windar
Teller of Tales
This brief story was inspired by the following picture posted yesterday on the thread “Judicial Corporal Punishment of Women: Illustrations” by Switgrizz
1848 was a year of revolutions throughout Europe-France, Italy, Germany and many other countries. Possibly the bloodiest was in Hungary, where rebels led by Lajos Kossuth rose up to demand civil liberties and a degree of independence from the Austrian Empire and the Hapsburg Emperor Ferdinand. After initially acceding to many of their demands, the Emperor, backed by Russia, eventually sent troops to quash the revolt.
The Austrian troops were commanded by General Julius Jacob von Haynau, who acquired the nickname, “The Hyena” for his conduct in putting down the Hungarian uprising, and most particularly for the incident described by our reporter below:
It was a hot day, the 16th of August 1849, when the Austrian soldiers came for Madame de Maderspach, mother of seven and a noble lady, near 40 years of age, who, along with her husband, was sympathetic to the Hungarian cause and had allowed and even encouraged the local villagers to celebrate the Hungarian Declaration of Independence.
The Lady was hauled before General von Haynau, who looked down upon her from his seat on an elevated dais.
“Madame, I find you guilty of insurrection against the Emperor Ferdinand, ruler of this land by Grace of God. Take her to the village market place and flog her.”
The good Lady looked completely stunned by this atrocity. “What?" she cried. “I am a Lady and a mother and a patriot. How dare you pass such a judgement on me?”
The General looked at her like she was a piece of bad fish he had been served by a negligent cook. “You are a rebel and you will be treated like any other rebel, man or woman. You will be stripped to the waist and whipped until I decide you have been sufficiently punished.”
“You are not a General, sir, but a low-born scoundrel and a cad. To whip a woman-it is shameful.”
The General flicked his hand in her direction. “To the marketplace with this tiresome Hungarian whore!" he shouted angrily. His men dragged her there, protesting the whole way, von Haynau following closely behind.
At the marketplace, the soldiers cleared a spot, pushing back the villagers who had been buying their daily provisions. A Sergeant ordered the crowd to form rows. “You shall all see what happens to those, man or woman, who defy the Emperor.”
One of the soldiers grabbed a wooden crate from one of the apple vendors and ordered the lady to kneel upon it. “I shall not kneel for you beastly oppressors!” she protested. Three burly soldiers grabbed her roughly and forced her to her knees on the box.
“Strip her!” the order came. One of the soldiers grabbed her dress and ripped it and the bodice beneath it into several pieces, such that the poor woman was laid completely bare above the waist, the tattered remains of her upper garments hanging down from the waistband of her skirt.
“It is shameful to strip a woman in public,” the good Lady protested. “You show us what your Emperor is-a tyrant, an oppressor of our people.”
“Silence, whore!” von Haynau cried. “All I want to hear is your cries and begging for mercy under the whip.”
One of the soldiers approached carrying a vicious looking whip of braided leather as long as his arm. He stared at the naked back of the fine Lady, stretched out beneath him. “What are you waiting for, fool?” von Haynau demanded. “Flog her as you would a man and if I see you holding back, I will have you flogged also.”
He drew his arm back and lashed the cruel leather down onto the soft skin of Madame de Maderspach's back. She howled in pain. Again he whipped her. Several soldiers had to hold her arms, so intense were her struggles to escape the searing agony. But, the brave Lady did not once give the General the satisfaction he desired. For, despite her great distress, she did not once beg for mercy. Rather, she continued to curse him and the Emperor and cry, “Freedom for Hungary! Arise Magyars and free yourself from the Austrian yoke!”
I know not how many times they lashed her, for beyond a certain point I could no longer bear to look. Certainly two dozen, perhaps three. Eventually, though, even von Haynau could see that, rather than dispiriting the rebels, this would only inspire them to resist Austrian tyranny more vigorously. “Enough!” he cried and stalked back to his barracks, leaving Madame de Maderspach sobbing, her body grievously damaged, but her spirit unbroken.
There are two epilogs to this story-de Maderspach’s husband, hearing about his wife being flogged, ran to the market-place to try to rescue her, but was repelled by the soldiers. He went home and shot himself and when she returned there, bleeding from her whipping, she found him dead.
And von Haynau, after crushing the Hungarian rebellion, retired from the Army and, in October 1850, decided to visit London. Stories about his behavior had appeared in the British press and public opinion was greatly inflamed against him. Palmerston, the British Foreign Secretary, urged him to trim his distinctive mustache before venturing out into the streets, but von Haynau refused.
Passing the Barclay and Perkins Brewery, he was recognized by some of the workers, who, offended by von Haynau’s flogging of women and oppression of Hungarian workers, proceeded to beat him in the street. A plaque marks the spot.
1848 was a year of revolutions throughout Europe-France, Italy, Germany and many other countries. Possibly the bloodiest was in Hungary, where rebels led by Lajos Kossuth rose up to demand civil liberties and a degree of independence from the Austrian Empire and the Hapsburg Emperor Ferdinand. After initially acceding to many of their demands, the Emperor, backed by Russia, eventually sent troops to quash the revolt.
The Austrian troops were commanded by General Julius Jacob von Haynau, who acquired the nickname, “The Hyena” for his conduct in putting down the Hungarian uprising, and most particularly for the incident described by our reporter below:
It was a hot day, the 16th of August 1849, when the Austrian soldiers came for Madame de Maderspach, mother of seven and a noble lady, near 40 years of age, who, along with her husband, was sympathetic to the Hungarian cause and had allowed and even encouraged the local villagers to celebrate the Hungarian Declaration of Independence.
The Lady was hauled before General von Haynau, who looked down upon her from his seat on an elevated dais.
“Madame, I find you guilty of insurrection against the Emperor Ferdinand, ruler of this land by Grace of God. Take her to the village market place and flog her.”
The good Lady looked completely stunned by this atrocity. “What?" she cried. “I am a Lady and a mother and a patriot. How dare you pass such a judgement on me?”
The General looked at her like she was a piece of bad fish he had been served by a negligent cook. “You are a rebel and you will be treated like any other rebel, man or woman. You will be stripped to the waist and whipped until I decide you have been sufficiently punished.”
“You are not a General, sir, but a low-born scoundrel and a cad. To whip a woman-it is shameful.”
The General flicked his hand in her direction. “To the marketplace with this tiresome Hungarian whore!" he shouted angrily. His men dragged her there, protesting the whole way, von Haynau following closely behind.
At the marketplace, the soldiers cleared a spot, pushing back the villagers who had been buying their daily provisions. A Sergeant ordered the crowd to form rows. “You shall all see what happens to those, man or woman, who defy the Emperor.”
One of the soldiers grabbed a wooden crate from one of the apple vendors and ordered the lady to kneel upon it. “I shall not kneel for you beastly oppressors!” she protested. Three burly soldiers grabbed her roughly and forced her to her knees on the box.
“Strip her!” the order came. One of the soldiers grabbed her dress and ripped it and the bodice beneath it into several pieces, such that the poor woman was laid completely bare above the waist, the tattered remains of her upper garments hanging down from the waistband of her skirt.
“It is shameful to strip a woman in public,” the good Lady protested. “You show us what your Emperor is-a tyrant, an oppressor of our people.”
“Silence, whore!” von Haynau cried. “All I want to hear is your cries and begging for mercy under the whip.”
One of the soldiers approached carrying a vicious looking whip of braided leather as long as his arm. He stared at the naked back of the fine Lady, stretched out beneath him. “What are you waiting for, fool?” von Haynau demanded. “Flog her as you would a man and if I see you holding back, I will have you flogged also.”
He drew his arm back and lashed the cruel leather down onto the soft skin of Madame de Maderspach's back. She howled in pain. Again he whipped her. Several soldiers had to hold her arms, so intense were her struggles to escape the searing agony. But, the brave Lady did not once give the General the satisfaction he desired. For, despite her great distress, she did not once beg for mercy. Rather, she continued to curse him and the Emperor and cry, “Freedom for Hungary! Arise Magyars and free yourself from the Austrian yoke!”
I know not how many times they lashed her, for beyond a certain point I could no longer bear to look. Certainly two dozen, perhaps three. Eventually, though, even von Haynau could see that, rather than dispiriting the rebels, this would only inspire them to resist Austrian tyranny more vigorously. “Enough!” he cried and stalked back to his barracks, leaving Madame de Maderspach sobbing, her body grievously damaged, but her spirit unbroken.
There are two epilogs to this story-de Maderspach’s husband, hearing about his wife being flogged, ran to the market-place to try to rescue her, but was repelled by the soldiers. He went home and shot himself and when she returned there, bleeding from her whipping, she found him dead.
And von Haynau, after crushing the Hungarian rebellion, retired from the Army and, in October 1850, decided to visit London. Stories about his behavior had appeared in the British press and public opinion was greatly inflamed against him. Palmerston, the British Foreign Secretary, urged him to trim his distinctive mustache before venturing out into the streets, but von Haynau refused.
Passing the Barclay and Perkins Brewery, he was recognized by some of the workers, who, offended by von Haynau’s flogging of women and oppression of Hungarian workers, proceeded to beat him in the street. A plaque marks the spot.
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