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<blockquote data-quote="Storm Raven" data-source="post: 24598" data-attributes="member: 307">This was refined in some ways into a commonly used punishment using a iron bound wagon wheel to break the bones of the condemned until he died. This was called being &quot;broken on the&nbsp; wheel&quot;, and its unequal application was one of the abuses that to some degree led to the boiling social anger that fueled the French Revolution. This sort of thing led to people petitioning the King to be allowed to be executed via beheading or hanging rather than being broken, burnt, boiled alive or any number of the other nasty ways of killing people used in the time period.Being beheaded wasn't a picnic either. In many cases, the condemned was expected to pay the headsman to ensure he did a quick job. And, in the case of those with enemies, they frequently had to compete with spectators who would pay the headsman to &quot;miss&quot; and prolong the process. It reportedly took about fifteen strokes to behead Mary Queen of Scots when she was executed, several strokes &quot;missing&quot; and hitting her across the shoulders.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="Storm Raven, post: 24598, member: 307"] This was refined in some ways into a commonly used punishment using a iron bound wagon wheel to break the bones of the condemned until he died. This was called being "broken on the wheel", and its unequal application was one of the abuses that to some degree led to the boiling social anger that fueled the French Revolution. This sort of thing led to people petitioning the King to be allowed to be executed via beheading or hanging rather than being broken, burnt, boiled alive or any number of the other nasty ways of killing people used in the time period. Being beheaded wasn't a picnic either. In many cases, the condemned was expected to pay the headsman to ensure he did a quick job. And, in the case of those with enemies, they frequently had to compete with spectators who would pay the headsman to "miss" and prolong the process. It reportedly took about fifteen strokes to behead Mary Queen of Scots when she was executed, several strokes "missing" and hitting her across the shoulders. [/QUOTE]

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