The “nine familial exterminations” or “nine kinship exterminations” was the most extreme punishment someone could receive in ancient China. Our first record of this punishment comes from a history of the Shang Dynasty and Zhou Dynasty. Apparently it was common for military officers to threaten before battle that if a subordinate disobeyed orders, all their family would be killed.
This eventually evolved into an elaborate, and legal, method of punishment. The nine familial exterminations varied by dynasty, and how often it was used varied as well. Generally, those to be executed included:
- the criminal’s living parents
- their living grandparents
- all children over a certain age (which varied) and all their children’s spouses
- all grandchildren over a certain age, and all their grandchildren’s spouses
- siblings and their sibling’s spouses
- the criminal’s uncles and aunts, as well as their spouses
- cousins (in Korea, this could go to second and third cousins)
- nieces and nephews, and their spouses
- the criminal’s spouse
- the criminal’s spouse’s living parents
- the criminal
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário