#history
Pope’s Executioner.
The young generation may not be aware that the Pope was the ruler of a major part of Europe for hundred of years. His kingdom was known as the Papal States.
Giovanni Bugatti served as the official executioner for the Pope from 1796 to 1864. Over the course of his career, he carried out 514 executions.
Giovanni Battista Bugatti was born on March 6, 1779, in Senigallia, Marche, Papal States.
Known as Mastro Titta, a Roman nickname derived from ‘maestro di giustizia’ (master of justice), he began his career in executions at the age of 17 and continued for 68 years until his retirement.
Over his career, Bugatti carried out a total of 514 executions, averaging about 7 per year. His methods included beheading by axe, hanging, mallet, and later, the guillotine, introduced by the French and first used in the Papal States in 1816.
Bugatti was a short, portly man, always well-dressed, and known for his regular attendance at the church Santa Maria in Traspontina. He was married but had no children. Outside his official duties, he and his wife sold painted umbrellas and souvenirs to tourists.
Bugatti was restricted to the Trastevere neighborhood unless on official business, partly for his protection against revenge from the relatives of those he executed, and partly due to superstition about his job. His crossing the bridge to Rome signaled an impending execution, drawing crowds.
He died on June 18, 1869, in Rome, Lazio, Papal States.
One of his notable executions was described by Charles Dickens in “Pictures from Italy” (1846). Bugatti’s blood-stained clothes, axes, and guillotines, including a peculiarly built guillotine with a straight blade and V-shaped neckpiece, are displayed at the Museum of Criminology in Rome.
( adapted)
photo:
Robes and Axe that belonged to Giovanni Battista Bugatti.
