On October 3rd 1283, Dafydd ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwynedd in Wales
On October 3rd 1283, Dafydd ap Gruffydd, prince of Gwynedd in Wales, became the first person to be tried for what later would become high treason against a king, poor Dafydd was also the first nobleman executed by being hanged, drawn and quartered. Matthew Paris's Chronica Majora, show William de Marisco being drawn to his execution tied to the back of a horse. Oct. 3, 1283: As Bad Deaths Go, It's Hard to Top This While the human capacity for cruelty is limitless, it's hard to top the medievals for their sheer inventiveness when it came to executing a criminal -- especially for the crime of high treason. A group of soldiers watch a man being drawn and quartered in this pen-and-ink drawing. Image: Corbis 1283: Dafydd ap Gruffydd, the last native prince of Wales in a free if turbulent Wales, becomes the first person known to be executed by being hanged, then drawn and quartered. While the human capacity for cruelty is limitless, it's hard to top the mediev...