Ryan Wilks
A man who suffered the ‘worst execution’ in history was given a punishment that was described as ‘beyond evil’.
There exists no pleasant manner of execution, yet an exceptionally barbaric method employed during the Tudor era has earned the infamous title of the ‘most gruesome ever’.
Throughout history, a plethora of cruel and inhumane methods for tormenting individuals have been documented, but this particular one may be considered the epitome of brutality.
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The tale of Richard Roose stands out as one of the most gruesome examples of Tudor England’s liking for capital punishment.
In the year 1531, Roose served as a cook in the household of John Fisher, the Bishop of Rochester. He faced grave accusations of poisoning his patrons during his tenure at the bishop’s residence in Lambeth.
During that period, allegations surfaced that he had surreptitiously introduced a dubious powder into the porridge consumed by both the guests and two beggars.
Shortly thereafter, all those who partook of the meal fell seriously ill, and Roose was reported to have fled.
While Bishop Fisher’s guests ultimately survived the ordeal, tragically, the beggars did not.
According to a video on the YouTube channel The Fortress, he faced swift arrest and was transported to the Tower of London, where he endured torture on the rack in an effort to extract information.
Roose asserted that he had been instructed to include the powder in the food as a jest and had no knowledge that it would prove fatal to anyone.
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However, the ruling monarch of that era, King Henry VIII, spearheaded the passing of a parliamentary act that categorised poisoning as a treasonous crime.
“On 28 February 1531, Henry VIII told Parliament of the poisoning plot, and Roose was then condemned to die based on what the King said had happened, rather than concrete evidence,” the YouTube channel The Fortress explained.
“The King’s word was final, and he also expanded the definition of treason, saying that murder by poisoning was classed as treason.”
The standard practice for the rather intense method involved the criminal being dragged through the streets by a cart, then hanged, before finally having their g**itals removed and their insides removed.
However, Henry got a little more creative for Roose, instead opting to boil him alive.
A multitude of people assembled at Smithfield in London, where Roose was brought and submerged three times into an enormous cauldron filled with scalding water until his demise.
After finding out about the brutal verdict, it is not surprising that many individuals have been deeply appalled by the entire ordeal.
In an online commentary, one individual described it as the ‘worst execution’.
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