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Rare Royal Gallows Unearthed in France Intrigue Experts
Clear Facts
- French archaeologists uncovered a rare 16th-century gallows site in Grenoble in 2024.
- The site features eight stone pillars, used for displaying executed prisoners—mostly rebels against royal authority during the Protestant Reformation.
- Researchers found at least 32 remains, often buried together, with many graves showing evidence of violence.
French authorities made public in December the discovery of a gallows structure, built as early as 1544, that once displayed the bodies of those executed for crimes against royal authority.
The gallows contained at least 32 individuals, mostly men but some women, often buried together in groups.
Archaeologists reveal the site was used under royal jurisdiction, overseen by the Parliament of the Dauphiné.
Originally thought to be a religious structure, the square plan with eight pillars showed its high status as an instrument of royal justice.
“Among them were Benoît Croyet, accused in 1573 of participating in an attack on Grenoble, and Charles du Puy Montbrun, a Huguenot leader who was beheaded and displayed at the site in 1575,” the release said.
Nicolas Minvielle-Larousse, a researcher with Inrap, explained, “Compared with the few known cases, the Grenoble gallows stands out for its square plan with eight pillars, which reflects its high status within the hierarchy of criminal justice in the kingdom.”
Minvielle-Larousse stated the burials were “carried out without any care,” inviting more questions about justice and punishment of the era.
He noted, “Each criminal court could therefore have its own gallows, whether it belonged to royal jurisdictions—Grenoble being one example—or more broadly to seigneurial courts.”
Minvielle-Larousse hopes the site will advance research into historical mortuary and justice practices.
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