Human cruelty, especially when driven by authority, is simply amazing. An example of this is the Spanish inquisitor Pedro de Arbues de Epila. It was precisely his sophisticated mind that the idea of destroying people by playing "live chess" belongs.
Pedro could not be called a narrow-minded and stupid maniac - on the contrary, he received an excellent education, and his diligence and piety were set as an example to other students. In 1474, Arbues was appointed inquisitor of Aragon. From that moment on, mass executions of city residents began.
But the usual executions did not suit the inquisitor - he came up with a sophisticated, bloody entertainment - live chess.
A sufficient number of imaginary or real heretics was needed for the game - the guilt or innocence of the person in this case did not matter. The selected people were dressed in white and black clothes and placed on the board. Two old blind monks played such chess.
As soon as one "ate" the figure of the other, the executioner came to the corresponding cell and killed the unfortunate man, piercing him with a spear or chopping off his head. By the end of the game, the entire chess field was littered with the disfigured corpses of "chess pieces".
The figures of the winning side also did not have the slightest chance of surviving - at the end of the game they were sent for "purification by fire".
As a result of the activities of Arbuez in Zaragoza, about a fifth of the population was destroyed.
Amazingly, the Catholic Church solemnly recognized the bloody chess player Arbuez, murdered in 1485, as a martyr. Pope Alexander VII in 1661 recognized him as a righteous man, and in 1867 Pius IX even canonized him.
Promotional video: