Blowing from a gun

Quick Facts: Who was Blowing from a gun?

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Blowing from a gun

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A historical method of execution involving firing a victim attached to the muzzle of a cannon.

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2Day Chrono-Wiki & Primary Historical Archives

Origins & Early Life

Blowing from a gun is a method of execution in which the victim is typically tied to the mouth of a cannon which is then fired, resulting in death. George Carter Stent described the process as follows: The prisoner is generally tied to a gun with the upper part of the small of his back resting against the muzzle. When the gun is fired, his head is seen to go straight up into the air some forty or fifty feet; the arms fly off right and left, high up in the air, and fall at, perhaps, a hundred yards distance; the legs drop to the ground beneath the muzzle of the gun; and the body is literally blown away altogether, not a vestige being seen. Blowing from a gun was a reported means of execution as long ago as the 16th century and was used until the 20th century. The method was used by the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th centuries, from as early as 1509 across their empire from Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) to Mozambique to Brazil.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

The Mughals used the method throughout the 17th century and into the 18th, particularly against rebels. This method of execution is most closely associated with the British East India Company rule in India. Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, "blowing from a gun" was a method the British used to execute rebels as well as for Indian sepoys who were found guilty of desertion. Using the methods previously practised by the Mughals, the British began implementing blowing from guns in the latter half of the 18th century. Destruction of the body and scattering of remains over a wide area had religious symbolism as a means of execution in the Indian subcontinent, as it prevented the necessary funeral rites for Hindus and Muslims.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

For believers, the punishment was extended beyond death, and this was well understood by foreign occupiers. The practice was thus not generally employed by them in other territories across Africa, Australasia, or the Americas. Most recently, there was an exceptional use of the practice in Afghanistan in 1930, against 11 Panjshiri rebels. A commonly reported method of blowing a person from a gun is to tie them in front of the muzzle of the gun and then have them shot. Loading the cannon with a cannonball is on occasion reported, but more often, the use of blank cartridge or grapeshot is attested.

Chronological Milestones & Life Events

1. 1509: 1509 Milestone — The method was used by the Portuguese in the 16th and 17th centuries, from as early as 1509 across their empire from Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) to Mozambique to Brazil.
2. 1857: 1857 Milestone — Following the Indian Rebellion of 1857, "blowing from a gun" was a method the British used to execute rebels as well as for Indian sepoys who were found guilty of desertion.
3. 1930: 1930 Milestone — Most recently, there was an exceptional use of the practice in Afghanistan in 1930, against 11 Panjshiri rebels.

Historical Fact-Check Quiz: Blowing from a gun

True or False: “The practice of blowing from a gun was exclusively used by foreign occupiers in India.”

Answer (FALSE ❌): While foreign powers utilized it, the method also had deep roots and varied use within local Indian traditions, such as the Mughal Empire.

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Fernão Mendes Pinto — Historical peer (Born in 1509) (1509): Portuguese explorer and author, famous for his memoir, Peregrinação.
• Henry VII of England — Historical peer (Died in 1509) (1509): Founder of the House of Tudor, King of England from 1485 to 1509.
• Adolf Wölfli — Historical peer (Died in 1930) (1930): Swiss outsider artist known for meticulous, symbolic, and autobiographical works.
• Adonis (poet) — Historical peer (Born in 1930) (1930): Pioneering Syrian poet, essayist, and translator who revolutionized modern Arabic verse.

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