The most popular forms of execution in the Middle Ages were beheading and hanging. Moreover, they were applied to people of different classes. Decapitation was used as a punishment for noble people, and the gallows was the lot of the rootless poor. So why did the aristocracy chop off their heads and hang the common people?
Decapitation is the lot of kings and nobles
This type of death penalty has been used universally for thousands of years. In medieval Europe, such punishment was considered "noble" or "honorable". They cut off their heads mainly for aristocrats. When a representative of a noble family laid his head on the block, he showed humility.
Decapitation with a sword, ax, or ax was considered the least painful death. A quick death made it possible to avoid public agony, which was important for representatives of noble families. A crowd hungry for spectacle should not have seen low dying manifestations.
It was also believed that aristocrats, being brave and selfless warriors, were prepared precisely for death from cold steel.
Much in this matter depended on the skills of the executioner. Therefore, often the convict himself or his relatives paid a lot of money to do his job with one blow.
Decapitation leads to instant death, which means it relieves the violent torment. The sentence was carried out quickly. The convict put his head on a log, which was supposed to be no more than six inches thick. This greatly simplified the execution.
Promotional video:
The aristocratic connotation of this type of punishment was reflected in books dedicated to the Middle Ages, thereby perpetuating its selectivity. In the book “History of the Master” (by Kirill Sinelnikov) there is a quote: “… a noble execution - beheading. This is not hanging, the execution of the rabble. Decapitation is the lot of kings and nobles."
Hanging
If the nobles were sentenced to headlessness, then commoner criminals fell to the gallows.
Hanging is the most common execution in the world. This type of punishment has been considered shameful since ancient times. And there are several explanations for this. First, it was believed that when hanging, the soul cannot leave the body, as if remaining hostage to it. Such dead people were called "pledges".
Secondly, dying on the gallows was excruciating and painful. Death does not occur instantly, the person experiences physical suffering and remains conscious for several seconds, perfectly aware of the approaching end. All his torment and manifestations of agony are watched by hundreds of onlookers. In 90% of cases, at the time of strangulation, all the muscles of the body relax, which leads to a complete emptying of the intestines and bladder.
For many peoples, hanging was considered an unclean death. No one wanted his body to dangle in full view after the execution. Flaunting abuse is an essential part of this type of punishment. Many believed that such a death was the worst that could happen, and it was prepared only for traitors. People remembered Judas, who hanged himself from an aspen.
The person sentenced to the gallows had to have three ropes: the first two, the thickness of the little finger (cake), were equipped with a loop and were intended for direct strangulation. The third was called a "token" or "throw" - it served to throw the sentenced to the gallows. The executioner completed the execution, holding on to the crossbeam of the gallows, he beat the condemned with his knee in the stomach.
Exceptions to the rule
Despite the clear distinction between belonging to a particular class, there were exceptions to the established rules. For example, if a nobleman raped a girl who was entrusted with guardianship, then he was deprived of his nobility and all the privileges associated with the title. If during the arrest he resisted, then the gallows awaited him.
Among the military, deserters and traitors were sentenced to be hanged. For the officers, such a death was so humiliating that they often committed suicide without waiting for the execution of the punishment imposed by the court.
The exceptions were cases of high treason, in which a nobleman was deprived of all privileges and could be executed as a commoner.