Death by burning (immolation)
Death by burning, or immolation, refers to the process of death resulting from combustion or extreme heat exposure. Historically, it has been employed in various cultures as a form of capital punishment, particularly during the medieval period, where methods like burning at the stake were used to punish crimes such as heresy, witchcraft, and treason. The act is often associated with significant pain and suffering, as the body undergoes severe thermal damage, leading to potential respiratory failure due to smoke inhalation or the destruction of vital organs.
Beyond execution, immolation is also linked to self-immolation, where individuals set themselves on fire as a form of protest or expression of faith. This practice has seen notable instances throughout history, especially among Buddhist monks seeking to raise awareness for social and political causes. In contemporary contexts, self-immolation has been utilized to protest governmental actions or policies, highlighting the act's enduring significance as a method of compelling social change. Overall, death by burning encompasses both historical practices of punishment and modern expressions of protest, illustrating its complex and often painful legacy.
On this Page
Death by burning (immolation)
Death by burning (immolation) results from combustion or prolonged exposure to extreme heat. Although it can occur in other ways, death by burning is primarily thought of as means of execution or murder. Death by burning has been utilized as a form of capital punishment throughout much of human history, especially during the medieval period. It is most closely associated with a particular execution method known as burning at the stake, which was often used as a punishment and deterrent for specific crimes like heresy, witchcraft, and treason. The concept of death by burning is also closely associated with the practice of self-immolation, which is the act of setting oneself on fire, typically as a form of protest or an expression of faith. Whether or not it occurs intentionally, death by burning is generally regarded as one of the most painful and even torturous ways to die.
Background
Death by burning is a slow and at least initially painful process during which the body gradually breaks down and ultimately ceases to function. As this process plays out, the body undergoes several key changes that eventually result in death. While it can take some time for the process to be completed, the victim can potentially die at any point once it begins.
The earliest stage of the process of death by burning begins as soon as flames come into contact with the victim’s body. When this happens, the fire quickly starts to burn and destroy the outermost layer of the skin known as the epidermis. Within five minutes, the thicker underlying layer of skin called the dermis will begin to shrink and split open, allowing fat to drain out of the body. At this point, the muscles will also start to contract. This part of the process is excruciatingly painful, but relatively brief. Although a person being burned to death initially feels immense pain as their body begins to burn, the pain eventually subsides once the skin and the nerve endings below are destroyed. Once that occurs, pain is no longer felt.
While a person being burned to death may survive the initial burning of their flesh, many people are already dead at this point. Victims who die before their flesh has been fully consumed often expire because of smoke inhalation, which leads to respiratory system failure and causes the person to suffocate. Death from suffocation may also occur if the lungs fill with fluid during the burning process. Thermal decomposition of vital organs and other parts of the body can lead to death as well. This happens when the heat of the fire causes the organs to shrink and ultimately shut down. Another possible cause of death during the burning process is loss of blood and other fluids. When the body suffers severe burns, an inflammatory response is triggered that leads capillaries to leak. Death will result if too much blood is lost in this manner. Death may also result if the victim’s body temperature rises above 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which causes the body’s enzymes to stop functioning properly and may also lead to organ failure and shock. In total, it typically takes about two to three hours for a human body to fully burn when exposed to extreme heat.
Overview
The concept of death by burning has a long history dating back to antiquity. In the ancient world, death by burning was practiced as a form of capital punishment in such places as Babylonia, Egypt, Assyria, and Rome. During the reign of the Byzantine Empire (330–1453 CE), which arose out of the eastern portion of the Roman Empire, death by burning was legally established as the proscribed punishment for crimes such as heresy and parricide, which is the murder of a relative. This practice gradually spread throughout many kingdoms in medieval Europe, including those of Aragon, France, and England. During this period, some of the most frequent victims of death by burning were Jewish people. Between the twelfth and sixteenth centuries, several massacres took place during which large numbers of Jewish people were burned to death after being falsely accused of murdering Christian boys to use their blood in religious rituals. Large numbers of Jewish people were also burned to death in the fourteenth century after they were falsely accused of spreading the Black Plague by poisoning wells.
The most common method of death by burning in medieval Europe was burning at the stake. In most cases, this involved setting fire to a wood pyre arranged around a pole to which the victim was bound. People sentenced to this form of capital punishment were usually convicted of heresy or treason. Later in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, death by burning was also a common punishment for people convicted of witchcraft. Some well-known figures like Joan of Arc and Knights Templar grand master Jaques de Molay met their ends via death by burning.
Various traditions related to death by burning as capital punishment or for other reasons took place outside of medieval Europe as well. Such traditions developed in Islamic countries, the Far East, and on the Indian subcontinent, among other places. Death by burning was also adopted by some communities in colonial America, particularly those in the New England colonies. While often incorrectly associated with the Salem Witch Trials, most American victims of death by burning were Black women convicted of murder or arson.
Death by burning may also occur through self-immolation, which is when a person commits suicide by intentionally setting themself on fire. In most cases, people who self-immolate do so as a form of protest or as an expression of their spiritual faith. Although it has a centuries-long history, self-immolation is most frequently associated with Buddhist monks who sometimes choose to self-immolate as a way of achieving enlightenment.
Most examples of self-immolation, however, are undertaken as acts of protest. A famous example is the self-immolation of Thich Quang Duc, a Buddhist monk who did this 1963 in protest of then-president Ngo Dinh Diem’s treatment of Buddhists in South Vietnam. Climate activist Wynn Bruce died after self-immolating in front of the US Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C., in April 2022 in protest of the government’s inaction in addressing climate change. In February 2024 Aaron Bushnell, an active duty member of the United States Air Force, fatally self-immolated in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., as a protest against the Israeli military's ongoing invasion of the Palestinian territory of Gaza, which Bushnell referred to as a "genocide." The Israeli invasion had begun in October 2023 after a series of Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel and had killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians by that time.
Bibliography
Balsamo, Michael. "US Airman Dies After Setting Himself Ablaze Outside Israeli Embassy in Israel-Hamas War Protest." AP News, 26 Feb. 2024, apnews.com/article/israel-us-embassy-man-fire-air-force-f730a09009ce56d818f87a8f4dcc6ca7. Accessed 22 Mar. 2024.
“Burned Alive.” Medieval Chronicles, 2022, www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-torture-devices/burning-alive. Accessed 13 Sept. 2022.
“Burned at the Stake.” Medieval Chronicles, 2022, www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-torture-devices/burned-at-the-stake. Accessed 13 Sept. 2022.
“Burning at the Stake.” Capital Punishment UK, 2022, www.capitalpunishmentuk.org/burning.html. Accessed 13 Sept. 2022.
Gross, Kali Nicole. “The Historical Truth about Women Burned at the Stake in America? Most Were Black.” Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2022, www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/02/25/black-women-history-burned-at-stake. Accessed 13 Sept. 2022.
Perkins, Bob. “Self Immolation: A Brief History of the Incomprehensible Act.” Patch, 9 Apr. 2020, patch.com/california/malibu/self-immolation-brief-history-incomprehensible-act. Accessed 13 Sept. 2022.
Ripley, Katherine. “What Happens When a Human Body Burns to Death.” Ranker, 14 Apr. 2022, www.ranker.com/list/what-it-feels-like-to-burn/katherine-ripley. Accessed 13 Sept. 2022.
Slevin, Colleen, and Deepa Bharath. “Climate Change Activist’s Self-Immolation Raises Questions of Faith and Protest.” PBS News Hour, 26 Apr. 2022, www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/climate-change-activists-self-immolation-raises-questions-of-faith-and-protest. Accessed 13 Sept. 2022.
“What Happens to Human Bodies When They Are Burned?” Future Learn, 2022, www.futurelearn.com/info/courses/forensic-archaeology-and-anthropology/0/steps/67911. Accessed 13 Sept. 2022.