Death penalty for selling sour wine

The French Revolution started when revolutionaries stormed the Bastille prison in Paris in 1789. Meant to rid the country of the nobles once and for all, far more members of the general public than the nobles met with the guillotine. Of the approximately 16,000 people killed in the three following years, only 10% were nobles, most having escaped.

A large number of people were executed on the denouncements of jealous friends or neighbors. For instance, selling sour wine was considered against national interest and the merchant was promptly executed.