Naraku
Draconarius
A little Thanksgiving/End of the year offering. It's a a BATS story, but without an actual stake.
The Pilgrimage Ends
by
Naraku
Historical Disclaimer: This story is based on XVI Century English history as presented in the Showtime TV series "The Tudors". In that series, Robert Aske was portrayed as a middle aged man with a wife and two children. For the purpose of this story, I have altered the age and gender of one of the children. The real Aske was in his mid-thirties at the time of his execution. He was unmarried and had no known children. All characters and events depicted in this story are fictional. However, I have attempted to maintain historical accuracy concerning the political and religious background.
Tuesday, 2 October, 1537
The crowd had been gathering in Smithfield all morning. Although the butchers and meat shops were doing a brisk business, their wares were not the main attraction. As was often the case in these turbulent times, the crowd was drawn not by the flesh of butchered animals, but the spectacle of the butchering of humans. For, today was the day of an execution. And, although the details were unknown to most of the citizens, this promised to be an unusual event.
A popular uprising had broken out in Yorkshire the previous year. It's leaders had given it the name "The Pilgrimage of Grace". Although fueled by many economic and social grievances, it's principal motivation was resistance to the religious reforms Cromwell had instituted, especially the dissolution of the monasteries. The movement swelled into a peasant army of over 40,000. Charged with ending the rebellion, the Duke of Norfolk had negotiated terms with the leaders of the Pilgrimage. But, he had not been given authority to do so and therefore the King - and Cromwell - refused to ratify the agreement. Whisperings began that Norfolk was a rebel sympathizer. When Norfolk's promises were not kept, the rebellion broke out again in February. This time, knowing his reputation - and his life - was on the line, Norfolk struck ruthlessly and crushed the uprising. Hundreds were executed including the leaders. The most important leader was a lawyer named Robert Aske. On July 12, Aske was hanged chains at York , his body left to rot on the gallows as a warning to others.
A murmur of excitement began on the east side of the market and soon became as roar. A troop of soldiers, on foot and horseback, was pushing its way through the crowd; clearing a path for an ox cart. Standing in the cart were Hugh the executioner and his assistant, Jasper. Huddled together in the center of the cart were three female figures. Clasping each other's hands in a circle, their heads bowed together, each wearing only a plain grey chemise, their disheveled hair obscuring their faces; they seemed small, frail and pathetic.
The focus of attention was a structure that had been erected the previous day in the center of the market. Two stout wooden posts stood about 10 feet tall with a beam across the top spanning the 8 foot gap between them. Three ropes hung from the crossbeam at two foot intervals. A simple structure in front of each post supported planks forming a platform about four feet above the ground with a short ladder propped against one side. Bundles of branches and short logs had been staked between the posts up to the base of the platform and a large pile of more bundles was nearby.
As the crowd gathered along the temporary barricade that surrounded this strange structure, there was much speculation as to it's purpose. It was known the condemned were women convicted of treason and that the penalty for treason, when committed by a woman, was burning. It was also known that, in most cases, a woman would be strangled before the flames reached her as an act of mercy. Many had witnessed this in cases of women convicted of killing their husbands, which under English law was classed as "petty treason". As the structure before them resembled a gallows, most assumed the women were going to be hanged before the fagots were lit beneath them. But, some dissenting voices pointed out, the ropes hung loose and did not end in nooses. The small group of guardsmen within the barricade could offer no help; they were only there to maintain order. And, the executioners had not arrived yet.
The short, rotund man who stood among the throng at the barricade could have explained it all. But, no one in the crowd recognized him. And why would they? Although he was better dressed than most, he was not the only gentleman of means in Smithfield that day. The lure of the coming spectacle had drawn the attention of all ranks of London society. Beggars and merchants rubbed shoulders this day. There were even men and women of noble rank in the mass of humanity. There was nothing noteworthy about the man, and he preferred it that way. His occupation required a certain degree of anonymity. As an agent of the Lord Privy Seal, Sir Tobias Bribeaux preferred not to draw attention to himself. He was there only to observe and report. The Lord Privy Seal, Thomas Cromwell, Baron of Wimbledon, chief minister to Henry VIII, architect of the English Reformation, the second most powerful man in the Kingdom - some would argue, the most powerful - had a personal interest in the event scheduled for Smithfield this day.
(Continued)
The Pilgrimage Ends
by
Naraku
Historical Disclaimer: This story is based on XVI Century English history as presented in the Showtime TV series "The Tudors". In that series, Robert Aske was portrayed as a middle aged man with a wife and two children. For the purpose of this story, I have altered the age and gender of one of the children. The real Aske was in his mid-thirties at the time of his execution. He was unmarried and had no known children. All characters and events depicted in this story are fictional. However, I have attempted to maintain historical accuracy concerning the political and religious background.
Tuesday, 2 October, 1537
The crowd had been gathering in Smithfield all morning. Although the butchers and meat shops were doing a brisk business, their wares were not the main attraction. As was often the case in these turbulent times, the crowd was drawn not by the flesh of butchered animals, but the spectacle of the butchering of humans. For, today was the day of an execution. And, although the details were unknown to most of the citizens, this promised to be an unusual event.
A popular uprising had broken out in Yorkshire the previous year. It's leaders had given it the name "The Pilgrimage of Grace". Although fueled by many economic and social grievances, it's principal motivation was resistance to the religious reforms Cromwell had instituted, especially the dissolution of the monasteries. The movement swelled into a peasant army of over 40,000. Charged with ending the rebellion, the Duke of Norfolk had negotiated terms with the leaders of the Pilgrimage. But, he had not been given authority to do so and therefore the King - and Cromwell - refused to ratify the agreement. Whisperings began that Norfolk was a rebel sympathizer. When Norfolk's promises were not kept, the rebellion broke out again in February. This time, knowing his reputation - and his life - was on the line, Norfolk struck ruthlessly and crushed the uprising. Hundreds were executed including the leaders. The most important leader was a lawyer named Robert Aske. On July 12, Aske was hanged chains at York , his body left to rot on the gallows as a warning to others.
A murmur of excitement began on the east side of the market and soon became as roar. A troop of soldiers, on foot and horseback, was pushing its way through the crowd; clearing a path for an ox cart. Standing in the cart were Hugh the executioner and his assistant, Jasper. Huddled together in the center of the cart were three female figures. Clasping each other's hands in a circle, their heads bowed together, each wearing only a plain grey chemise, their disheveled hair obscuring their faces; they seemed small, frail and pathetic.
The focus of attention was a structure that had been erected the previous day in the center of the market. Two stout wooden posts stood about 10 feet tall with a beam across the top spanning the 8 foot gap between them. Three ropes hung from the crossbeam at two foot intervals. A simple structure in front of each post supported planks forming a platform about four feet above the ground with a short ladder propped against one side. Bundles of branches and short logs had been staked between the posts up to the base of the platform and a large pile of more bundles was nearby.
As the crowd gathered along the temporary barricade that surrounded this strange structure, there was much speculation as to it's purpose. It was known the condemned were women convicted of treason and that the penalty for treason, when committed by a woman, was burning. It was also known that, in most cases, a woman would be strangled before the flames reached her as an act of mercy. Many had witnessed this in cases of women convicted of killing their husbands, which under English law was classed as "petty treason". As the structure before them resembled a gallows, most assumed the women were going to be hanged before the fagots were lit beneath them. But, some dissenting voices pointed out, the ropes hung loose and did not end in nooses. The small group of guardsmen within the barricade could offer no help; they were only there to maintain order. And, the executioners had not arrived yet.
The short, rotund man who stood among the throng at the barricade could have explained it all. But, no one in the crowd recognized him. And why would they? Although he was better dressed than most, he was not the only gentleman of means in Smithfield that day. The lure of the coming spectacle had drawn the attention of all ranks of London society. Beggars and merchants rubbed shoulders this day. There were even men and women of noble rank in the mass of humanity. There was nothing noteworthy about the man, and he preferred it that way. His occupation required a certain degree of anonymity. As an agent of the Lord Privy Seal, Sir Tobias Bribeaux preferred not to draw attention to himself. He was there only to observe and report. The Lord Privy Seal, Thomas Cromwell, Baron of Wimbledon, chief minister to Henry VIII, architect of the English Reformation, the second most powerful man in the Kingdom - some would argue, the most powerful - had a personal interest in the event scheduled for Smithfield this day.
(Continued)
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