You all know William Wallace? You know, Braveheart Mel Gibson?
Well, you may recall the final scene of the movie where he yells “FREEDOM” while being executed. I want to assure you this never happened because in real life, his execution was so brutal I am sure he merely whimpered and passed out.
So William was captured and then tried for treason. At this time the concept of the nation hadn’t taken hold so treason merely meant going against your own king. Wallace argued it was not treason because Edward was not his King however Edward disagreed.
Wallace had an oak crown placed on his head, signaling him as the King of outlaws, and then he was executed for treason. Now at this time, anyone convicted of treason could be expected to be “hanged, drawn, and quartered” and this is what fate awaited Wallace. But what does that mean?
1: First the victim is drawn. This means his limbs are tied down and he is pulled in opposite directions- dislocating most of the joints and causing immense pain.
2: Next the victim hanged. This is a traditionally hanging though with some differences. There is no “drop” like in the old American West because that can break the neck. Instead, the victim has a noose tied around their neck and is then hung right up until the point they almost die, they are then let down.
3: Next the victim watches as the executioner cuts off their penis and testicles- very slowly and graphically. I imagine the pain here to be beyond imagination (favorite photo ever coming up)
4: Finally the victim is disemboweled. Their intestines are slowly pulled out of them as one winds up an extension chord and then burned in from of the still-alive victim.
*I googled “disemboweled” for a historical photo and ruined my night*
5: After all that the victim is beheaded and cut into 4 pieces- hence the “quartered” part.