Jan Hus burned at the stake

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). Jan Hus ( (ˈjan ˈɦus alternative spellings John Hus, Jan Huss, John Huss) (c Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Fire is the heat and light energy released during a Chemical reaction, in particular a combustion reaction. Punishment is the practice of imposing something unpleasant or aversive on a person or animal usually in response to disobedient or morally wrong behavior In the sociological field, crime is the breach of a rule or Law for which some governing authority or force may ultimately prescribe a Punishment In Law, treason is the Crime that covers some of the more serious acts of disloyalty to one's sovereign or Nation. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death This article is about the method of execution See Crusher for a description of the manufacturing process and mechanisms for it Drowning is Death as caused by suffocation when a liquid causes interruption of the body's absorption of oxygen from the air leading to Asphyxia. Witchcraft, in various historical anthropological religious and mythological contexts is the use of certain kinds of Supernatural or magical powers This method of execution fell into disfavor among governments in the late 18th century; today, it is considered cruel and unusual punishment^[1]. 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.

Cause of death

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. A prison, penitentiary, or correctional facility is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of Capital punishment, the death penalty or execution, is the Killing of a person by judicial process as Punishment. Carbon monoxide, with the chemical formula CO is a colorless odorless tasteless yet highly toxic Gas. 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. Hyperthermia, in its advanced state referred to as heat stroke or sunstroke, is an acute condition which occurs when the Body produces or absorbs more Blood plasma is the Liquid component of Blood, in which the Blood cells are suspended 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.

Burning of two sodomites at the stake outside Zürich, 1482 (Spiezer Schilling)

Unless the authorities were particularly vindictive against a prisoner, family and friends could bring additional faggots and firecrackers to make the death less painful. Sodomy (ˈsɒdəmi is a term used today predominantly in Law (derived from traditional Christian usage to describe the act of Anal intercourse, Oral intercourse Zürich (, Zürich German: Züri, Zurich, Zurigo; in English generally Zurich) is the largest city in Switzerland and capital of the Spiezer Schilling (or Amtliche Chronik) is a Chronicle of Diebold Schilling the Elder of Berne ( 1480s) 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. Once he or she was 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. Joan of Arc (c 1412 Joan asserted that she had visions from God that told her to recover her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years'

When applied with skill, the condemned's body would burn progressively in the following sequence: calves, thighs and hands, torso and forearms, breasts, upper chest, face; and then finally death. The calf or gastroc-soleus is a pair of Muscles mdashthe gastrocnemius and soleus &mdashat the back of the lower Human leg. In humans the thigh is the area between the Pelvis and the Knee. The hands ( med / lat: manus pl manūs are the two intricate prehensile multi- Fingered body parts normally located at the end of each arm of a Torso is an anatomical term for the central part of the many animal bodies (including that of the human from which extend the neck and limbs The forearm is the structure on the Upper limb, between the elbow and the Wrist. The breast is the upper Ventral region of an animal’s Torso, particularly that of Mammals including Human beings. The chest is a part of the Anatomy of humans and various other animals sometimes referred to as the Thorax. The term face refers to the central sense organ complex for those animals that have one normally on the ventral surface of the head and can depending on the definition 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 he or she was simultaneously strangled and burnt. The neck is the part of the Body on many limbed Vertebrates that distinguishes the head from the Torso or trunk In later years in England, some burnings only took place after the convict had already hanged for a half-hour. Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death In some Nordic, English and German burnings, convicts had containers of gunpowder tied to them or were tied to ladders and then swung into fully burning bonfires. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Gunpowder is a an explosive mixture of Sulfur, Charcoal and Potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre/saltpeter that burns rapidly producing volumes 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 it for personal reasons.

Historical usage

Stained glass window depicting Anglican martyrs Hugh Latimer, Nicholas Ridley, and Thomas Cranmer. Latimer's belief in Christ's return Hugh Latimer said "It may come in my days old as I am or in my children's days the saints shall be taken up to meet Christ in the air Nicholas Ridley (died October 16, 1555) was an English Clergyman.

The story of Tamar and Judah in the Biblical book of Genesis suggests that before the Torah was given to the Israelites at Mount Sinai, the patriarch heading a tribe or clan could order a tribe member executed for sexual misconduct. For the rape victim see Rape of Tamar. For the wife of Rehoboam daughter of Absalom mother of Abijah see Maachah. Judah / Yehuda ( Hebrew: יְהוּדָה Standard Yəhuda Tiberian Yəhûḏāh) was according (It should be noted that Tamar was not a member of Judah's tribe but rather his daughter-in-law. )

Perillos of Athens invented the Brazen bull, a hollow brass container where the condemned would be locked as a fire was set underneath. Athens (ˈæθənz Αθήνα Athina,) the Capital and largest city of Greece, dominates the Attica periphery as one of the world's The brazen bull, or the Sicilian bull, is an execution/torture device designed in Ancient Greece. 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. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2

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. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial The term martyr ( Greek μάρτυς martys "witness" is most commonly used today to describe an individual who sacrifices their life (or personal freedom A tunica molesta ( Latin for "annoying shirt" was a shirt impregnated with flammable substances such as Naphtha, used to execute people by burning Civil authorities burned persons judged to be heretics under the medieval Inquisition, including Giordano Bruno. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Giordano Bruno (1548 – February 17, 1600) was an Italian Philosopher best-known as an early proponent of Heliocentrism and Burning was also used by Protestants during the witch-hunts of Europe. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. "Witch trial" redirects here For the song by Rush, see Fear series.

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. ^[2]

Under the Byzantine Empire, burning was introduced as a punishment for disobedient Zoroastrians, because of the belief that they worshipped fire. Zoroastrianism (ˌzɔroʊˈæstriəˌnɪzəm is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings

The Byzantine Emperor Justinian (r. Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or 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. 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 The Corpus Juris Civilis ("Body of Civil Law" is the modern name for a collection of fundamental works in Jurisprudence, issued from 529 5. ), ratifying the decrees of his predecessors the Emperors Arcadius and Flavius Augustus Honorius. Flavius Arcadius (377/378&ndash May 1, 408) was Byzantine Emperor in the Eastern half of the Roman Empire from 395 until his death Flavius Honorius ( September 9, 384 &ndash August 15, 423) was Roman Emperor (393- 395 and then Western Roman Emperor

In 1184, the Roman Catholic Synod of Verona legislated that burning was to be the official punishment for heresy. Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief 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 through the 17th century. The Fourth Council of the Lateran was summoned by Pope Innocent III with his Papal bull of April 19, 1213.

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), Savonarola (1498) Patrick Hamilton (1528), William Tyndale (1536), Michael Servetus (1553), Giordano Bruno (1600), and Avvakum (1682). Jacques de Molay (est 1244–5/1249–50 – 18 March 1314) was the 23rd and officially last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, leading the Jan Hus ( (ˈjan ˈɦus alternative spellings John Hus, Jan Huss, John Huss) (c Joan of Arc (c 1412 Joan asserted that she had visions from God that told her to recover her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years' Events 1416 - The Council of Constance, called by the Emperor Sigismund a supporter of Antipope John XXIII burns Jerome of Prague following Girolamo Savonarola ( September 21, 1452 &ndash May 23, 1498) was an Italian Dominican priest and leader of Florence from Patrick Hamilton ( 1504 - February 29, 1528) was a Scottish churchman and an early Protestant Reformer in Scotland Tyndale redirects here For the English family see Tyndall. For other uses see Tyndale (disambiguation. Michael Servetus (also Miguel Servet or Miguel Serveto; 29 September, 1511 &ndash 27 October, 1553) was a Spanish Giordano Bruno (1548 – February 17, 1600) was an Italian Philosopher best-known as an early proponent of Heliocentrism and Avvakum Petrov (Kondratiev (Аввакум Петров (Кондратьев ( November 20, 1620 or 1621 - April 14, 1682) was a Anglican martyrs Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley (both in 1555), and Thomas Cranmer (1556) were also burned at the stake. Latimer's belief in Christ's return Hugh Latimer said "It may come in my days old as I am or in my children's days the saints shall be taken up to meet Christ in the air Nicholas Ridley (died October 16, 1555) was an English Clergyman.

Edward Wightman, a Baptist from Burton on Trent, was the last person to be burnt at the stake for heresy in England in the market square of Lichfield, Staffordshire on April 11, 1612. Edward Wightman ( December 20, 1566 - April 11, 1612) a Baptist, was the last person to be executed for Heresy Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a large town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, Heresy is an introduced change to some system of belief especially a religion that conflicts with the previously established canon of that belief Lichfield is a city and Civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Staffordshire (abbreviated Staffs) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England.

Woman burned at the stake for the murder of her husband, near Ipswich, April 8, 1763. Ipswich ( ˈɪpswɪtʃ is a Non-metropolitan district and the County town of Suffolk, England on the Estuary of the River Orwell The court permitted her to be strangled first.

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. To be hanged drawn and quartered was the penalty once ordained in England for the crime of High treason. 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. See also Treason, High treason in the United Kingdom High treason is criminal disloyalty to one's country Petty treason or petit treason was in English common law, any betrayal of a superior by a subordinate

In England, only a few witches were burnt, the majority were hanged, possibly as a cost saving exercise and possibly because of the risk that the general public would not tolerate frequent use of such a barbaric punishment.

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. Sir Thomas Malory (c 1405 – 14 March 1471 was an English writer the author or compiler of Le Morte d'Arthur. Le Morte d'Arthur (spelled Le Morte Darthur in the first printing and also in some modern editions Middle French for la mort d'Arthur King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders Guinevere was the legendary Queen consort of King Arthur. She was most famous for her love affair with Arthur's chief knight Sir Lancelot, which first In the Arthurian legend, Sir Lancelot ( Lancelot du Lac, also Launcelot) is one of the Knights of the Round Table. This might be related to the above, as a Queen's adultery might be construed as treason against her royal husband.

In 1790, Sir Benjamin Hammett introduced a bill into Parliament to end this inhuman and barbaric practice. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories 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. SHERIFF is a telecom fraud detection and management system originally developed by BT and MCI. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Catherine Murphy (date of birth unknown died March 18, 1789) was an English counterfeiter the last woman to be officially sentenced and executed by the method of A counterfeit is an imitation that is made usually 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. 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 George III (George William Frederick 4 June 1738 George III's long reign was marked by a series of military conflicts involving his kingdom much of the rest of Europe and places C. 48). ^[3]

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 Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Haiti ( English: ˈheɪ·tiː or haɪ·ˈjiː·tiː French Haïti a·i·ti Haitian Creole: Necklacing (sometimes metonymically called Necklace) refers to the practice of Summary execution carried out by forcing a rubber Tire, filled The fuel was then ignited, the rubber melted and the condemned burned to death. ^[4][5] Necklacing is typically extrajudicial and performed by locals rather than authorities. Extrajudicial punishment is Punishment by the state or some other official authority without the permission of a Court or legal authority In Rio de Janeiro, burning people standing inside a pile of tires is a common form of execution used by drug dealers to punish those who have supposedly collaborated with the police. This form of execution is called microondas, "the microwave". The movie Tropa de Elite (Elite squad) has a scene depicting this practice^[6]

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. Tropa de Elite ('trɔpɐ ʤi̯e'litʃI English title The Elite Squad. GRU is the English transliteration of the Russian Acronym ГРУ, which stands for "Гла́вное Разве́дывательное Viktor Suvorov (Ви́ктор Суво́ров is the Pen name for Vladimir Bogdanovich Rezun: Влади́мир Богда́нович Резу́н (born Cremation is the act of reducing a Corpse by burning, generally in a crematorium furnace or crematory fire ^[7] During the 1980 New Mexico State Penitentiary riot, a number of inmates were burned to death by fellow inmates, who used blow torches. The New Mexico Penitentiary Riot, which took place on February 2 and February 3 1980 in the state's maximum security prison south of Santa Fe

At the end of the 1990s, a number of North Korean army generals were executed by being burned alive inside the Rungrado May Day Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea. The Rŭngrado May First Stadium, or May Day Stadium, is a multi-use Stadium in Pyongyang, North Korea, completed on May 1 Pyongyang (pʰjʌŋjaŋ is the Capital and largest City of North Korea, located on the Taedong River, at. North Korea is the commonly used short form name for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (or DPRK) a State located in East Asia, ^[8]

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 Last of the Mohicans is a 1992 historical epic film set in 1757 during the French and Indian War. Red Coat or Redcoat is a term often used to refer to a Soldier of the historical British Army, because of the colour of the Military uniforms "Huron" redirects here For other uses see Huron (disambiguation. Plot Rose ( Radha Mitchell) and her husband Christopher da Silva ( Sean Bean) are concerned about their adopted daughter Sharon ( Jodelle Ferland The latter makes use of computer graphics, while the former does not. Computer graphics are Graphics created by Computers and more generally the Representation and Manipulation of Pictorial Data Elizabeth also used computer graphics to enhance the opening scene where three Protestants are burnt at the stake. Elizabeth is a 1998 film loosely based on the early reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. 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. Umberto Eco (born 5 January 1932 is an Italian Medievalist, semiotician, Philosopher, literary critic and Novelist, best The Name of the Rose (original title Der Name der Rose) is a German-French-Italian 1986 film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, based on Ronald Francis "Ron" Perlman (born April 13, 1950) is an American Television, Film and voice over actor The fate is also suffered by Oliver Reed's less innocent character in Ken Russell's The Devils. Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 &ndash 2 May 1999 was an English Actor known for his burly screen presence Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell, known as Ken Russell (born 3 July 1927 is an English Film director. The Devils ( 1971) is a Film directed by Ken Russell starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, and based on the 1952 book The film The Seventh Seal shows a woman about to be burnt at the stake. For the Biblical concept see Seven seals. For the Rakim album see The Seventh Seal (Rakim album. Carl Theodor 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; his Day of Wrath also featured a woman burned at the stake. Carl Theodor Dreyer Jr ( February 3, 1889 - March 20, 1968) was a Danish Film director. The Passion of Joan of Arc (La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc is a Silent film produced in France in 1928. Joan of Arc (c 1412 Joan asserted that she had visions from God that told her to recover her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years' Day of Wrath ( Vredens Dag) is a Black and white film made in 1943 by Danish director Carl Theodor Dreyer. 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. The Wicker Man is a 2006 Remake of the 1973 British film of the same title. Tropa de Elite depicts an execution by burning in Rio de Janeiro. Tropa de Elite ('trɔpɐ ʤi̯e'litʃI English title The Elite Squad. Fritz Lang's Metropolis involves a robot being burned at the stake. Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang ( December 5, 1890 &ndash August 2, 1976) was an Austrian German - American Metropolis is a silent Science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and Thea von Harbou. A robot is a mechanical or Virtual Artificial agent In practice it is usually an electro-mechanical system which by its appearance or movements

References

See also

• List of people burned as heretics
• Witchcraft
• Witch-hunt
• Moral panic
• Auto de fe