Who in Russia was branded with hot iron and for what such punishment was applied

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

In old Russia, corporal punishment was widely used. Many of them were very cruel and left marks on the human body for the rest of their lives. For example, branding. Even high-ranking persons could be punished. There were various ways to carry out this procedure. Read what were the hallmarks, what Peter I decided on this matter, and where the expression “there is nowhere to put a hallmark” came from.

Last place on the list of punishments

With a wide variety of corporal punishment in Russia, branding was used quite rarely. When the first laws arose, such measures as a fine (surprisingly, even murderers could get off with it), expulsion from a village or city, and confiscation of property in favor of an injured person were indicated against criminals. Gradually, more severe punishments began to be applied - criminals were brutally beaten with sticks, flogged and even sentenced to death. As for branding, the first mention of this method dates back to the end of the 14th century. The stigma was used mainly for those who encroached on someone else's property, that is, for thieves. Since the robber, robber or thief was called "thief", then it was recommended to "tatya every spot."

So that the figured stamps of Peter I could be seen from afar

In the middle of the 17th century, it was decided to mark dangerous criminals in such a way that it was impossible to hide it. People should have seen that before them was a dishonest person who violated all the rules and laws. Initially, brutal methods such as cutting off ears, fingers or toes were used to punish thieves and other criminals. When Peter I came to power, the violators were stigmatized. At the same time, instead of setting the brand with the help of red-hot metal, a different technology was used. The executioners had figured stamps with long needles at their disposal. They were applied to the skin, after which they were removed from above with a mallet. A wound formed on the body, into which gunpowder was then carefully rubbed, and later ink, ink, ocher.

At first, the hallmarks looked like a two-headed eagle, and Elizaveta Petrovna introduced the practice of putting letters. For example, a thief received a thief tattoo, and the letters remained in the most prominent places - the cheeks and forehead. For the sake of completeness, the nostrils were pulled out of the punished. Sometimes such methods were used instead of the death penalty.

Marks on the face: stigmatization of revolutionaries and state traitors

They branded not only criminals and thieves, but also rioters, troublemakers. It was believed that this way you can influence the masses and pacify them. Participants in the riots of 1662 received the brand, and then the archers, who organized the uprising in 1698. Branding replaced them with the death penalty. Researchers cite as an example the note of no one Kotoshikhin, who served in the Ambassadorial Prikaz. He noted that the rebels were branded with a red-hot iron, applied to the right cheek, and the mark itself was in the form of the letter "Buki", which meant "rebel". Participants of the Pugachev rebellion were also branded. On their bodies there were marks of different letters. The troublemakers could also be flogged and sent to distant settlements. Their families also paid for their deeds - they were expelled.

Where did the expression "nowhere to put brands" came from?

At the beginning of the 19th century, the stigma of convicts began to be used. This procedure was mandatory until the moment when a decree was issued abolishing corporal punishment. Criminals received letter marks on the shoulder blade, forearm, or face. From the stamps affixed, it was possible to understand whether a person had escaped from hard labor, and if this happened, then how many times. Since many of the exiles made repeated attempts to escape, the expression “nowhere to be branded” appeared. In 1845, the Code of Criminal and Correctional Punishments was adopted, which described the procedure for branding. It was pointed out that convicts who were to be subjected to such punishment must first be taught a lesson with whips, and publicly. After that, a stamp in the form of three letters KAT was put on the cheeks and forehead, which meant convict. All this was done by the same executioner.

A doctor had to be present during this manipulation. However, his responsibilities were not to monitor the condition of a person and observe hygiene rules, but to ensure the quality and durability of the mark. Sometimes convicts were not branded, but punished with a whip. In this case, there were also marks on the skin that could not be removed.

Branding dignitaries and annoying mistakes

However, one should not think that only thieves, robbers and murderers were subjected to stigma. Sometimes such punishment was used for high-ranking officials who proved to be liars or traitors. For example, at the time of Catherine II, Baron Gumprecht, officer Feinberg, Sergei Pushkin were branded - all of them were counterfeiters. For machinations and forgery, they were deprived of their ranks and branded as a liar by the registrar Shatsky. There were also mistakes when innocent people were subjected to severe punishment, which aroused indignation even among the nobility. For example, during the reign of Alexander II, in such cases, the innocent victim was handed a paper, which indicated that the stigma was invalid.

In addition, the offended could receive freedom. By the way, in the Code of 1845 it was spelled out that one can stigmatize not only for theft and similar crimes, but also for false oath or blasphemy. The rules existed for 10 years, and in 1855 Alexander signed a decree abolishing all corporal punishment. Now the criminals were imprisoned, where they served rather long terms.

The transfer itself was no less a punishment. His horrors detailed and documented.