In historical books and films you can find such a term as "wheeling". This is a fairly common execution in the ancient period, as well as in the Middle Ages. The death penalty through wheeling, its history and application will be described in this essay.
Appearance story
The execution by wheeling, presumably, appeared in ancient Rome, and then spread throughout medieval Europe, and later in Russia. She was very painful, like the quartering, and was one of the most shameful.
Appearing during the Roman Empire, this execution lasted long enough. So, for example, in Prussia it was canceled only in the middle of the 19th century. It turns out that people have been deprived of their lives in a similar way for more than two thousand years. At different times in all countries the methods of execution were somewhat different from each other, but these differences can not be called too significant.
Description of Execution
The punishment of wheeling in ancient Rome can be described as follows. Sentenced to death was laid on a scaffold, and then began to break limbs with an iron rod. Legs and hands were mutilated in two places, after which they struck the chest, breaking the ribs.
After this, the victim was tied to a rim with wooden knitting needles, often wrapping the wheel around the limbs themselves, since they did not have rigidity due to broken bones. Then the instrument of execution along with the condemned was raised on a pillar so that his face was turned to the sky.
It turns out that the person who was executed experienced severe pain not only during the execution, but also after it. He was on a wheel with his face to the sun, gradually losing his sight and receiving heat stroke. In the case when the victim did not die even after such terrible torment, birds of prey began to tear the body alive to pieces, starting from the abdominal cavity and internal organs.
Wheeling in Russia
As mentioned earlier, wheeling is an execution that was common not only in antiquity. It was used in Russia. A similar species appeared in Russia in the 17th century. However, the penalty was widely used during the reign of Peter I. The famous lawyer, 19th-century doctor of law A.F. Kistyakovsky describes the killing through wheeling carried out in Russia in the 18th century as follows:
“The victim was tied in a horizontal position to the scaffold on which the St. Andrew’s cross was fastened (two beams crossed in the form of the Latin letter X). Special through cuts were made at the ends of each beam. He was sentenced to death laid on a cross on his back, and his hands and legs tied to the ends of the bars.
After that, the executioner, using a quadrangular iron rod, began to strike at the limbs of the condemned, breaking them. Each limb broke in two places, and then the executioner inflicted two or three blows on the stomach in order to break the spine.
After the execution was completed, the limbs sank into the grooves made in the bars. Then the wheel (cross) was lifted on a pole and left the victim to die.
Wheeling in medieval Europe
You can often hear accusations against Russia of its wild mores and behavior. However, such European "accusers" are silent or simply do not know their own history. On the example of execution through wheeling, one can show what were the mores in Russia and medieval Europe. On the territory of our country, this penalty was no longer used in the first half of the 18th century, and “civilized” Europe used it until the end of the 19th.
Wheeling is the execution that has been widely used throughout Europe, as well as in Britain. As mentioned earlier, there was no key difference in the process in different countries. Regardless of whether they were executed on a cross or a wheel, the victim received the same injuries and died in terrible agony.
This execution was subjected to both men and women. The origin did not play a big role either. For example, the French Count A.J. de Horn was wheeled for the murder, despite being a relative of the Austrian emperor.
As one of the most famous women executed in this terrible way, we can name Catherine of Alexandria, who was canonized. She came from a noble family, but, nevertheless, was executed by order of the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Maxentius for adopting Christianity. It was St. Catherine of Alexandria who was Jeanne d , Ark.
Today, wheeling is a terrible relic of the past, but do not forget the cruelty that a person is capable of. Therefore, it is necessary to study history so as not to repeat the monstrous mistakes and crimes committed in the past.