Louis Pierre Louvel (7 October 1783 – 7 June 1820) was the assassin of

Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry Charles Ferdinand d'Artois, Duke of Berry (24 January 1778 – 14 February 1820) was the third child and younger son of Charles X, King of France, (whom he predeceased) by his wife Maria Theresa of Savoy. In June 1832, two years after the overthro ...

. Born in

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...

, Louvel was the son of a haberdasher, learned the profession of a

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not k ...

r, and entered in 1806 in the service of the artillery.''Louvel, Pierre Louis''
in: ''

Brockhaus Enzyklopädie The ''Brockhaus Enzyklopädie'' (German for ''Brockhaus Encyclopedia'') is a German-language encyclopedia which until 2009 was published by the F. A. Brockhaus printing house. The first edition originated in the '' Conversations-Lexikon'' p ...

'', 14th edition, 1894–1896, volume 11, page 314 After the return of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

from

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano Nationa ...

in 1815 he worked as a saddler in the royal stables and also remained later in this position. The political events of the Bourbon Restoration aroused in him the hatred against this dynasty, and he finally decided to start the extermination of the royal house with the assassination of the youngest member, the Duke of Berry. When in the night of 13 February 1820 the prince was leaving the Paris opera with his wife to lead her to the carriage, Louvel stabbed him with a knife in the right side of the body.''Louvel, Pierre Louis''
in: ''

Meyers Konversations-Lexikon ' or ' was a major encyclopedia in the German language that existed in various editions, and by several titles, from 1839 to 1984, when it merged with the '. Joseph Meyer (1796–1856), who had founded the publishing house in 1826, intended t ...

'', 4th edition, 1885–1892, volume 10, page 933. The Duke of Berry was mortally wounded and died on the next day, but asked to pardon his murderer. An official investigation revealed that Louvel, who had been seized immediately after the assassination of the duke, had no accomplices. He was executed by

guillotine A guillotine is an apparatus designed for efficiently carrying out executions by beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secured with stocks at t ...

in Paris on 7 June 1820.

References

''Louvel (Louis-Pierre)''
in: ''

Nouvelle Biographie Générale The ''Nouvelle Biographie Générale''Its full title was ''Nouvelle Biographie Générale, depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu'a nos jours, avec les renseignements bibliographiques et l'indication des sources a consulter'' ("New General Biog ...

'', 1852–1866, volume 32, columns 32–37.

Notes

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Louvel, Louis Pierre 1783 births 1820 deaths People from Versailles French assassins Executed assassins People executed by France by decapitation People executed by guillotine 19th-century French criminals 1820 murders in France