Revolution. Although he supported the Revolution, became a member of the National Convention and even voted for his cousin Louis XVI's execution he was swept up in the arrests of all the remaining Bourbons in France in early 1793. A panic occurred in September of 1793 when it appeared that the allies opposing France might beat her armies in the field. The revolutionaries, especially the ones who voted for Louis XVI's death began the so-called Grand Terror and sent thousands to their end under the blade. Though the threat from external enemies had subsided the fear of internal ones had not and the royal revolutionary joined his cousin on the place de la Revolution.

[constanius]

The medal celebrates that the traitor who coveted the throne(the snake wound around the sword) and had participated in the execution of his monarch(which the sword beneath the now empty crown represents) was killed by the same sword. I guess it was easier to substitute a sword for a guillotine or perhaps the sword represents the power of The Mountain (La Montagne). Most historians believe now that in fact he did not covet the crown or there is no evidence he did but at the time many people thought he did. Either way the issuers of the medal felt that he had received his just desserts.

 

From his mountain finally the monster on the top

Receives equal the price of the latter crime.

 

Nice medal, one wonders how much of a demand there was for it though.

[elverno]

I suspect not much of a demand. I certainly was surprised to see it on dnecoins website.