Decapitation, or
beheading, is the removal of someone's head from their body. Decapitation has been used as a form of
capital punishment for millennia. Political prisoners (labelled
traitors) and serious
criminals often had their heads removed and placed on public display for a period of time. If the
headsman[?]'s
axe or
sword was sharp and his aim was true, decapitation was a quick and relatively painless form of death. If the instrument was blunt or the execution clumsy, however, it was considerably less painless. The culprit was therefore advised to give gold coin to the headsman so that he did his job with care.
Decapitation by guillotine was a common form of execution invented shortly before the French Revolution. The aim was that only one form of execution, involving no torture, should exist. It was used in France until 1977.