3/16/2023 0 Comments Savage scaffold![]() ![]() The classic medieval mob scene is of people jeering and throwing things at the poor unfortunate on his way to the scaffold, but it seems that medieval people took the procession to the site of execution pretty seriously. As Merbeck emphasizes, execution was considered an opportunity for a criminal to confess and repent, and to earn himself a “good death” – something that, perhaps, he had denied another person. We moderns think of execution as depriving a person of life they thought of it as speeding a person to the afterlife, and the method with which criminals met their deaths would decide whether heaven or hell. So it was with convicted criminals: they were meant to show remorse, make reparation through the pain of their execution, and become once again acceptable to God (and therefore the community).įor this reason, as Merbeck mentions, medieval people were not as nervous as modern people are about executing an innocent person: an innocent person would simply be made more perfect through Christ-like suffering, and then enter the kingdom of heaven. As with other sins, a Christian could ask forgiveness, make reparation, and be acceptable to God. Because of this, executions were not just about revenge, but they were also fundamentally about atonement for the crimes committed. Medieval European culture, and therefore its legal system, was firmly rooted in Christian theology. Medieval execution scene – from British Library MS Royal 20 C VII f. It’s also important to remember that to be charged with these offences was not tantamount to being sentenced to death: judges could still find people not guilty, or negotiate terms, or the sovereign could pardon the offender. While some of the acts listed are not considered criminal in the West anymore (thankfully), it’s important to note that these medieval crimes were considered serious because they were thought to be threats against the pillars on which society was built – people were not hanged for jaywalking. Merback rightly points out that the most gruesome executions were for “arch criminals”, like traitors and assassins, who might be hung, drawn, and quartered. Throughout most of Europe and across the better part of a millennium, hanging was the punishment of thieves breaking with the wheel was inflicted on murderers, rapists and those who committed aggravated theft arsonists, like heretics, witches and sodomites were burned women charged with offences against religions or morality, such as adultery or infanticide, were drowned and decapitation was used for a wide range of offenses, including manslaughter, robbery, incest, infanticide or major fraud. ![]()
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