Running the Gauntlet — The Most Brutal Military Punishment in History??

The modern version of running the gauntlet is a quite bit of fun, but in the darker times, it was deadly

A soldier (far right) being dealt a “running the gauntlet” form of military punishment (Image:photo.rmn.fr)

Running the gauntlet was old punishment, where a victim had to run between two rows of soldiers while receiving blows from them.

Depending on the military and era, running the gauntlet may cause even death.

Running the gauntlet as execution with spears

Convicted Landsknecht had to stride through the lane of his fellow mercenaries, who repeatedly stabbed him with pikes (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

In the 16th century, the Landsknechts were the most sought-after mercenaries in Europe. They were cruel men with a cruel profession in very cruel times.

If a member of Landsknechts committed a serious crime, he was sentenced to death and executed by spears.

Since Landsknechts had extremely low standards regarding what was a crime and what was not and much more was permitted in the 16th century, we should ask ourselves what was the capital crime in the eyes of these mercenaries.

The capital crime in the Landsknecht unit wasn’t rape…