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Marie Antoinette before her execution on the scaffold.
A scaffold (French: échafaud, German: Schafott) is a raised, stage-like site for performing public executions.
The execution was practised in public places. The "public spectacle" character of the execution was meant to deter the people from committing crimes, and demonstrate the authority of the Government, while simultaneously acting as a form of entertainment for the masses. For this purpose, the scaffold was often higher than a podium setup, and was therefore also called scaffold.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ Bennett, Rachel E. (December 2017). "The Spectacle of the Scaffold". Capital Punishment and the Criminal Corpse in Scotland, 1740–1834. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 123–158. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-62018-3_5. ISBN 978-3-319-62017-6. Retrieved 2025-08-03.
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