NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Execution by burning

Execution by burning has a long history as a method of punishment for crimes such as treason, heresy and witchcraft (burning, however, was actually less common than hanging, pressing, or drowning as a punishment for witchcraft). For a number of reasons, this method of execution fell into disfavor among governments in the late 18th century; today, it is considered cruel and unusual punishment. The particular form of execution by burning in which the condemned is bound to a large stake is more commonly called burning at the stake. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Jan Hus ( ) (IPA: , alternative spellings John Hus, Jan Huss, John Huss) (c. ... For other uses, see Fire (disambiguation). ... Look up Punishment in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... For other uses, see Treason (disambiguation) or Traitor (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Heresy (disambiguation). ... â€œWitchâ€ redirects here. ... Hanging is the suspension of a person by a ligature, usually a cord wrapped around the neck, causing death. ... Peine forte et dure, (Law French for strong and hard punishment) was formerly a method of torture in the common law legal system, where the defendant who refused to plead would be subjected to having subsequently larger stones pressed upon the chest until a plea was entered, or as the... â€œWitchâ€ redirects here. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... â€œCruel And Unusualâ€ redirects here. ... Immolation means a sacrificial killing by burning, such as: Animal sacrifice Human sacrifice Sati is a Hindu funeral custom involving immolation. ... Look up Stake in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

If the fire was large (for instance, when a large number of prisoners were executed at the same time), death often came from the carbon monoxide poisoning before flames actually caused harm to the body. However, if the fire was small, the convict would burn for some time until death from heatstroke, loss of blood plasma, and shock would occur. The typical depictions of burnings show that the executioner would arrange a pile of wood around the condemned's feet and calves, with supplementary small bundles of sticks and straw called faggots at strategic intervals up his/her body. R-phrases , , , , S-phrases , , , , Flash point Flammable gas Related Compounds Related oxides carbon dioxide; carbon suboxide; dicarbon monoxide; carbon trioxide Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, Îµr, etc. ... Hyperthermia is an acute condition resulting from excessive exposure to heat, it is also known as heat stroke or sunstroke. ... Blood plasma is the liquid component of blood, in which the blood cells are suspended. ... This article is about the medical condition. ... Look up faggot in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Unless the authorities were particularly vindictive against a prisoner, family and friends could bring additional faggots and firecrackers to make the death less painful.^{[citation needed]} It seems, however, that these depictions may not be entirely representative of how such executions were normally carried out; some sources state that it was more normal for the stake to be at the centre of a large ring or pile of wood with a gap left for the condemned to be led to the stake.^{[citation needed]} Once they were tied to the stake and the gap filled with wood, the condemned would be hidden from sight. The famous depiction of the execution of Joan of Arc is factually incorrect in that it shows her atop a pile of wood and straw, whereas in fact she was burnt in the manner described.^{[citation needed]} Download high resolution version (500x623, 69 KB)The burning of the knight of Hohenberg with his servant before the walls of Zürich, 1482 Taken from the German-language Wikipedia (:de:Bild:Sodomie. ... Download high resolution version (500x623, 69 KB)The burning of the knight of Hohenberg with his servant before the walls of Zürich, 1482 Taken from the German-language Wikipedia (:de:Bild:Sodomie. ... FranÃ§ois Elluin, Sodomites provoking the wrath of God, from Le pot pourri de Loth (1781). ... For other uses of Zurich, see Zurich (disambiguation). ... Spiezer Schilling (or Amtliche Chronik) is a chronicle of Diebold Schilling the Elder of Berne (1480s). ... For other uses, see Joan of Arc (disambiguation). ...

When applied with skill, the prisoner's skin would burn progressively in the following sequence: calves, thighs and hands, torso and forearms, breasts, upper chest, face; and then finally death. On other occasions, people died from suffocation with only their calves on fire. In many burnings, a rope was attached to the convict's neck passing through a ring on the stake and they were simultaneously strangled and burnt. In later years in England, some burnings only took place after the convict had already hanged for a half-hour.^{[citation needed]} In some Nordic and German burnings, convicts had containers of gunpowder tied to them or were tied to ladders and then swung into fully burning bonfires.^{[citation needed]} A container of gunpowder tied at the neck might be used to bring about a quicker (and thus more merciful) death, since the condemned would suffer only until the gunpowder was heated enough to explode. Some prisoners refused this for personal reasons. For other uses, see Skin (disambiguation). ... The calf or gastrosoleus is a pair of musclesâ€”the gastrocnemius and soleusâ€”at the back of the lower human leg. ... Diagram of the human thigh bone In humans the thigh is the area between the pelvis and buttocks and the knee. ... Alternate meanings: Hand (disambiguation) A human left hand The hand (med. ... The human torso Torso is an anatomical term for the greater part of the human body without the head and limbs. ... The forearm is the structure on the upper limb, between the elbow and the wrist. ... okay that is all ... Male Chest The chest is a part of the anatomy of humans and various other animals. ... For other uses, see Face (disambiguation). ... Suffocation can mean two things: Suffocation, or Asphyxia, is a medical condition where the body is depraved of oxygen. ... For other uses, see Neck (disambiguation). ... Asphyxia is a condition of severely deficient supply of oxygen to the body. ... Hanging is the suspension of a person by a ligature, usually a cord wrapped around the neck, causing death. ... Gunpowder (also called black powder) is a pyrotechnic composition, an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as a propellant in firearms and fireworks. ...

Historical usage

The story of Tamar and Judah in the Biblical book of Genesis suggests that in the society where the story was composed, the patriarch heading a tribe or clan could order the burning to death of an unmarried female member of his household, if discovered to be pregnant - even though the legislative part of the Torah does not prescribe such a punishment. Download high resolution version (346x852, 70 KB)Stained glass window depecting Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer being burned at the stake. ... Download high resolution version (346x852, 70 KB)Stained glass window depecting Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer being burned at the stake. ... Hugh Latimer (d. ... Nicholas Ridley (died October 16, 1555) was an English clergyman. ... Thomas Cranmer (July 2, 1489 â€“ March 21, 1556) was the Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of the English kings Henry VIII and Edward VI. He is credited with writing and compiling the first two Books of Common Prayer which established the basic structure of Anglican liturgy for centuries and... In the Bible, Tamar (Hebrew: , Standard Tiberian ; Date Palm) was twice the daughter-in-law of Judah, as well as the mother of two of his children - the twins Zarah and Pharez[1]. // Tamar is first described as marrying Er, the eldest son of Judah[2]; according to the text... Judah/Yehuda (Hebrew: ×™Ö°×”×•Ö¼×“Ö¸×”, Standard YÉ™huda Tiberian ) was, according to the Book of Genesis, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah, and the founder of the Israelite Tribe of Judah; however Biblical scholars view this as postdiction, an eponymous metaphor providing an aetiology of the connectedness of the tribe to... For other uses, see Genesis (disambiguation). ... Template:Jews and Jewdaism Template:The Holy Book Named TorRah The Torah () is the most valuable Holy Doctrine within Judaism,(and for muslims) revered as the first relenting Word of Ulllah, traditionally thought to have been revealed to Blessed Moosah, An Apostle of Ulllah. ...

Perillos of Athens invented the Brazen bull, a hollow brass container where the condemned would be locked as a fire was set underneath. This would cause the metal to become red hot while the condemned slowly roasted to death. The bull was first used on Perillos, the bull's inventor; though he was released by the Tyrant Phalaris, the device continued to be used through ancient Greece and Rome.^{[dubious – discuss]} This article is about the capital of Greece. ... A brazen bull as depicted by Hans Burgkmair the Elder. ... For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ...

Burning was used as a means of execution in many ancient societies. According to ancient reports, Roman authorities executed many of the early Christian martyrs by burning, sometimes by means of the tunica molesta, a flammable tunic. Civil authorities burned persons judged to be heretics under the medieval Inquisition, including Giordano Bruno. Burning was also used by Protestants during the witch-hunts of Europe. During all these cases were reported wherein the condemned failed to be burnt, requiring decapitation. For other uses, see Roman Empire (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Martyr (disambiguation). ... A tunica molesta (Latin for annoying shirt) was a shirt impregnated with flammable substances such as naphtha, used to execute people by burning in ancient Rome. ... Heresy, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, is a theological or religious opinion or doctrine maintained in opposition, or held to be contrary, to the ‘catholic’ or orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or, by extension, to that of any church, creed, or religious system, considered as orthodox. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times. ... The Inquisition was an office of the Roman Catholic Church charged with suppressing heresy. ... Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno (1548, Nola â€“ February 17, 1600, Rome) was an Italian philosopher, priest, cosmologist, and occultist. ... Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ... A witch-hunt is a search for suspected witches; it is a type of moral panic. ... Decapitation (from Latin, caput, capitis, meaning head), or beheading, is the removal of a living organisms head. ...

North American Indians often used burning as a form of execution, either against members of other tribes or against white settlers during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Roasting over a slow fire was a customary method.^[1]

Under the Byzantine Empire, burning was introduced as a punishment for disobedient Zoroastrians, because of the belief that they worshipped fire.^{[citation needed]} Byzantine redirects here. ... Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra, Zartosht). ...

The Roman Emperor Justinian (r. 527-565) ordered death by fire, intestacy, and confiscation of all possessions by the State to be the punishment for heresy against the Christian faith in his Codex Iustiniani (CJ 1.5.), ratifying the decrees of his predecessors the Emperors Arcadius and Flavius Augustus Honorius. Justinian may refer to: Justinian I, a Roman Emperor; Justinian II, a Byzantine Emperor; Justinian, a storeship sent to the convict settlement at New South Wales in 1790. ... Intestacy is the condition of the estate of a person who dies owning property greater than the sum of his or her enforceable debts and funeral expenses without having made a valid will or other binding declaration; alternatively where such a will or declaration has been made, but only applies... Justinian I depicted on a mosaic in the church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy The Corpus Juris Civilis (Body of Civil Law) is the modern name[1] for a collection of fundamental works in jurisprudence, issued from 529 to 534 by order of Justinian I, Byzantine Emperor. ... Idealising bust of Arcadius in the Theodosian style combines elements of classicism with the new hieratic style (Istanbul Archaeology Museum) Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Arcadius For the Greek grammarian, see Arcadius of Antioch. ... Bronze coin bearing the profile of Honorius Flavius Augustus Honorius (September 9, 384â€“August 15, 423) was Emperor of the Western Roman Empire from 395 until his death. ...

In 1184, the Roman Catholic Synod of Verona legislated that burning was to be the official punishment for heresy. This decree was later reaffirmed by the Fourth Council of the Lateran in 1215, the Synod of Toulouse in 1229, and numerous spiritual and secular leaders up through the 17th century. // Events Abbeville receives its commercial charter. ... The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ... For other uses, see Heresy (disambiguation). ... The Fourth Council of the Lateran was summoned by Pope Innocent III with his Bull of April 19, 1213. ... A certified copy of the Magna Carta March 4 - King John of England makes an oath to the Pope as a crusader to gain the support of Innocent III. June 15 - King John of England was forced to put his seal on the Magna Carta, outlining the rights of landowning... Events February 18 - The Sixth Crusade: Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor signs a ten-year truce with al-Kamil, regaining Jerusalem, Nazareth, and Bethlehem with neither military engagements nor support from the papacy. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ...

Among the best-known individuals to be executed by burning were Jacques de Molay (1314), Jan Hus (1415), St Joan of Arc (May 30, 1431), Patrick Hamilton (1528), William Tyndale (1536), Michael Servetus (1553), Giordano Bruno (1600), and Avvakum (1682). Anglican martyrs Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley (both in 1555), and Thomas Cranmer (1556) were also burned at the stake. Jacques de Molay (est. ... Events June 24 - Battle of Bannockburn. ... Jan Hus ( ) (IPA: , alternative spellings John Hus, Jan Huss, John Huss) (c. ... Events Friedrich I Hohenzollern (b. ... For other uses, see Joan of Arc (disambiguation). ... is the 150th day of the year (151st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1431 was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Patrick Hamilton (1504 - February 29, 1528) was a Scottish churchman and Reformer. ... Events June 19 - Battle of Landriano - A French army in Italy under Marshal St. ... William Tyndale (sometimes spelled Tyndale,Tindall or Tyndall) (ca. ... Year 1536 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. ... Michael Servetus. ... // Events June 26 - Christs Hospital in London gets a Royal Charter July 6 - Edward VI of England dies July 10 - Lady Jane Grey is proclaimed Queen of England - for the next nine days July 18 - Lord Mayor of London proclaims Queen Mary as the rightful Queen - Lady Jane Grey... Giordano Bruno Giordano Bruno (1548, Nola â€“ February 17, 1600, Rome) was an Italian philosopher, priest, cosmologist, and occultist. ... 1600 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Old Believer icon depicting Avvakum surrounded by other martyrs of the Old Faith AvvÃ¡kum PetrÃ³v (November 20, 1620 or 1621 - April 14, 1682) was a Russian archpriest of Kazan Cathedral on Red Square who led the opposition to Patriarch Nikons reforms of the Russian Orthodox Church. ... Year 1682 (MDCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 10-day slower Julian calendar). ... Hugh Latimer (d. ... Nicholas Ridley (died October 16, 1555) was an English clergyman. ... Events Russia breaks 60 year old truce with Sweden by attacking Finland February 2 - Diet of Augsburg begins February 4 - John Rogers becomes first Protestant martyr in England February 9 - Bishop of Gloucester John Hooper is burned at the stake May 23 - Paul IV becomes Pope. ... Thomas Cranmer (July 2, 1489 â€“ March 21, 1556) was the Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of the English kings Henry VIII and Edward VI. He is credited with writing and compiling the first two Books of Common Prayer which established the basic structure of Anglican liturgy for centuries and... Events January 16 - Abdication of Emperor Charles V. His son, Philip II becomes King of Spain, while his brother Ferdinand becomes Holy Roman Emperor January 23 - The Shaanxi earthquake, the deadliest earthquake in history, occurs with its epicenter in Shaanxi province, China. ...

In the United Kingdom, the traditional punishment for women found guilty of treason was to be burnt at the stake, while men were hanged, drawn and quartered. There were two types of treason, high treason for crimes against the Sovereign, and petty treason for the murder of one's lawful superior, including that of a husband by his wife. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Ipswich (disambiguation). ... To be hanged, drawn and quartered was the penalty once ordained in England for treason. ... {{main|Treason}} High treason, broadly defined, is an action which is grossly disloyal to ones country or sovereign. ... Petty treason is, in English common law, any betrayal of a superior by a subordinate. ...

Sir Thomas Malory, in "Le Morte d'Arthur", depicts King Arthur as being reluctantly constrained to order the burning of Queen Guinevere, once her adultery with Lancelot was revealed - suggesting that this was an inflexible and unalterable law. This might be related to the above, as a Queen's adultery might be construed as treason against her royal husband. Sir Thomas Malory (c. ... The Last Sleep of Arthur by Edward Burne-Jones Le Morte dArthur (spelled Le Morte Darthur in the first printing and also in some modern editions, Middle French for la mort dArthur, the death of Arthur) is Sir Thomas Malorys compilation of some French and English Arthurian... For other uses, see King Arthur (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Guinevere (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Lancelot (disambiguation) and Sir Lancelot (disambiguation). ...

In 1790, Sir Benjamin Hammett introduced a bill into Parliament to end what is now widely considered a barbaric practice. He explained that the year before, as Sheriff of London, he had been responsible for the burning of Catherine Murphy, found guilty of counterfeiting, but that he had allowed her to be hanged first. Year 1790 (MDCCXC) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Type Bicameral Houses House of Commons House of Lords Speaker of the House of Commons Michael Martin MP Speaker of the House of Lords HÃ©lÃ¨ne Hayman, PC Members 1377 (646 Commons, 731 Peers) Political groups Labour Party Conservative Party Liberal Democrats Scottish National Party Plaid Cymru Democratic Unionist... Look up Sheriff in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Catherine Murphy (died March 18, 1789) was the last woman to suffer execution by burning in England. ... A counterfeit is an imitation that is made with the intent to deceptively represent its content or origins. ...

He pointed out that as the law stood, he himself could have been found guilty of a crime in not carrying out the lawful punishment and, as no woman had been burnt alive in the kingdom for over fifty years, so could all those still alive who had held an official position at all of the previous burnings. The act was duly passed by Parliament and given royal assent by King George III (30 George III. C. 48).^[2] // The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of lawmaking by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. ... George III redirects here. ...

Modern burnings

Modern day burnings still occur. During periods of unrest in South Africa and Haiti for example, execution by burning was done via a method called necklacing where kerosene or petrol filled rubber tires were placed around the neck of a live individual. The fuel was then ignited, the rubber melted and the condemned burned to death.^[3]^[4] Necklacing is typically extrajudicial and performed by locals rather than authorities^{[citation needed]}. In Rio de Janeiro, burning people standing inside a pile of tires is a common form of execution used by drug dealers. This form of execution is called microondas, "the microwave". ^[5] Necklacing (sometimes metonymically called Necklace) refers to the practice of execution carried out by forcing a rubber tire, filled with gasoline, around a victims chest and arms, and setting it on fire. ... Extrajudicial execution and extrajudicial punishment are terms to describe death sentences and other types of punishment, respectively, executed without prior proper judicial procedure. ...

According to a former Soviet Main Intelligence Directorate officer writing under the alias Victor Suvorov, at least one Soviet traitor was burned alive in a crematorium.^[6] During the 1980 New Mexico State Penitentiary riot, a number of inmates were burned to death by fellow inmates, who used blow torches. For other uses, see GRU (disambiguation). ... Categories: People stubs | 1947 births | Defectors | Russian writers | Ukrainian people ... Cremation is the practice of disposing of a corpse by burning. ... The New Mexico State Penitentiary Riot, which took place on February 2 and February 3, 1980 in the states maximum security prison south of Santa Fe, was one of the most violent prison riots in the history of the American correctional system: 33 inmates were killed, and more than...

Portrayal in film

The Last of the Mohicans features a British Redcoat being burned at the stake by a Huron tribe, while the more recent Silent Hill has a female police officer consumed by flames while tied to a ladder. The latter makes use of computer graphics, while the former does not. Elizabeth also used computer graphics to enhance the opening scene where three Protestants are burnt at the stake. In the film adaptation of Umberto Eco's The Name of the Rose, the innocent simpleton Salvatore (Ron Perlman) is seen to die horribly, burnt at the stake. The fate is also suffered by Oliver Reed's less innocent character in Ken Russell's The Devils. The film The Seventh Seal shows a woman about to be burnt at the stake. Dreyer's La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc (The Passion of Joan of Arc), though made in the late 1920s (and therefore without the assistance of computer graphics), includes a relatively graphic and realistic treatment of Jeanne's execution. Of course, nearly all other film versions of the story of Joan show her death at the stake — some more graphically than others. Execution by burning also features in the 1973 film The Wicker Man, and its 2006 remake. Tropa de Elite depicts an execution by burning in Rio de Janeiro. This article is about the 1992 film. ... It has been suggested that Silent Hill 2 (film) be merged into this article or section. ... This article is about the scientific discipline of computer graphics. ... Elizabeth is an Academy Award winning 1998 film loosely based on the early reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. ... Umberto Eco (born January 5, 1932) is an Italian medievalist, semiotician, philosopher and novelist, best known for his novel The Name of the Rose (Il nome della rosa) and his many essays. ... The Name of the Rose (original title, Der Name der Rose) is a 1986 film by Jean-Jacques Annaud, based on the book of the same name by Umberto Eco. ... For the business executive, see Ronald Perelman. ... Robert Oliver Reed (February 13, 1938 â€“ May 2, 1999) was an English actor known for his macho image on and off screen. ... Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell, known as Ken Russell (born July 3, 1927), is an iconoclastic English film director, particularly well-known for his films about famous composers and his controversial, often outrageous pioneering work in film. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Seventh Seal (Swedish: Det sjunde inseglet) is an existential 1957 Swedish film directed by Ingmar Bergman about the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) across a plague-ridden landscape. ... Notable people with the name Dreyer include: Benedikt Dreyer (1495-1555), German sculptor, carver and painter Carl Theodor Dreyer (1889-1968), Danish director Dekker Dreyer (1889-1968), American director and producer Frederic Charles Dreyer (1878-1956), officer of the Royal Navy Jim Dreyer, marathon swimmer Olaf Dreyer, German theoretical physicist... Scene from the film. ... For other uses, see Joan of Arc (disambiguation). ... This article is about the 1973 film. ... Tropa de Elite (English working title: Elite Squad) is a Brazilian film released on October 5, 2007. ...

Notes

Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ... EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica, the eleventh edition The EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910â€“1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the EncyclopÃ¦dia Britannica. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Contents

Historical usage

Modern burnings

Portrayal in film

Notes

See also

Contents

Historical usage GA_googleFillSlot("encyclopedia_square");

Modern burnings

Portrayal in film

Notes

See also

Historical usage