EXECUTIONERS (True Crime) by Anne Williams, Phil Clarke, Liz Hardy Page B
Tags: nonfiction
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to dedicate their lives to the Spanish Inquisition, agreeing to abide by whatever it asked of them, even if that meant plucking out an eye or cutting off a hand! Yet again, any reluctance to make this histrionic promise would have adverse consequences except, however, if you were the sovereign. Whenever the auto-da-fé was honoured by the presence of Ferdinand and Isabella, they would refrain from uttering the vow and it was not until the reign of Philip II during the latter half of the sixteenth century that the crown of Spain participated in this oath.
This public demonstration of faith was almost at an end. The Inquisition had one last act before they passed the condemned men and women over to the secular court for execution, or ‘relaxation’ – as it was euphemistically known. In a vain show of compassion towards the heretics they had prosecuted on spurious claims and evidence, the Grand Inquisitor would rise one final time and appeal to the attending secular judge to show mercy upon those who had been given the death penalty. Such a melodramatic performance was a fitting end to the farcical auto-da-fé as the heretical criminals were removed from the platform and escorted to their own private stake.
T HE E XECUTION
The auto-da-fé was over. The Spanish Inquisition had prayed for the souls of the heretics and extolled the virtues of the Catholic Church while simultaneously intimidating the townsfolk forced to attend for fear of religious retribution. Now, the secular arm would apply the punishment suggested by the inquisitors, while these heretic hunters sat back and admired their handiwork with crystal-clear consciences. The focus now moved from the spiritual to the corporal as the alguazils led the condemned to their place of execution. This was called the quemadero – the place of burning – which was commonly an open field or meadow, rife with stakes that had been prepared earlier by the royal justice department. The resolve of the unrepentant and relapsed heretics must have been severely tested on encountering the numerous stakes jutting out from the ground like demonic trees in winter. The realisation that their sentences had long since been decided would have, no doubt, added to their anguish.
Each prisoner would be guided to their own personal post accompanied – even at this late stage - by their devoted pair of persistent Dominicans who continued to wrestle with their souls. These relentless exhortations bombarded the ears of the ill-fated as they were compelled to climb the ladder to their fixing point. They would be perched upon a small seat located some 3.7 metres (12 ft) high, allowing the civil executioner to fasten the human faggot securely to the stake. Once in place, their moral counsel would climb the ladder for a final entreaty and if no contrition was forthcoming, the priests would admit defeat and leave them to accompany the Devil who, they believed, was waiting to take their spirit into the flames of hell. These men and women with heroic levels of resilience were left to be devoured alive by the flames.
The thought of being conscious as the searing heat ravaged their flesh and bone, along with the incessant beseeching of the priests, caused many hitherto steadfast religious rebels to repent and call for strangulation. Screams for absolution would be heard across the quemadero by those unwilling to endure the flames alive. So many changes of heart took place, that it began to undermine the power and threat of the Spanish Inquisition. Aware that these last-minute conversions were interrupting the proceedings and making a mockery of the punishment, the inquisitors began to order the tongues of the condemned to be tied to prevent any softening of the sentence. On 30 June 1680, after an auto-da-fé in Madrid, six of the prisoners who had received the death penalty converted while bound to the stake – only moments from being consumed by fire. These endemic reversals of faith must
This public demonstration of faith was almost at an end. The Inquisition had one last act before they passed the condemned men and women over to the secular court for execution, or ‘relaxation’ – as it was euphemistically known. In a vain show of compassion towards the heretics they had prosecuted on spurious claims and evidence, the Grand Inquisitor would rise one final time and appeal to the attending secular judge to show mercy upon those who had been given the death penalty. Such a melodramatic performance was a fitting end to the farcical auto-da-fé as the heretical criminals were removed from the platform and escorted to their own private stake.
T HE E XECUTION
The auto-da-fé was over. The Spanish Inquisition had prayed for the souls of the heretics and extolled the virtues of the Catholic Church while simultaneously intimidating the townsfolk forced to attend for fear of religious retribution. Now, the secular arm would apply the punishment suggested by the inquisitors, while these heretic hunters sat back and admired their handiwork with crystal-clear consciences. The focus now moved from the spiritual to the corporal as the alguazils led the condemned to their place of execution. This was called the quemadero – the place of burning – which was commonly an open field or meadow, rife with stakes that had been prepared earlier by the royal justice department. The resolve of the unrepentant and relapsed heretics must have been severely tested on encountering the numerous stakes jutting out from the ground like demonic trees in winter. The realisation that their sentences had long since been decided would have, no doubt, added to their anguish.
Each prisoner would be guided to their own personal post accompanied – even at this late stage - by their devoted pair of persistent Dominicans who continued to wrestle with their souls. These relentless exhortations bombarded the ears of the ill-fated as they were compelled to climb the ladder to their fixing point. They would be perched upon a small seat located some 3.7 metres (12 ft) high, allowing the civil executioner to fasten the human faggot securely to the stake. Once in place, their moral counsel would climb the ladder for a final entreaty and if no contrition was forthcoming, the priests would admit defeat and leave them to accompany the Devil who, they believed, was waiting to take their spirit into the flames of hell. These men and women with heroic levels of resilience were left to be devoured alive by the flames.
The thought of being conscious as the searing heat ravaged their flesh and bone, along with the incessant beseeching of the priests, caused many hitherto steadfast religious rebels to repent and call for strangulation. Screams for absolution would be heard across the quemadero by those unwilling to endure the flames alive. So many changes of heart took place, that it began to undermine the power and threat of the Spanish Inquisition. Aware that these last-minute conversions were interrupting the proceedings and making a mockery of the punishment, the inquisitors began to order the tongues of the condemned to be tied to prevent any softening of the sentence. On 30 June 1680, after an auto-da-fé in Madrid, six of the prisoners who had received the death penalty converted while bound to the stake – only moments from being consumed by fire. These endemic reversals of faith must
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