The Execution of Richard Ross by Henry VIII (storiesoftheexecuted6746)
Over the years humanity has found more and more barbaric ways to torture people before executing them.
But an ancient torture method "earned" the dubious title of 'the most cruel in history'.
The one who had to endure it was Richard Ross, who worked as a cook for the English bishop John Fisher in 1531. He was accused of poisoning one of the guests while he was working in his house in Rochester.
Ross claimed he received the powder from a stranger and was sure it was meant as a joke - believing it would incapacitate his fellow servants and not knowing it would kill anyone.
Fisher survived the poisoning because for some unknown reason he did not eat anything that day.
Ross is arrested by King Henry VIII's men and tortured for information.
That's how he answers
Many people were quick to blame the actions on Anne Boleyn, saying that she and her family bribed Ross to poison the food and get rid of Bishop Fisher, who opposed Henry VIII's church reforms and his plans to divorce Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn.
It was claimed that Anne's father had supplied Ross with the poison, but Henry VIII did not believe this to be the case and stated that there was no evidence that the Boleyn family or their supporters were involved.
At the same time, even today, Anne Boleyn is still considered by many historians to be responsible for the murder.
But King Henry VIII was really not convinced by this argument and accused Ross of murder and treason.
He hastened to pass a law in Parliament stating that murder by poisoning is treason of the highest degree and sentenced Richard Ross to death by torture.
Until then it was customary to execute by hanging, but the king decided to change that too - and set a particularly cruel punishment.
More horrible ways to die
The undertaker revealed: this is the most horrible way to die
The brass bull is the most horrible way to die - and that's how it looks
More in Walla!
A short visit to the pool changed my life - and you can too
Served on behalf of TI SWIM
Until then people who were to be executed were carted through the streets and then hanged before their genitals were removed and all their entrails removed.
But Ross was not hanged, unfortunately.
Henry decided to "boil" him while he was still alive.
The crowd gathered in a square in London, where Ross was brought and in front of them he was dunked three times in a cauldron of boiling water until he died.
Part of the audience was shocked by the punishment, but Henry's cruelty knew no bounds and restraints - he roasted two of his six wives and accusations of treason and apostasy were common tools used by Henry to suppress dissent, and the accused were often executed under the protection of the law, albeit without an official trial.
He achieved many of his political ambitions through the work of his chief ministers, some of whom were exiled or executed when he saw fit.
The case description was mentioned in writings from that time, such as "The Chronicles of the Gray Monks of London": "He was boiled in a cauldron because he poisoned the Bishop of Rochester Fisher. The servants locked him inside a large pot and raised and lowered him into the boiling water until he died."
news
not to be missed
Tags
torture
Execution
Henry VIII