Discover Top Posts Tagged with #executioners

Whats the history of executioners as a societal class? Im ready

this article provides a pretty good quick but in-depth summary on the subject. it's a really interesting case study in social exclusion and class/caste system dynamics!

#i have an oc family who are descended from executioners bc of the gothic horror 'ancestral sins' potential #executioners

Digging through actual crates this afternoon I found some videos I simply cannot bear to part with, despite no longer owning a player and owning all of these on other formats, including digitally

I guess I am kind of a chump, or alternatively 'what a guy!', it's a question of perspective... yup

CRAFTS — 196/262 — Executioners

The profession of executioner dates back to ancient Egypt and Rome; in Europe, it reappeared again in the 13th century. Before that, executions were carried out by judges themselves, or prosecutors or relatives of the condemned, or other individuals. It was only with the advent of the executioner that all tasks shifted to them. Although executioners made decent money from their profession, and having their own executioner was a status symbol for every town, executioners themselves lived on the fringe of society. Associating with an executioner meant a loss of honor for respectable persons, and the executioner themselves had to face many discriminatory measures – separate place in church and at the inn, exclusion from social events, etc. The executioner was responsible for punishments such as hanging, breaking on the wheel, burning at the stake, and torture, as well as quartering and beheading. They had assistants – henchmen – who helped with the preparation and disposal of executed bodies. Other tasks of the executioner included the removal and disposal of dead animals, catching stray dogs, and sometimes even cleaning up filth from the streets. The executioner also sometimes oversaw the city brothel, had partial knowledge of surgery, could treat fractures, reset dislocated limbs, or amputate them in case of gangrene. Sometimes, the executioner deceitfully sold items directly related to executions to superstitious people, such as ropes or fingers of the hanged, or amulets made from their hair.

TRIVIA

— The executioner’s duties included the carrying out of capital sentences and the application of torture as part of judicial procedure. He was also responsible for corporal punishment and acts of public humiliation. In addition, the office often encompassed a range of tasks considered dishonourable, such as the cleaning of latrines, the removal and burial of suicides, and the supervision of places associated with dishonourable professions, such as prostitution and gambling. The most important source for medieval European executioners is Franz Schmidt's (1555–1634) diary, in which he detailed the 361 executions he performed during his 45-year career.

Through their work, executioners often acquired detailed practical knowledge of human anatomy. In some cases, they offered additional services as surgeons or veterinarians. The access to corpses sometimes allowed them to resell body parts, such as the "dead hand", which was used in folk medicine European and as a talisman. It was used in folk medicine to treat a variety of illnesses, based on the assumption that the disease transferred from the patient to the dead man's hand. The dead man's hand served as a last resort "for the removal of birthmarks, malignant ulcers, cancers and ringworm," which were treated by smearing it on them so that they would disappear just as the dead man's hand would later decompose in the earth."

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#kcd2 #codex: crafts #196/262 #kcd codex #kcd2 codex #history #executioners #law #society

Jack Harkness reconnects with his old executioner buddies and lets them practice on him. It’s not every day you get the opportunity to hone your execution techniques on someone who can actually give feedback afterwards from the other end of the experience.

#doctor who #jack harkness #executioners #headcanon #something about jack gives me all the disturbing hcs #dandelion thinks about doctor who #modern who

The Execution of Lady Jane Grey

Artist: Paul Delaroche (French, 1797-1856)

Date: 1833

Medium: Oil on canvas

Collection: The National Gallery, London

Description

Lady Jane Grey reigned for just nine days as Queen of England following the death of Edward VI in July 1553: she was deposed by the faction supporting Edward’s half-sister and heir, the Catholic Mary Tudor. Tried for treason, the 17-year-old Lady Jane was beheaded at Tower Hill on 12 February 1554.

In the catalogue for the 1834 Salon, where the painting was first exhibited, Delaroche quoted from a text about Protestant martyrs, Martyrologe des protestants, which was published in 1558. Describing her final moments, the excerpt tells how the blindfolded Lady Jane pleaded, ‘What shall I do? Where is the block?’ It is this moment that the painting shows, as the helpless Lady Jane is guided to the execution block by Sir John Brydges, Lieutenant of the Tower. Her outer clothing has already been removed and is gathered in the lap of a lady-in-waiting, who has slumped to the ground. Behind her, a second lady-in-waiting stands facing the wall, unable to watch. To the right, a fifth figure, the executioner, stands waiting.

Delaroche uses a dark monochrome background of Romanesque architecture as a foil for the illuminated life-size figures – in particular the group in the centre-right – and the rich reds, browns and blacks of their clothing. Lady Jane is the visual focus of the painting, as the bright sheen of her satin petticoat (its radiant whiteness symbolising her innocence), pale skin and gleam of her wedding ring stand out from the oppressive gloom. No one in the picture looks at us, and nothing, except for the brightly-lit straw laid down to soak up the blood, comes between us and what is about to happen. The smooth finish of the paint and its lack of visible brushwork further enhance the illusion.