A Wisdom Archive on Oliver Cromwell - Death and posthumous execution

Cromwell suffered from malaria and from "stone", a common term for urinary/kidney infections. Yet, he was in generally-good health. He was struck by a sudden bout of 'malaria', followed directly by an attack of urinary/kidney symptoms. Although weakened, he was optimistic about the future, as were his attendants. A Venetian diplomat, also a physician, was visiting at the time and tracked Cromwell's final illness. It was his opinion that The Lord Protector's personal physicians ...

Read more here: » Oliver Cromwell: Encyclopedia II - Oliver Cromwell - Death and posthumous execution

1661 - Events. January 6 - The fifth monarchy men unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of London. George Monck's regiment defeats them February 5 - The Shunzhi Emperor of the Qing Dynasty of China dies and is succeeded by his son the Kangxi Emperor. February 14 - George Monck’s regiment becomes The Lord General's Regiment of Foot Guards (which later becomes Coldstream Guards) April 23 - King Charles II of England, Scotland, Ireland crowned in Westminster ... Including:

• 1661 - Events
• 1661 - Births
• 1661 - Deaths

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Tyburn was a former village in the county of Middlesex which now forms part of London's City of Westminster. It took its name from the Tyburn or Ty Bourne stream, a tributary of the River Thames which is now completely covered over between its source and its outfall into the Thames at Vauxhall. The village was one of two manors of the parish of St Marylebone, which was itself named after the stream, St Marylebone being a contraction of St Mary's church by the bourne. Tyburn was recorded in the Domesday Book and st ... Including:

• Tyburn London - Some of those executed at Tyburn

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Charles II (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (retrospectively de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. His father Charles I had been executed in 1649, following the English Civil War; the monarchy was then abolished and the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland became a republic under Oliver Cromwell, the Lord Protector (see Commonwealth of England and The Protectorate). In 1660, shortly after C ... Including:

• Charles II of England - Early life
• Charles II of England - Restoration
• Charles II of England - Cavalier Parliament
• Charles II of England - Foreign policy
• Charles II of England - Great Plague and Fire
• Charles II of England - Conflict with Parliament
• Charles II of England - Later years
• Charles II of England - Legacy
• Charles II of England - Style and arms
• Charles II of England - The children of Charles II
• Charles II of England - Trivia

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In Britain, this penalty was usually reserved for commoners, including knights; noble traitors were "merely" beheaded, at first by sword and later by axe. The different treatment of lords and commoners was clear after the Cornish Rebellion of 1497: lowly-born Michael An Gof and Thomas Flamank were hanged, drawn and quartered at Tyburn, while their fellow rebellion leader Lord Audley was beheaded at Tower Hill. This class distinction was brought out in a Commons debate of 1680 [see Grey's Debates of the House of Commons: volume 8

Read more here: » Hanging drawing and quartering: Encyclopedia II - Hanging drawing and quartering - Class distinctions in its application

After the death of Oliver Cromwell in 1658, Charles' chances of regaining the Crown seemed slim. Oliver Cromwell was succeeded as Lord Protector by his son, Richard Cromwell. However, the new Lord Protector was incompetent and unwilling to rule, and abdicated in 1659. The Protectorate of England was abolished, and the Commonwealth of England established. During the civil and military unrest which followed, George Monck, the Governor of Scotland, was concerned that the nation would descend into anarchy and sought to restore the monarchy. Monc ...

Read more here: » Charles II of England: Encyclopedia II - Charles II of England - Restoration

This gruesome penalty was first used by King Edward I ('Longshanks') in his efforts to bring all of Great Britain under English rule. It was first inflicted in 1283 on the Welsh prince Dafydd ap Gruffydd, and on Sir William Wallace two decades later. One of the most savage uses of this method of execution was carried out in September 1586 in the aftermath of the Babington plot to murder Queen Elizabeth I and replace her on the throne with Mary Queen of Scots. On hearing of the appalling agony which the first seven conspirators were su ...

Read more here: » Hanging drawing and quartering: Encyclopedia II - Hanging drawing and quartering - History

Until 1870, the full punishment for the crime was to be "hanged, drawn, and quartered" in that the convict would be: Dragged on a hurdle (a wooden frame) to the place of execution. Hanged[1] by the neck, but removed before death. Disembowelled, and the genitalia and entrails burned before the victim's eyes; the heart was the last to be removed and was then shown to the victim before the entrails were burned.

Read more here: » Hanging drawing and quartering: Encyclopedia II - Hanging drawing and quartering - Details of the punishment

Dismemberment of the body after death was seen by many contemporaries as a way of punishing the traitor beyond the grave. In western European Christian countries, until relatively recently, it was believed that to rise on judgment day the body had to be whole and preferably buried with the feet to the east so that the person would rise facing God. A Parliamentary Act from the reign of Henry VIII stipulated that only the corpses of executed murderers could be used for dissection. Being thus dismembered was viewed as an extra punishment not su ...

Read more here: » Hanging drawing and quartering: Encyclopedia II - Hanging drawing and quartering - Religious considerations