A Brief History
Fans of the film Braveheart may recall the heir to England’s throne, future king Edward II, having eyes for men rather than his French wife, Isabella the She-wolf. One of these men, Hugh Despenser, 1st Lord Despenser (c. 1286 – November 24, 1326), became a victim of that vengeful woman in one of history’s all-time most brutal executions, because as they say, well, sort of, “Hell hath no fury like a she-wolf scorned”!
Digging Deeper
Earlier on our site, we presented an article on hanging, drawing, and quartering. As that article mentioned, the process took multiple steps that included torture as well as execution. Yet, when it came time for Isabella to seek revenge on her husband’s supposed lover, she and her executioners added some “bonus” steps.
Isabella, daughter of a king of France, had been essentially insulted by her husband even early in their marriage when Edward, son of the villainous king from Braveheart, gave some of her jewels to his then male favorite, Piers Gaveston. Over the years, the man and wife grew only further apart.
In 1325, Edward II refused to pay homage to the French king and sent his French wife to France to negotiate. By this time, Edward had become enamored with a new favorite named Hugh Despenser the Younger. Instead of negotiating on Edward’s behalf, Isabella took her own lover and raised on army. In 1326, Isabella and her lover (Roger Mortimer) invaded England and hanged and beheaded the elder Despenser and hanged Despenser’s vassal Simon of Reading next to him, but what they did (if the sources are to be believed) to Edward and the younger Despenser has to be just about one of the most brutal acts of any monarch in human history.
Having successfully invaded England, Isabella and Roger continued to assert their dominance by trying and then executing the younger Despenser in the most embarrassing and gruesome manner possible. The horrible process included dragging him behind four horses to his place of execution, while the crowd jeered at him, proving that he had lost his power, stripping him naked, writing biblical verses denouncing arrogance and evil on his skin, hanging him from a gallows 50 ft high, a shameful death, the punishment for a common thief, cutting him down before he could choke to death, tying him to a ladder in full view of the crowd, slicing off his penis and testicles which were burnt before him, while he was still alive and conscious, showing to the crowd that he had ceased to be a man, slitting open his abdomen, slowly pulling out, and cutting out, his entrails and, finally, his heart, which were likewise thrown into the fire showing that the land was being purged of evil as his evil desires were thought to reside in his heart and entrails, beheading his corpse and cutting his body cut into four pieces jeopardizing his chances of Salvation after death, and mounting his head on the gates of London.
As for Edward, in 1327, he abdicated, was imprisoned, and allegedly murdered via red-hot poker through the anus…
The new king, Edward III, Edward II and Isabella’s son, had Roger Mortimer executed in 1330, thereby diminishing the influence of Edward III’s mother. Edward III also, given that his mother was a French princess, claimed the throne of France and in the process started the Hundred Years’ War, but that is a story for another article!
Question for students (and subscribers): Who do you think was the villain (if there was one) of the tragic marriage of Edward and Isabella? Please let us know in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information on the she-wolf and one of history’s more dysfunctional ruling families, see…
Weir, Alison. Queen Isabella: Treachery, Adultery, and Murder in Medieval England. Ballantine Books, 2006.
The featured image in this article, a 15th century manuscript illumination from Froissart’s Chronicles by the Boethius Master of Edmund FitzAlan, 9th Earl of Arundel and Hugh Despenser the Elder (or Hugh Despenser the Younger) before Queen Isabella, is in the public domain in its country of origin and other countries and areas where the copyright term is the author’s life plus 70 years or fewer.
You can also watch a video version of this article on YouTube.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="766 http://www.crackedhistory.com/?p=766">62 Comments
Their is no crime in my opinion that would deserve for this type of punishment. No matter what the crime might to this is type of punishment is far to excessive.
I do not think any type of crime would call for this type of punishment. This punishment is far too brutal and no one deserves it. If someone is to be killed for their crimes, it needs to be done in a humane way and to cause the least amount of pain as possible.
They say that punishment is to be a deterrent to committing crimes, well her punishments should of done the trick. Our crime and punishment laws have come a long way, or have they? People today might think twice before breaking the law with her punishments. Pretty unbelievable and horrible what she did.
Wowza! So, yeah I would agree with some of the others on this one. Not sure any crime or action would call for something like that. I understand their perspective on life after death would cause them to do unbelievable acts, however; I don’t see the necessity to go that far. Way too gruesome.
First of all, you have to look at the time period. All crimes were exaggerated at the time, I mean come on being hanged for stealing. Secondly, you need to look at the severity of the crime during that time. Being homosexual is much more excepted now than it would have been then, in the times of Christian Kings and nobility. When trying to assume the severity of the crime, you must also try to look from the same lens as people then. I can certainly believe that this took place and if I had been living then, I probably would not have thought much of it. In todays society, this is considered awful, but what, again is it that we do to assumed terrorists in Guantanamo bay. Oh yeah thats right….not much better.
I do not believe that any crime should deserve this kind of punishment as well. I feel that what was done by Isabella and her lover were too much. It was not that necessary. But also agreeing with Ty, in this time period all crimes were exaggerated a little too far.
All I can say is that was extreme, and probably exaggerated. History is shocking, entertaining, and hopefully sometimes factual.
I dont think any crime deserves that extreme of a punishment but I can understand her wanting to punish not only her husband but his lover. Every person thinks different crimes deserve different punishments. So im guessing that she saw this punishment as fitting for their crimes.
What were people thinking back in the day? Why would the
people put up with this kind of violence? I will never understand why the people
did not fight back. If our government did this kind of crap today I don’t think
we would just sit here and let it happen.
While I don’t think that this extreme of a punishment is fitting of any crime, I do believe that it helped keep the rest of the people in line after seeing what could happen to them if they committed an offense.
Punishment that severe should be reserved exclusively for people who use their when they mean they’re or there. No other crime comes close to deserving such intense punishment in my opinion.
I don’t agree with the degree of punishment, but I think it probably helped keep people in order. I think the punishment was too extreme.
I think the punishment was way to extreme and even though the man was her husbands lover her husband pursued it before that man did. Realistically, she should have punished her husband. Either way this punishment was not right for the crime
I don´t think that any crime should be punished with such a brutality. However that was not the only time in the history of men kind when that happened, so it does not surprise me that much.
That crime was definitely to the extreme. I think that something lesser of a punishment would of been okay. But back in the old days that is what happened, so it doesn’t really shock me at all. But that was a brutal crime that could have been avoided by sending them to jail rather then perform such a thing on human beings.
I think the only crime that would fit this punishment is a rapist or a child molester. They deserve to be tortured.
I think this punishment is too extreme. There is no crime someone could commit to deserve this kind of torture.
In this case this punishment was extremely too hash and unnecessary. The only time this act of punishment should be displayed is if a person kidnaps children or even adults molests them. For example, the guys who took Amanda Berry should have been punished this way. Instead he was put in jail and took the easy way out buy committing suicide.
This kind of torture is absolutely ridiculous. There is no crime that deserves all of that to happen to them.
Child rape and murder maybe?
This punishment is crazy but in some cases I think extreme punishments are needed to make others not to want to do a crime to have them fear they will met the same brutal fate if they do a similar thing.
Torturing someone is the worst form of punishment. We have the death penalty which only somewhat prevents majorly violent crime rates from going up. If we didn’t have specific punishments for specific crimes could you imagine what type of punishment or torture you would have to endure for something as little as speeding!!! I’m glad the justice system has boundaries, unlike back then, I mean come on the penis…chopping off the penis…ouch and ewe.
Im glad the justice has boundaries, but at the same time I believe people should get what they give. This simply means that if you are torturing people, you should be tortured in return. However, simple crimes should not be punished with something as cruel as torturing.
If you’re going to off someone, make it quick. Nothing good comes of exacting vengeance past justice.
Unless someone eats all of your cinnamon toast crunch and doesn’t reimburse you or buy another box; in that one instance, there is no form of punishment cruel enough.
I was going to make a comment but I have to rush out and buy my wife some flowers. And some chocolate. And some wine. Maybe some Valium.
Talk about overkill! Lord Jesus that is WILD!
I wonder if the punishment, by Isabella’s standards, would have been so horrid if the King was found to have had an affair with a woman.
I agree that this is a punishment for a rapist or child molestor. Nothing is worse than a woman scorned, so I would advise all you fellows to be nice to your ladies or you may pay the ultimate price. It may not be this extreme, but I guarantee you it will be painful in some way or another.
…….that just sounded like Mary, queen of Scots. She sound just as crazy as Mary did. I mean I guess it really is not hard to believe that due to jealousy, people are hurt or even killed. I mean….you should know the consequences of your actions, especially towards a woman.
Well I guess that is one way of handling a broken heart. And I thought the silent treatment worked best.
Whenever I hear stuff like that happening way back then Im always glad im in this century and not that one. I cant imagine just sitting back and watching that happen to someone without having the urge to do something about it.
That is definitely one crazy lady.
History never tends to forget the crazy ones. The she-wolf was an apt name for her.
My only question if Edward II preferred men over women. Could there be a chance that Edward III was an illegitimate child? There also to seems to be missing pieces to this story. I know hell hath no fury, but to raise an army really?
A movie, Leonardo DiCaprio to start, Martin Scorsese to direct: The Wolf of France
In the Medieval Ages, there was no mercy for execution. If you were to be dishonored, it would be in brutality. So I guess if someone is sentenced to death, painless would be the way.
I’m glad that is a sight of the past. Relieved that we have laws in place.
I find that this way of killing someone is very disturbing and I’m glad we don’t do this anymore.
It was nice of them to write biblical verses on his body before killing him in such a horrible manner. People back then were sick and twisted to say the least.
It is so absurd to put a person to death in such horrific ways! — DAVID WARDLE
This is purely just gross. Why not put someone out quickly and cleanly. They were so cruel and torturous back then. Have some decency and mercy.
i’m just going to out right say it people were so messed up
like most of everyones else comments, i too believe if someone is going to die, just get it over with. obviously there should be a punishment but nothing to that extreme
The Medieval Period was so aweful. Why do people feel the need to mae someone’s death long and terrible?
SO crazy to look back into history and see how extensive executions were.
They really put some thought into his execution. What ever happened to just cutting his head off?
It is crazy to see how people were killed back then and how gruesome they were.
its shocking how many people they killed off and how they dragged everything out while killing them
She certainly made her point to her ex-husband. Didn’t the movie Braveheart have Longshanks throwing his lover from from the castle tower?
I am not surprised by the cruel ways of killing, the people back in this time period often did not make a quick kill by any means. This She-wolf was super crazy if not insane.
Wow, just wow. I cannot believe the ways that people killed people. They have some creative, yet twisted and disgusting ways.
that’s some pretty extreme punishment…
I will never understand the desire to kill someone and torture them in this fashion
That is so brutally unnecessary and painful to even think about. I can’t believe people are even capable of brutality such as this. It’s disgusting.
Awesome!
It takes sadistic people to torture the way these people would.
Now that is messed up. I cannot believe someone would do something like that
That is one nasty way to go. So glad thats not me.
Its crazy how brutal people were in ancient times ! Now, you can hardly even bring up lethal injection without being objectified, but back then the entire town would show up to watch these brutal acts.
I could never imagine this kind of torture taking place.
i dont know if i could ever watch these sort of brutal acts
more brutal executions. this jealous woman took her revenge to the extreme