Talk:Breaking wheel
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The reference to "Probertenencyclopaedia - illustrated" doesn't work now.
AWhiteC 21:54, 17 March 2006 (UTC)
But now it does. (It's not really up to standard, but has one relevant image.)--Niels Ø 08:40, 27 April 2006 (UTC)
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[edit] Torture?
From the introduction (added in the series of edits [1]):
- It was not used for coercion through torture.
From the following paragraph (added from EB1911 [2]), ==Description==:
- Breaking on the wheel was a form of torture and execution formerly in use
I find it hard to believe it was never used for torture, and it would be impossible to prove it wasn't, but know nothing of the subject matter; it just looks like a self-contradiction to me.--Niels Ø 08:40, 27 April 2006 (UTC)
The contradiction is only an apparant one, depending on two uses of the term torture: in 'torture and execution' it simply means a torturous or very painfull way to apply capital punishment, on itself torture 'proper' is any cruel technique to coerce, i.e. force the victim to confession, conversion, obedience... but since breaking is lethal, there is no way to comply, so coercion would be utterly pointless, while a non-terminal dose of the same torturous technique of breaking, say, one or two limbs, (possibly on an identical wheel) makes rather effective torture (virtually reintroduced in Israel against the Intifada, be it without wheel and using stones rather then mallets). Still a bit of rephrasing maybe be advisable Fastifex 13:49, 27 April 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Use in the Holy German Empire
the article states : "In the Holy Roman Empire, it is named (alongside impalement) as a mode of execution in in the "Cautio criminalis" of the Habsburg Emperor Charles V, against traitors, highway robbers and notorious debauchees.". I questioned this, and somebody said it was from the Catholic Encyclopedia. The passage indeed seems to be derived from there, but even in context, said passage is about impossible to understand and verify. I mean : a) I can't find any references to a Hapsburg "cautio criminalis" , b) This is the first time I hear of impalement being mentioned in a Western European criminal code and c)the three crimes cited would not normally be punishable the same way, especially debauchery, which ordinarily entailed relatively light penalties, or went all the way to even worse than the wheel if it entailed such dreadful abominations as homosexuality or bestiality. So overall this passage does not make sense, and unless it can be improved in a hurry, I'm motioning to get suppressed altogether. --Svartalf 20:20, 30 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Use in the Swedish Kingdom
During the Scanian War, this method was widley used to kill captured danish guerilla fighters and other captives that opposed Sweden during the great wars of Europe to make examples and as a form of psycological warfare aginst the enemy.
[edit] Cleanup
The paragraph beginning with "The methods of execution by crucifixion..." needs a cleanup. I'm not sure what it's trying to say. The entire "Description" section should be in chronological order as best as possible. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 38.112.23.58 (talk) 16:32, 2 March 2007 (UTC).
