Gibbet of Montfaucon

But in practice, what happened to you after you killed someone depended enormously on who you were, who you killed, who your friends were, and whether the city decided the person you killed had it coming.

A poor labourer who knifed someone in a tavern could end up swinging from the Great Gibbet at Montfaucon for the crows to pick at.

A student who did exactly the same thing might claim the protection of the church and walk away.

A nobleman who killed to defend his honour could very often obtain a royal pardon.

The idea was simple.

Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done and seen by as many people as possible so that everyone would think twice before doing the same thing.

And the most famous stage for this performance in all of France was a hill just outside the city walls to the northeast called Montfaucon.

Montfaucon, the leaderboard.