medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Mia's reference to the symbolic way in which Dafydd ap Gruffudd was executed
(2 October 1283)is interesting here. According to the records, he was
dragged to the scaffold at the horse's tail for betraying the king; hanged
alive for homicide; disembowelled and his entrails burned for sacrilege [he
had already been excommunicated by Pecham] in committing crimes in the week
of the Lord's Passion; his body was quartered for plotting the king's death
and the parts despatched to the four corners of the realm. His head was
displayed beside that of Llywelyn on the Tower of London.
J.G. Bellamy, `The Law of Treason in England in the Later Middle Ages',
24-29, examines the trial in the context of the development of the law of
treason. Notable too was that even the chroniclers considered this form of
execution unprecedented in its viciousness.
Disembowelling was, of course, still in vogue as a retribution for the
`sacrilege' of the seminary priests in Elizabethan England.
Paul
-----Original Message-----
From: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Mia Korpiola
Sent: 19 February 2001 08:32
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Treason, disembowelling and sacrilege
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
John A. W. Lock wrote:
"There was a line of logic which ran through it all,with this being just a
part of it. The object of this bit was that it should be 'notable' (C.16
quote). In England it was specifically for High Treason, however it should
suit those in the ascendancy to interpret 'High Treason'. The object of the
exercise was the utter destruction of a person from rank (stripped by
attainder), reputation, family (disinherited), property (forfeit), life,
and body ('to do with as the king chooses'). - - But I don't think that
the
'filth' of the human body entered into it. Nor were there any especially
religious connotations other than that the king was God's Annointed. Rather
it was to show the power of the monarch. 'This could be you'. No point in
doing it privately."
I have read something quite different in John Bellamy's _The Law of
Treason in England in the Later Middle Ages_. At some point certain parts
of the punishment of drawing, hanging, disembowelling and quartering
did have a religious justification. For example William Wallace
was executed this way in 1305. He was hanged and disembowelled
for his robberies, homicides and felonies, he was beheaded for having
lived and died an outlaw. Because of the injuries to the church and the
sacrileges committed, his entrails were burned as they had given rise to
blasphemous thoughts. The connection between sacrilege and
disembowelling combined with the burning of the entrails was also
visible in the execution of the Welsh prince David ap Gryffydd for
treason some twenty years previously. He had committed murders
at Easter.
However, the point of the brutality of the punishments for treason
was to match the heinousness of the crime. The religious aspects of
their justification were only additional to the real purpose of deterring
and scaring off.
Best wishes,
Mia Korpiola
Mia Korpiola, LL. Lic.
KATTI
P. O. Box 4 (Fabianinkatu 24 A)
FIN-00014 University of Helsinki
Finland
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