Antoine Simon (1736 – 28 July 1794) was a

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as ''cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen an ...

at Rue des Cordeliers in Paris and a member of the Club of the Cordeliers, representative of the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defende ...

. He was born in

Troyes Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near ...

, France to François Simon and Marie-Jeanne Adenet. On 3 July 1793, Simon was designated to watch over Louis XVII at the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

. On 19 January 1794, Simon was removed from his position and left the Temple in company of his wife. On 28 July 1794, Simon was among the 21 to be sent to the

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 ...

together with

Robespierre Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre (; 6 May 1758 – 28 July 1794) was a French lawyer and statesman who became one of the best-known, influential and controversial figures of the French Revolution. As a member of the Esta ...

at the ''Place de la Révolution'', today's ''

Place de la Concorde The Place de la Concorde () is one of the major public squares in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées. ...

'', in Paris, in an execution which marked the end of the Terror. He married his first wife, Marie-Barbe Hoyau (widow Munster), in November 1766. She died at the Hôtel-Dieu on 11 March 1782. Simon remarried Marie-Jeanne Aladame on 20 May 1788, in the parish of Saint-Côme-Saint-Damien. Marie-Jeanne (born on 25 June 1746, in Saint-Étienne-du-Mont parish, Paris) was a servant and the daughter of Fiacre Aladame (a carpenter) and Reine-Geneviève Aubert. She came to wider attention during the storming of the Tulleries Palace in 1792, for having diligently nursed wounded republicans. Marie-Jeanne outlived her husband and died in Paris in 1819 at the ''Hospice des Incurables''. Author Georges Bordonove gives the impression of a Simon with limited intelligence, entirely devoted to the ideals of the Revolution, and strongly influenced by political leaders such as

Pierre Gaspard Chaumette Pierre Gaspard Anaxagore Chaumette (24 May 1763 – 13 April 1794) was a French politician of the Revolutionary period who served as the president of the Paris Commune and played a leading role in the establishment of the Reign of Terror. H ...

and

Jacques Hébert Jacques René Hébert (; 15 November 1757 – 24 March 1794) was a French journalist and the founder and editor of the extreme radical newspaper '' Le Père Duchesne'' during the French Revolution. Hébert was a leader of the French Revolution ...

. Simon seems to have followed Chaumette's idea to "give some education to the prince ..to make him lose the idea of his rank" (''lui donner quelque éducation ..pour lui faire perdre l'idée de son rang''). He requested that his wife Marie-Jeanne help him to care for the boy. Some authors have portrayed Simon as a violent, vulgar and abusive alcoholic who acted brutally toward the child. Others have claimed that, apart from teaching the boy to sing bawdy songs and to "talk the language of the populace and soldiery", he was otherwise well treated. Simon is mentioned in the video game '' Assassin's Creed Unity'' as the shoemaker that abused Louis XVII.

References

1736 births 1794 deaths People from Troyes Shoemakers French people executed by guillotine during the French Revolution Louis XVII {{France-artist-stub